The 10th Anniversary season of the Fitz's Jazz Cafe series at the McCallum Theatre continues with Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling guitarist Ottmar Liebert and his band Luna Negra, on Tuesday, March 31, at 8:00pm.
Ottmar Liebert's incredible global success often seems like an outgrowth of his cultural background and powerful wanderlust. Born in Cologne, Germany, to a Chinese-German father and a Hungarian mother, he began playing guitar at 11. He traveled through Europe and Asia intent on absorbing musical traditions. After pursuing his Rock and Roll dreams, first in his native Germany and then in Boston, he abandoned the East Coast and settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
By 1989, Ottmar had founded the first incarnation of his band Luna Negra. Nouveau Flamenco began as a self-produced local release called Marita: Shadows and Storms which local Indian artist Frank Howell distributed in his art galleries. When the record found its way to radio stations and generated a buzz, Higher Octave Music picked it up and released a fully remastered version.
"I was honestly happy playing this music in hotels and restaurants in Santa Fe, and going in one year from doing that to opening for Miles Davis was a pretty intense jump," Ottmar recalls. "Most shocking for me was to realize how many different people from so many diverse cultures embraced it. I still get letters from fans in Europe, South America, Australia, and Asia. It's been a really gratifying experience. I've had the opportunity to play in a wide variety of cultural settings with musicians from around the world, and that has been a great experience, too."
Named New Age Artist of the Year by Billboard Magazine for 1991-1992, Ottmar has released a catalog of classical recordings, including the remix collection Euphoria (1995), the live album Viva! (1995), the double CD Opium (1996), and the orchestral album Leaning into the Night (1997). He wrapped up his decade with Little Wing (2001), an album of lullabies, In the Arms of Love (2002), and an album with Luna Negra XL called The Santa Fe Sessions (2003). La Semana (2004) was the first all-new band album in five years, followed by Winter Rose (2005). In 2006, Ottmar released One Guitar, his first solo guitar recording. His latest releases are Up Close (2008) and The Scent of Light (2008) a labor of five years.
This performance by Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra, as part of the 10th Anniversary Fitz's Jazz Cafe series at the McCallum Theatre, is sponsored by Desert Lexus, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Time Warner Cable Media Sales and KJJZ 102.3-FM.
Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra will appear at the McCallum Theatre on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at 8:00pm. Tickets are priced at $85, $65, $55 and $45. -- www.mccallumtheatre.com
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