Live vinyl recordings
leesta vall studios in Brooklyn, NYC
Bárbara makes unique, personalized, limited-edition live vinyl recordings every few months at Leesta Vall Studio in Brooklyn, NYC. It’s a really cool and intimate process. Whatever songs she’s working on, composing or performing in that moment, that’s what gets recorded. These specific versions exist only in this format just for YOU. But you can only buy them at live performances, we we hope to see you soon! Go to the SHOWS page for the calendar.
These vinyls are truly one-of-a-kind collectors item that comes inside of a custom-made cover with photos and lyrics with translations, designed and made by hand by Bárbara herself. Each vinyl is 7”, made of transparent plastic and can have 1-2 songs recorded specifically for one buyer. No reproductions are ever made!
Each session is a sprinkle of songs that I have been working on. It ranges from traditional flamenco to original songs in English like “Sun & Rain,” which is part of “TrashBata.” Sometimes song make it in that from the repertoire of Morenita Rey, Bárbara’s grandmother.
Session #2: Dec 5, 21
with guitarist Raphael Brunn
1) Noche De Lluvia (bulerías)
A bolero that I grew up listening to on my grandmother’s record, set to the flamenco rhythm of bulerías
* LISTEN TO SAMPLE *
2) Mi Cante (tangos/rumba)
A traditional style tango/rumba with brand new original lyrics that are humorous and heartfelt
* LISTEN TO SAMPLE *
3) El Sol y La Luna (Alegrías)
A sweet and happy song with brand new original lyrics that speak to a love story between the sun and the moon
* LISTEN TO SAMPLE *
Raphael Brunn, Flamenco Guitarist & Composer,
was born December 19th, 1973 in Hackensack New Jersey to a well-known family of jugglers, dancers and trapeze artists. An American kid with lots of rhythm, Raphael started playing bass guitar at the age of ten. At fourteen, Raphael moved to Europe to join his father, a world renowned juggler and acrobat who had been using live Flamenco music in his performances since seeing Antonio Ruiz and Carmen Amaya dance in the 1950’s.
From a young age, Raphael was exposed to some of Spain’s finest Flamenco artists including El Manzanita, El Recortao, Pepe Marquez and many more.
His public debut playing Flamenco guitar was in the opening festivities of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Since then, Raphael has performed with many of the artists who initially inspired his dedication to the Flamenco tradition. He worked with El Farruquito and El Torombo in the Flamenco production of Incognito, in Frankfurt, Germany. Now based in New York City, Raphael performs with various Flamenco artists and is currently working on his second CD.
Session #1: June 20, 2021
voice, guitar, bass & drums
On June 20, 2021, we did our first recording as part of their Direct-To-Vinyl Live Sessions project at Leesta Vall (@leestavall). This is a super cool concept and I was truly thrilled and honored to be a part of it! I have decided that it is the perfect gift for my Patreon members every 6 months.
These vinyl records are one-of-a-kind. Each take gets recorded exclusively for one customer (or patreon) with a personalized dedication at the start. This is our way of making something very special available to fans, something that is one-of a-kind and that you can actually hold in your hands!
Also, for non-Patreons, each purchase includes a free gift: an exclusive link to a live stream concert of your choice:
1) "Live at Drom NYC" (10/16/20)
2) "A Concert & A Haircut" with Espíritu Gitano (11/15/20)
3) "Songstresses" with Ayla Huguenot (12/19/20)
*Concert descriptions are at the online store.
1) Cartageneras
A traditional flamenco that originates from the province just east of Andalucia, Spain, a region historically associated with mining. I always noticed that the poetry and lyrics often speak to a very personal, solitary longing for loved one who is far away. My father had a little in this area. My lyrics reflect my thoughts about some poignant personal experiences. This arrangement features jazz veteran, bassist Santi Debriano and starts off with only the bass and my voice and also features some new Tangos de Granada.
2) Guajiras
A traditional flamenco style that borrows from the Caribbean, and in particular Cuba. The poetry and lyrics often speaks to life in the Caribbean. My lyrics lyrics are about a beautiful island with sweet fruits, the bright sun that circles it and someone who still is on my mind. I developed this arrangement through years of performing it in jazz venues throughout the NYC area. I love lightness and bright feeling of the Guajira harmonies and rhythms, and people never expect it when I dance at the end :) This Guajira includes a section of a song by my idol Pablo Milanés, and has his blessing! This arrangement features el maestro, Adrian Alvarado, on flamenco guitar and also features some brand new lyrics at the end.
3) Sun & Rain
A strangely beautiful song that I wrote while playing my guitar at home and admiring the birds in my courtyard. One day they were flying back and forth. It was a sunny day and but when it started raining, the sun never went away! This song is also part of a solo dance theater project that I am working on called “TrashBata”, which about the problem of plastic on our planet. I will be playing guitar on this recording, along with the maestro Adrian Alvarado. This is the first time I will be playing this song live with other musicians!
The Musicians:
Adrián Alvarado, guitar
Santi Debriano, acoustic bass
Engin Gunaydin, drums/percussion
ADRIAN ALVARADO. São Paulo, Brazil 1968. Spanish-brazilian guitarist, composer and arranger. (Monica Molina, Pastora Soler, Farhad Darya, Danilo Perez). Adrian is a very versatile guitarist, with a solid career as soloist, session musician, as well as sideman for many artists in the Flamenco scene, Jazz and Brazilian music.
ENGIN KAAN GUNAYDIN, drummer, percussionist and composer was born in Melbourne, Australia. Being raised in a musical family, his interest in the art of making music developed at a very early age, initially studying piano. Engin studied music at the prestigious Bilkent University in Turkey and Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. In Turkey he has performed with Sibel Kose, Kamil Erdem, Janusz Szprot, Tuna Otenel, Sertab Erener, Husnu Senlendirici, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, Erkan Ogur, Fazil Say, Iskender Paydas and many more. In the USA, Engin has had the honor of performing with Tiger Okoshi, Al Di Meola, Scott Deogburn (Professor at Berklee College of Music), John Funkhouser, Oscar Stagnaro (Bass player for Paquito D’Rivera-Won a Latin Grammy in 2001) and Jamey Haddad (Berklee College of Music – Faculty – Percussion). Engin is a member of the NY Gypsy All Stars, a contemporary balkan ethnic group based in New York City.
SANTI WILSON DEBRIANO (born 1955 in Panama) is a jazz bassist. Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University. He worked with Archie Shepp in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then moved to Paris and played with Sam Rivers for three years. He returned to New York City and has since worked with Don Pullen, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart, Larry Coryell, Chucho Valdés, Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, Kirk Lightsey, and Attila Zoller. Debriano has led several of his own units, including small groups in the late 1980s and Circlechant, a world music-influenced ensemble which has had among its members Helio Alves, Will Calhoun, and Abraham Burton. Debriano was also the music director for arts at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey, and was given an award for jazz education by New York University in 2001.
