Los Romeros - The Mercury Masters

Los Romeros was the first guitar quartet to achieve eminence across continents and on stages of the world. Their first recordings were made in January 1960 and released on Contemporary Records. These came about as a result of André Previn seeing the fifteen-year-old Pepe Romero in performance, on a bill with stand-up comedian Lord Buckley, in Los Angeles in 1959. The two recordings, 'Flamenco Fenómeno' and 'Spanish Guitar Music' are included in this set (CDs 9 and 10) as bonuses to the Mercury recordings. The first 8 CDs comprise the 'Royal Family of the Guitar' in their complete Mercury Recordings, made between 1962 and 1967. Much of the material on this set - superbly remastered by Thomas Fine - makes its first appearance on CD and digital media. The extensive booklet consists of original liner notes by such authorities as Igor Kipnis, texts for the vocal items, and includes the miniature illustrations that adorned the backs of the original LP sleeves. In addition, there is a note by Los Romeros authority, Walter Aaron Clark (author of Los Romeros: Royal Family of the Spanish Guitar) as well as a 'Sessionography' detailing the background to each of the Mercury recordings, by Thomas Fine.