Ottmar Liebert (born 1 February 1959) is a German guitarist, songwriter and producer best known for his Spanish-influenced music. A five-time Grammy Award nominee, Liebert has received 38 Gold and Platinum certifications in the United States, as well as certifications in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. His debut album Nouveau Flamenco (1990) was certified Platinum in the United States.
Early life
Ottmar Liebert was born 1 February 1959 in Cologne, West Germany, to a Chinese-German father and a Hungarian mother. As a child, he spent most of his time travelling throughout Europe and Asia with his family. He began playing classical guitar at 11, and studying flamenco guitar at 14, after he "found a Flamenco LP in the bargain bin at a local supermarket." After performing rock music in his native Germany, he moved to the United States and settled in Boston for a few years, performing in various rock clubs. In 1986 Liebert settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he began looking to create a new musical sound.
Liebert cites musical influences such as "Carlos Santana, Paco de Lucía, John McLaughlin, Robert Fripp and Jeff Beck, others were horn players like Miles Davis," although he cites "others yet were fine artists who taught me about space and brush strokes and dynamics and contrast." The initial thousand copies were sold in the gallery of Santa Fe artist Frank Howell. When the record found its way to radio stations and began generating a response among listeners, Higher Octave Music picked it up and released a remastered version titled Nouveau Flamenco (1990).
Nouveau Flamenco
Liebert describes his musical style as "Nouveau Flamenco." In a 2004 interview, Liebert explained that once he was signed to a record label, he was required to come up with a name for what he was doing. Although there are flamenco elements to his music, it's nothing like traditional flamenco, being based on melody and using much simpler forms. As this music couldn't be considered jazz, rock, or classical, he felt that flamenco was the closest word to use that people could identify with.
Liebert drew some criticism with his adoption of the term, especially since according to critics, none of his works to date followed traditional flamenco palo forms. It was also perceived by some as a marketing ploy and an attempt to associate his music with the then burgeoning school of "Flamenco Nuevo", where acknowledged flamenco artists had started to rejuvenate and reinvent flamenco through the introduction of influences from Latin America (e.g. the Rumba rhythm) and even jazz music. Paco de Lucia was one such critic. Despite Liebert's citing Paco as an influence,
Awards
- Nouveau Flamenco (1990) Certified: Platinum – US, 14 x Platinum – US/Latin, Platinum – Australia, Platinum – New Zealand, Gold – Canada, Gold – Mexico
- Poets & Angels: Music 4 the Holidays (1990) Certified: 2 x Platinum – US/Latin
- Borrasca (1991) Certified: Gold – US, 4 x Platinum – US/Latin
- Solo Para Ti (1992) Certified: Gold – US, 2 x Platinum – US/Latin, Gold – Canada
- The Hours Between Night + Day (1993) Certified: Gold – US, 2 x Platinum – US/Latin, Gold – Canada, Gold – New Zealand
- Euphoria (1995) Certified: Gold – US/Latin
- ¡Viva! (1995) Certified: Platinum – US/Latin
- Opium (1996) Certified: Platinum – US/Latin
- Leaning Into the Night (Inclinado en la Noche) (1997) Certified: Gold – US/Latin
- Innamorare: Summer Flamenco (1999) Certified: Gold – US/Latin
- Nouveau Flamenco: 1990–2000 Special Tenth Anniversary Edition (2000) Certified: Platinum – US/Latin
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!|Year
!|Album
!|Certification
!|Charts, awards and nominations
|-
|1989
|Marita: Shadows & Storms
|
|
|-
|1990
|Nouveau Flamenco
|
- Platinum - US
- 14× Platinum - US Latin
- Platinum - New Zealand
- Gold - Canada
- Gold - Mexico
|
- AUS No. 74
|-
|1990
|Poets & Angels: Music 4 the Holidays
|
- 2× Platinum - US Latin
|
|-
|1991
|Borrasca
|
- Gold - US
- 4× Platinum - US Latin
|nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
|-
|1992
|Solo Para Ti
|
- Gold - US
- 2× Platinum - US Latin
- Gold - Canada
|
- AUS No. 61
|-
|1995
|Euphoria
|
- Gold - US Latin
|
|-
|1995
|¡Viva!
|
- Platinum - US Latin
|
|-
|1996
|Opium
|
- Platinum - US Latin
|nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
- AUS No. 22