Maria Del Mar Bonet - Salmaia

I know her music since the 70-ties

She's a legend and why so few records on Amazon??? I've 4 of her records on vinyl but need the cd's. They're old and wretched so present them please, find them, burn them and so on...

Leninche
Holland-Cuba-Spain March 1, 2004

Enchanting, mesmerizing, amazing . . . Really!

My introduction to Maria Del Mar Bonet's rich, incredible voice was a song of hers played during the final credits of the film Caricias by Catalan director, Ventura Pons. I have mixed feelings about this film, which traces a cycle of relationships, each variying in degrees of emotional, psychological or physical brutality, in contemporary Barcelona over one evening, but I was absolutely electrified by her voice. Although this is not an accurate comparison, it's similar to the way I feel when I hear really early Joan Baez recordings of traditional English / U.S. folk music. At any rate, I nearly strained my eyes reading the credits to find out who this amazing singer was and immediately went home and ordered Salamia, since that was the selection available from Amazon.com at the time.

I have since contacted the Spanish consulate in Los Angeles, and Ms. Del Mar Bonet's record company in Spain to find out how to get copies of her music not available in the U.S.

On Salamia, Ms. Del Mar Bonet sings in Catalan and Mallorcan dialect with sparse musical accompaniement, in a style that reflects traditional Spanish music, and also draws heavily from other Mediterranean traditions, too, including Sardinian, Greek, Moroccan. March 5, 2002

Great record (and all her discography)

"Salmaia" és un disc fantàstic, emotiu i fresc. Però, realment, és un més de la seva extensa discografia. Uns altres discos de Maria del Mar Bonet que vull recomendar-vos són: "Anells d'aigua", "Al.lenar", "El.las", "Jardí tancat" i "Joan Miró". February 14, 2002

What a voice! What an album!

I first heard of Maria Del Mar Bonet while looking for some traditional Majorcan music for a project I was working on a few years ago. I was hooked from the first note! I was able to score a few CDs from friends in Spain, and I was thrilled to find her CDs on Amazon.com.

Salmaia is made up of mostly contemporary songs from the Mediterranean (from what I can gather from the notes in two languages I don't speak!) and it is the perfect showcase for her incredible voice. Maria Del Mar Bonet's voice is rich, passionate, evocative and intoxicatingly beautiful.

The songs on the CD are quite varied, from slow and soulful, to intense up tempo songs. The arrangements are compelling and fit the melodies perfectly. The playing is top notch, and Ms. Del Mar Bonet is not stingy with showcasing the musicians. there are several extended solos on various instruments.

This record is completely satisfying on every level. I only wish that Amazon.com made more of her CDs available; she has over 20 out. But this is up there with the best I've heard! October 6, 2000

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