Biography
Peru-born guitarist Ciro Hurtado moved to the United States in 1975 yet has remained among the leading interpreters of traditional Latin music. As a founding member, musical director, and producer of Huayucaltia, he has maintained a steady balance between ensemble commitments and his own solo performances and recordings. The L.A. Times described him as “an elegantly polished guitarist, who can evoke flourishes of flamenco or jazzy staccato runs with consummate ease,” while Musician magazine observed that he “combines the dexterity and elegance of the Spanish classicists with the romantic imperative of South America.” After initial lessons with Augusto Portugal in Peru, Hurtado refined his technique at the Guitar Institute Of Technology in Los Angeles. During the late-1980s he appeared and recorded alongside Strunz And Farah. His first two solo albums appeared on the ROM label. The Magic Hour, issued in 1991, presented musical settings of poems by Latin American writers Nicholas Guillen, Carlos Jose Guadamuz, and Adolfo Marti Fuente, performed by his wife and longtime collaborator Cindy Harding. Tales From Home followed in 1993 and proved markedly eclectic, incorporating ensemble charts with Los Angeles session musicians, two unaccompanied pieces, and the track “Magic Mist,” which again featured Harding’s vocals. Issued in 1995 on his own Guitarra imprint, his third album highlighted unaccompanied playing and encompassed original compositions, reworkings of Peruvian folk material, and a work by J.S. Bach.
Albums
