Ottmar Liebert/Luna Negra Biography
German-born guitarist/composer Ottmar Liebert created a vibrant new multi-cultural subgenre by mixing flamenco guitar with elements of jazz, rock and bossa nova, along with influences drawn from South American and Eastern music. The hard-to-classify result has been categorized as everything from New Age to world beat, but whatever one calls it, it’s sustained Liebert and his band Luna Negra through a lengthy career that’s won the artist a large and loyal audience.
Born in Cologne, Germany, to a Chinese-German father and a Hungarian mother, Liebert traveled with his parents throughout Europe and Asia, before moving to Boston, where he played in various rock and funk bands. He eventually settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he began to develop the eclectic style that would soon put him on the map.
After Liebert’s self-financed cassette Nouveau Flamenco received some unexpected airplay on a Los Angeles smooth jazz radio station, which helped to win the album a national release. The success of Nouveau Flamenco and its followup album Borrasca won Liebert a deal with Epic Records, for which he would record eight albums, including the fan favorites Solo Para Ti and Opium. The guitarist’s photogenic looks and charismatic stage presence helped to make his exotic musical style accessible to mainstream audiences. He continues to record prolifically, and maintains an ardent fan following.
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