After 43 years of a solid musical career, the Israeli songwriter David Broza released his first all instrumental album on the 27th of August. It is named after the Spanish studio where it was recorded: Casa Limón Studios, located in Madrid. Many outstanding guitarists have recorded their albums there, including the flamenco guitarists Paco de Lucía and Tomatito.

Grammy-award winner Javier Limón, the producer, talks about his project with Broza:

David Broza is one of the few artists with whom I would embark on any adventure with my eyes closed. The result is the most beautiful and profound journey to the roots of the most popular and beloved instrument on the planet – the Spanish Guitar.

Broza has always been a fan of the Spanish guitar, and his music displays elements of Spanish flamenco, American folk, rock and roll and poetry. Overwhelmed by fans and friends’ requests, he decided to shake things up and do an instrumental album.

After 43 years as a singer-songwriter, composing music without lyrics was a challenging task. I had to perfect my playing to become a guitarist by trade. It took a while – almost three years. ~ Broza

En Casa Limón features 12 songs and runs for 45 minutes.The first single, “Tears For Barcelona”, is a violin and guitar duet. The absence of percussion enhances the strong emotions Broza wants to express. It is a tribute to the people across Catalonia and throughout Spain. In Broza’s words: “With today’s apocalyptic global pandemic, the melody plays into the larger story. I hope the piece will register and be soothing to many hearts.” The song was later remixed by Chaim, an Israeli musician.

“Tom’s Song” showcases Broza and his playful guitar with really soft female vocals in the background. With “Saturday Morning Jig” and “Así Mi Corazón #2”, we travel back in time to the Medieval Period where big crowds would gather to dance cheery tunes. It also features a splendid recorder played by Tali Rubinstein.

“Burlería” is a fast flamenco featuring the characteristic ‘palmas’. Layth Sidiq joins in with violin in “I’ll Never Ride a Horse Again”, the third single of the album.

My inspiration for this composition was a cross between a jazzy Spanish guitar tune with the gipsy Django Reinhardt feel, and some Stephane Grappelli and Scott Joplin-style swing all mixed up. But it also had some more rugged essence to it, and someone in the studio said that it sounded like a western without horses. So I answered: I’ll never ride a horse again, which was just an honest reply. As I was answering the engineer, I realized that this will be the name of this tune! ~ David Broza

Broza delights us with his “Autumn Longing”: a guitar piece where we can fully appreciate his outstanding talent. “Stolen Kiss #2” surprises us with Arabic melodies and the presence of a violin. “Stolen Kiss”, the first version of the song, was released back in 1991. He performed it at the Sunrise Concert in Masada, an ancient fortress located in southern Israel’s Judean Desert.

He talked over the song:

I have been performing in Masada for a good 14 years now, There’s nothing more mysterious and perhaps haunting than creating this music in the desert. It’s so desolate and so bare. (…) Every drop of sound falls like a drop of fresh new water, and it’s like a birth. It gives so much space for imagination. For me, music is all about an inner vision.

The album ends with “Too Old To Die Young #2”, a tune with a gloomy and nostalgic feel, highlighted by Antonio Serrano’s harmonica. The first version of the song, released in 2010, had an electric guitar, which is not present in the second version.

Broza is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and is widely known for his humanitarian efforts and his fight for social justice and peace advocacy. His song “Yihye Tov” from 1977 has become an Israeli peace anthem. Broza believes that music is a platform for dialogue and tolerance. An example of that is his album East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem (2013) which featured Israeli and Palestinian musicians, and was showcased in a Netflix documentary.

He also founded the non-profit organisation One Million Guitars, which distributes hand-crafted guitars to disadvantaged children around the world. Broza wants to dedicate En Casa Limón to the memory of the prestigious guitar luthiers Manuel Contreras and his son Pablo M. Contreras II, known for their unique designs and techniques.

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