Album Notes

Joseph Mancilla was born in California. He began playing guitar at age 13 and was primarily a self-taught guitarist. He later studied piano, flute and bass. Joseph completed his associate arts degree at Los Angeles Valley College where he received recognition as the winner of three composition workshops, was awarded a faculty scholarship and was elected president of Sigma Alpha Phi, the music honors society. Joseph has played with many local bands and ensembles. His experience includes Rock, Country, Folk, Jazz, and Classical. He also worked professionally as an arranger, copyist, and studio musician. In 1987 he moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico. He played professionally with Steve Smith as an acoustic duo and later collaborated with Steve to compose music for the play "Curse of the Starving Class". While growing up Joseph was highly influenced by the recordings of Andres Segovia and has always been a guitarist at heart. These pieces are a thumbnail sketch of Spanish Guitar music through the ages. Beginning with Luis Milan, Enrique de Valderrabano, Alonso Mudarra and Luys de Narvaez, the first six pieces are from 16th Century Spain. "El Mestre" and La Fille del Marxant" are two Catalonian folk songs arranged by Miguel Llobet, one of the finest guitarists of the turn of the 20th century and a student of Francisco Tarrega. Francisco Tarrega is considered to be the father of modern guitar technique."Capricho Arabe" and "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" are two of his most beloved pieces. From South America we have the "Venezuelan Waltz" and "Armida" from Argentinas' Antonio Lauro. The fiery "Austurias" by Isaac Albeniz is a piece that I had to include in this collection because Andres Segovia's transcription of this original piano piece, with its' various moods, allows for greater depth of expression on the guitar. Manuel de Falla's "Song of the Fisherman" expresses the tenderness of coming home. "Burgalesa" by Federico Moreno Torroba is a slow and lyrical meditation, while his "Madronos" is lively and dancelike in character. The "Cancion" by Federico Mompou is my own transcription and is taken from his "Cancion y Danza #6. "An alm for the love of God" by the Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios was also named "El Ultimo Canto" because it was written near the end of his life. "Estrellita" is a piece I composed in memory of Author Estela Portillo Trambley who died in 1998.