Jim Stubblefield
Well-traveled but still full of musical wanderlust, this popular L.A.-based Rumba Flamenco musician takes his burning Gypsy World Fusion Vibe across Europe and the Middle East on his new solo album ‘Guitarra Exotica'.

Jim Stubblefield is living proof that we should never judge a musician by his outward physical appearance. Visit his web page www.jimstubblefield.com and you'll catch a glimpse of a charismatic, nice looking, blondish guy who looks like a typical laid back native Californian.

Put that Pedro Maldonado flamenco guitar—handcrafted in Malaga, Andalusia, Spain---in his hands, though, and the cool cat transforms into a sizzling global music master, a gypsy world fusion icon blasting his way through lightning fast riffs, explosive percussive energy and sensual Spanish charm. That's just the tip of the quickly melting iceberg of sonic excitement Stubblefield creates on Guitarra Exotica, his eagerly anticipated first solo recording in ten years.

The guitarist recently rented out a ballroom at the Embassy Suites in L.A. for a record release party featuring a performance by his new live band that includes violin virtuoso Anna Stafford (Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Andrea Bocelli), percussionist Bryan Brock (India.Arie, Macy Gray) and fretless bassist/guitarist Ruben Ramos .

Over the past eight years, thousands of fans in search of the exotic and mystic have found the Promised Land in the music of Incendio, the burning ensemble Stubblefield co-founded along with fellow L.A. musicians Jean-Pierre (JP) Durand (guitar) and bassist Liza Carbe. Their six-disc catalog features titles like Misterioso and Illumination, and includes a CD/DVD set of Dia Y Noche; reflective of their exciting crossover appeal, many of their recordings have appeared on the Billboard and CMJ charts.

Let terrestrial radio stay predictable and boring. Stubblefield and Incendio are finding a huge audience for hits like “Malaga Sunset” on Sirius Satellite Radio and they even have their own “Incendio” channel on the Latin music internet station. Stubblefield is gearing up to send out tracks from Guitarra Exotica to alternative markets specializing in NPR-like world music, jazz and new age shows, as well as college radio stations across the U.S.

Since forming in the late 90s, Incendio has also averaged 150 shows a year all across the U.S., creating an exotic frenzy everywhere from the Redwood Coast Jazz Festival in Eureka, California to the Napa Opera House, from the Strawberry Festival in Yosemite to the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival and the Kripaulu Yoga Center concert series in Massachusetts. The band's popularity among yoga enthusiasts is an exciting extension of Stubblefield's own practice of it, which he says helps clear his creative slate and open him up to exciting new ideas. He's also a major hiker and backpacker; when he's not jamming onstage or lighting fires in the studio, he's probably in Yosemite or Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In the tent when no one is looking, he might whip out a novel to satisfy his sci-fi obsession.

A romantic and mysterious journey into a world of scorching yet sensual exotic melodies and tantalizing rhythms, Guitarra Exotica draws fire from Stubblefield's love for the Andalusian music of Southern Spain, but also incorporates distinctive vibes from Eastern European music and the Middle East. With stirring pieces like “La Selva Negra” and “El Vaquero,” the infectious rumba rhythms will transport the listener to South America. The bulerías inspired “Gitana Mora” and the tangos-inspired “One Quiet Night” draw influences from the wonderful flamenco rhythms of Andalucía. The hypnotic belly dance rhythms of “Eye of the Sun” create a cool contrast to the Eastern European sound of “A Gypsy's Kiss.”

“I think I can blame my mother for making this California boy fall in love with so many forms of music from across the world,” Stubblefield says. “Long before I picked up the guitar around age eight, she was sharing Miles Davis and John Coltrane with me, and then Andre Segovia and British lutenist and classical guitarist Julian Bream. >From the time I was a teenager, my life was all about traveling. Staying every summer with families in different European countries like Finland and England, and also Russia, I immersed myself in these cultural melting pots and discovered the music not only of those places but also the music of the Middle East.

“Later I spent time in Sevilla, Spain, the mecca of flamenco music, where I hung out in guitar shops, learned from master musicians and soaked in the local color,” he continues. “My travels have also included Barcelona and Malaga where I got my Pedro Maldonado guitar, and parts of Portugal. Traveling this much made me realize that there is so much music in the world that's not exposed to us in the U.S. by our mass media. Part of my mission with Incendio and my solo work, including Guitarra Exotica , is to expose people to the wealth of world music out there. People will embrace it if they are exposed to it. I have to admit I'm a culture junkie—I can spin the globe and anyplace I put my finger down, I want to learn more about that place and its people and music!”

Because Stubblefield contributes numerous compositions to Incendio's projects, there is definite crossover stylistically between his work with them and his solo albums—in fact, Incendio developed after Durand and Carbe contributed to one of the guitarist's discs in the late 90s. But while Incendio's recordings always feature a batch of outside session musicians, Guitarra Exotica has a rich, fun and cohesive ensemble feel created by the same musicians appearing with Stubblefield on every track. The collection features bassists Randy Tico (Strunz and Farah, Flora Purim, Airto) and Ruben Ramos; percussionist Bryan Brock; and famed violist Novi Novog (Prince, Doobie Brothers, Frank Zappa); Anna Stafford plays Novog's parts in the live band.

“There are certain similarities between Guitarra Exotica and the music of Incendio,” says Stubblefield, “but while some of the newer Incendio music tends to push more of a jazz angle with lots of improvisational passages, here I'm delving deeper into world folk music.”

Like so many great L.A. based instrumental musicians, Stubblefield also has an action packed resume as a session guitarist and composer. He's performed at special gigs at the Playboy Mansion and for Emmy Awards parties, and his music can be heard all over television: HGTV, ESPN, the Showtime series Re:evolution of Sports, The History Channel show Modern Marvels, the WB show Elimidate, The Girls Next Door and others.

“As a working musician, it's great to have so many different experiences all the time and work in unique ensembles where you're creating dialogues between all of these different personalities,” he says. “I love playing with Incendio, and I'm really excited about doing more shows with Anna, Bryan and Ruben because every musical situation helps me discover something new about myself. And nothing is better than performing for an audience that really appreciates the music we're playing. I love writing a new song and then getting that instant positive feedback and excitement that only happens in a live setting. It's going to be fun playing the music of Guitarra Exotica for everyone.”

Jim Stubblefield was a featured guest on our ‘Champagne Sundays’ online radio show which aired live on Sunday June 1^st, 2008, from 11am – 1pm (PST). To listen to the entire, unedited show – Click Here.   To listen to Jim's interview, including songs La Selva Negra and El Vaquero, please double click on the Play button below.