Little Wing
Flamenco revisionist Ottmar Liebert viewsLittle Wingas  a transitional project as he steers himself toward a three-for-one  stylistic split. Future recordings, his liner notes tell us, will  feature a new accuracy-in-labeling effort. Discs involving his Luna  Negra band will feature his familiar flamenco/bossa nova kitchen-sink  mix; "Euphoria" projects will be open to groove/world/ambient textures  (thinkOpium); solo discs  will be subdued affairs. Where might he fileLittle Wing? It  easily lands on the quieter side of Liebert's wide-ranging spectrum,  offering a pleasant though ultimately modest display of his skills as a  player and composer. Four of the tracks, including the appealing title  choice written byJimi Hendrix, are  covers, all nods to favorite tunes from his formative years. Liebert's  acoustic spin on theRolling Stones'  "Paint It Black," a tune seemingly inappropriate for his style, is  oddly interesting, with the use of a Turkish saz (a long-necked lute)  pumping up the original's Middle Eastern accents. His jazzy take onLed Zeppelin's epic  "Kashmir," with muted horns lightly handling the song's thunderous,  cascading transitions, is ineffectively delicate. Casual fans will  probably yearn for more of the blue-sky melodies that adorn "Daylight  Melody," the radio-ready smoothness of "The Pearl" and "Angel," or the  more intricate playing that eventually surfaces on "Like Water 4 the  Desert." Nice, but not a knockout.--Terry Wood