Latino

by James Manheim

Miloš Karadaglic, or Miloš for short, is from Montenegro, a more promising locale than you might think for Latin music. Check out some of the old tango recordings from this part of the world sometime. Miloš has matinee idol looks, and for this, his sophomore release (released under two titles, Latino and Pasión), he pursues a dual track: he goes for broad crossover effects while at the same time displaying impeccable technique and exploring unusual enough repertory to attract guitar buffs. The crossover component lies in the arrangement of some of the works for guitar and orchestra. The arrangements are mostly done by Christoph Israel, the conductor of the Studio Orchestra of the European Film Philharmonic, and they're of a rather curious sort: the orchestra seems almost to hover in the background of the guitar. The effect is a bit unsettling as the orchestra enters the program and disappears again without warning or obvious motivation. Miloš by himself, however, is quite something. He collects a wide variety of music from around the Latin American world, all of it with direct popular appeal yet varying widely in musical language, rhythmic content, and technical requirements. Sample Un sueño en la floresta (A Dream in the Forest, track 7), which is not a terribly common piece; Miloš takes to it with genuine enthusiasm. The program flows nicely, and Deutsche Grammophon's sound is a real pleasure, a respite from the wiry, wheezy guitar recordings that clog the marketplace. It's not yet clear whether Miloš is the next big star of the guitar, but he's making a good case for himself.