In recent years, Arab-Andalucian records seem to be popping up everywhere: From Radio Tarifa's Moroccan tinged flamenco to Alabina's "Gypsy Kings meets Habibi music" and even a flamenco remix to Egyptian Diva Dalida's greatest hits. While the new trend in record stores may seem new, the tradition dates back 13 centuries to the Moorish invasion of the Iberian peninsula.

El Lebrijano's work ranks at the top of this genre. Juan Peña Fernández. Lebrija was born in Seville, Spain in 1941 and grew up in a prominent Gypsy musical family. He began playing guitar as a child, but eventually turned to singing. In 1964, his voice brought him the championship at the Competition of Mairena del Alcor. Within years, he was regarded as one of the greatest voices of flamenco. By 1970, he recorded with legendary guitarist Paco de Lucia. El Lebrijano's latest release, "Casablanca" (EMI Hemispheres) is a follow-up to "Encuentros," which was sadly never released in North America, despite selling more than 200,000 copies in Europe and North Africa.

With "Casablanca," audiences on this side of the Atlantic will finally have the chance to hear this spectacular mix of Spanish and Moroccan traditions. While many associate flamenco vocals with the intimate environment of the Spanish guitar, Pena's flamenco is beautifully matched with the Tangier based Arabic orquestra. The interchange between Pena and the La Orquesta Arabigo Andaluza at times resembles that of an operatic tenor and a classical ensemble, where both the soloist and orchestra are perfectly balanced. It isn't an easy task, but it is executed immaculately.

-Dan Rosenberg