Well, right off the bat I missed a day. I plead exhaustion from a very long week at the stadium with two nights devoted to fireworks displays, which always have us leaving the stadium close to midnight, followed by long waits to clear the parking lot. But yesterday, I picked out a set of Boccherini Quintets for string quartet and guitar.

My favorite is Quintet #4 in G, and that got me to thinking about an album of arrangements for guitar performed by the Romero family. So I dug that one out today - one of the Romeros arranged Boccherini's FANDANGO for guitar and it's just marvelous.

Listening to this CD - called SPANISH GUITAR FAVORITES takes me back to an evening about 8 years ago when they performed in Denver. They are all very stately, reserved gentlemen - a three generation family performing group. After one particularly enjoyable and very intricate number concluded, they all put their guitars on their chairs, and one by one embraced each other. And then one of them announced in kind of an offhand manner, that was a world premiere performance. I wish I could remember the composer and name, but unfortunately I don't.

The album playing right now includes de Falla's RITUAL FIRE DANCE; two tracks composed by the paterfamilias Celedonio Romero; three dances by Preatorius; and several other goodies.

Probably should mention that the artists on the Boccherini quintet album are the Artaria Quartet and Richard Savino on guitar. The label for that one is harmonia mundi; the Romeros are on Phillips.