A Review by Peggy May

Ronald Radford blew away the January blahs here Saturday night with a combination of his refreshingly breezy personality and his powerful mastery of the flamenco guitar.

The Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium was packed - that's unusual for recent Playground Mutual Concert Association programs - and the audience clapped, cheered and shouted ole’s to show their approval. Radford had the audience in the palms of his hands the whole evening.

Those who already loved flamenco and had anticipated the concert with pleasure were definitely not disappointed. He played with soul, heart, and flavor, and if he ever lived in another life, must have been a gypsy or a Moor.

He told several heartwarming stories of time spent in parks and at what he called "flamenco jam sessions" in Spain. One of his most compelling selections was a holy week Easter procession in which drums and the sounds of a solemn parade could be heard, as if many instruments were playing.

Each selection was beautiful in its own way, some hauntingly sweet, some soulful and sad, some bold and brash, some light hearted, some almost frightening in their intensity, some pulsing with the romance of spring. He played them all in a masterful way.

Ronald Radford turned out to be the biggest smash hit to come along in many a PMCA season, and perhaps of all their seasons.

Playground Daily News, Ft. Walton Beach, FL - By Peggy May.