Stephen Duros: A Life in Music The rippling, rhythmic sounds Stephen Duros coaxes out of his nylon string acoustic guitar are hard to resist or categorize. His music has roots in the traditional sounds of flamenco, but he’s developed his own style. Bluesy bent notes with a hint of Asia and the Middle East in their tone, a strong single note attack with a flat pick that reproduces the brittle sound of picado (a flamenco technique of playing runs with index and middle finger), octave jumping melodies and rhythms that include suggestions of jazz, reggae, pop and Arab music join the familiar pulse of flamenco’s gypsy rumba in his emotionally satisfying compositions. Duros can produce the lightening fast runs that are flamenco’s trademark, but he usually takes a more measured approach, emphasizing subtle emotional nuance over flashy technique. His playing is featured on Ottmar Liebert’s Grammy nominated album The Scent of Light and on his three s...