Last week, I had the chance to hear one of my all-time favorite musicians, Ottmar Liebert, play in a setting you could only find here in Mendocino.

Greg Gorman, a photographer who splits his time between Los Angeles and Mendocino, had held a photography workshop for a small group of students during the week prior. At the end of the week, he had a small dinner to showcase the work the students had done (really amazing; it made me want to toss my camera in the trash). I was lucky enough to be invited. His friend, Ottmar, was there.

In the studio housed in a converted barn perched on the cliffs above the ocean, after an incredible dinner highlighted by a Pinot from the 25 acre Ampelos Vineyards in Los Olivos, I heard flamenco guitar the way it was meant to be played: acoustic and intimate. It was the first time I have had the opportunity to see, up close, the passion in the face of an accomplished musician as he played. It was an experience I will never forget.