Paco de Lucía
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Paco de Lucía (b. December 21, 1947) is an internationally recognized Spanish flamenco guitarist, and leading proponent of the New Flamenco style. He is the son of flamenco guitarist Antonio Sánchez, and brother of flamenco singer Pepe de Lucía and flamenco guitarist Ramón de Algeciras. Paco is considered by many to be one of the greatest flamenco guitarists of all time [citation needed]. Not only does he dominate in flamenco, he is one of the very few flamenco guitarists who is also talented in other genres of music, e.g. jazz, classical, and world music. Many think that Paco fluently goes into these territories and plays like no other, whereas some purists of these other genres will state that he is just making a venture and is still a flamenco player at heart, lacking the pure jazz style [citation needed]. He is the winner of 2004 Prince of Asturias Awards in Arts.
De Lucía was born Francisco Sánchez Gómez in Algeciras, a city in the province of Cádiz, in the southernmost tip of Spain and Europe, the youngest of five children. He adopted the stage name Paco de Lucía in honor of his mother, Lucía Gómez.
In 1958, at age 11, de Lucía made his first public appearance on Radio Algeciras, and a year later he was awarded a special prize in the Jerez flamenco competition. In 1961, he toured with the flamenco troupe of dancer José Greco. Between 1968 and 1977, he enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with fellow New Flamenco innovator Camarón de la Isla. The two recorded 10 albums together.
De Lucía has toured and recorded with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin as well as his own Paco de Lucía Sextet (which includes his brothers Ramón and Pepe). He has released several albums encompassing both traditional and modern flamenco styles. Through his wide discography he has given rise to a new way of understanding flamenco and has launched his music and his instrument to a level comparable to modern jazz performers [citation needed].
Being an incredibly talented guitarist, he is known to many as the master of rasqueados and picados.[citation needed] Paco de Lucia has an incredible command of blinding speed on the nylon string guitar.
Until being asked to perform and interpret Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez in 1991, de Lucía had never learned how to read musical notation. While learning to play the Concierto as a flamenco guitarist, where rhythm and pace is essential, he preferred to risk giving the listener a 'dirty' note when being forced to go from low to very high notes rather than to displace the rhythm and pace just to keep the notes clean. He felt that as a flamenco guitarist he could interpret the Concierto in a fashion not previously done. Joaquín Rodrigo declared that no one had ever played his composition in such a brilliant manner.[citation needed]
[edit] Partial discography
- Dos guitarras flamencas (1965) with Ricardo Modrego
- Dos guitarras flamencas en stereo (1965) with Ricardo Modrego
- Doce canciones de García Lorca para guitarra (1965) with Ricardo Modrego
- Dos guitarras flamencas en America Latina (1967) with Ramón de Algeciras
- La fabulosa guitarra de Paco de Lucía (1967)
- Hispanoamerica (1969)
- Fantasía flamenca (1969)
- Recital de guitarra (1971)
- El duende flamenco (1972)
- Entre Dos Aguas (1973)
- En vivo desde el teatro real (1975)
- Fuente y caudal (1975)
- Almoraima (1976)
- Interpreta a Manuel de Falla (1978)
- Castro Marín (1981)
- Friday Night in San Francisco (1981) with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin
- Solo quiero caminar (1981) The Paco de Lucía Sextet
- Passion, Grace and Fire (1983) with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin
- Live One Summer Night (1984) The Paco de Lucía Sextet
- Siroco (1987)
- Zyryab (1990)
- Concierto de Aranjuez (1991)
- Live in America (1993) The Paco de Lucía Sextet
- The Guitar Trio (1996) with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin
- Luzia (1998)
- Cositas Buenas (2004)
[edit] References
- Interview with Paco de Lucía from DVD "Paco de Lucia - Francisco Sanchez" (2003)
