Paco de Lucía: a nostalgic perspective

Born in Algeciras in 1947, Francisco Sánchez Gómez, Paco de Lucía, built a brilliant career spanning nearly one half century, and definitively revolutionized flamenco guitar playing. With no fear of error, nor of bristling partisan sensibilities, you could sum up the modern history of flamenco guitar with the neat quartet: Montoya – Ricardo – Sabicas – Paco. Beyond any doubt there have been other maestros, but revolutionaries, these four.

For the very youngest ‘tocaores’, who now prefer to be called ‘guitarists’, Paco de Lucía represents the prehistory of flamenco guitar – an old master to be duly honored, but whose playing style has lost some relevance. But those of us of a certain age recall how that boy with the innocent face burst upon the scene, shook up the existing structure and showed us a new path using only two instruments: his guitar and his genius. As Paco himself commented not long ago, “The evolution of flamenco is in a guitar and a voice. Just because you stick in an accordion, flute or percussion doesn’t make something ‘modern’. It’s like trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. The essence is what matters. Evolution comes from within the instrument itself, the nuances.” No one is better qualified to pronounce those important words.

He showed us a new path using only two instruments: his guitar and his genius.

Pepe de la Isla, Mario Escudero, Pedro Cortés, Rafael el Negro, Paco de Lucía

In 1965 another guitar maestro, Mario Escudero (Alicante, 1928), recounted an anecdote which at the time seemed of little importance because it merely told of another child prodigy among many. But in retrospect the scene he described is a moment frozen in the history of flamenco when a boy pulled the rug out from under the establishment’s feet and was anointed heir apparent before anyone knew what had happened.

In 1963 Los Chiquitos de Algeciras, Paco and his older brother Pepe, were signed up by dancer José Greco shortly after their triumph at the Concurso Internacional de Flamenco de Jerez, and found themselves in Los Angeles. Paquito, who was fifteen at the time, was third guitarist in the group, with Ricardo Modrego and Manolo Barón. It was the boy’s first time out of Spain, and guitarists Mario Escudero, Juan Serrano and Julio de los Reyes, along with Triana singer Pepe Segundo, went to the hotel where the group was staying. Mario describes the scene like this: “Barón asked us if we’d seen the kid play. We told him we’d only seen him in the show, but hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. He then took us up to Paco’s room where the somewhat chubby, shy boy in short pants was stretched out on the bed reading comics. Barón said ‘Hey Paquito, play a little something for these friends of mine', and Paco obediently, timidly, picked up the guitar and asked ‘What should I play?’ ‘A little bulerías, son’ answered Barón”. Mario goes on to explain that when that music began to sound, Pepe Segundo, the singer, laughed nervously, but the three guitarists were visibly shaken and could only manage a muffled “shit…….shit”.

De los Reyes tells a story which took place several years later. Along with guitarists Pedro Cortés Sr., Emilio Prados and Sabicas’ brother Diego Castellón and Málaga singer Paco Ortiz, they took Paco, now a young man of twenty-something, to Sabicas’ apartment. Paco was extremely respectful and paid careful attention to everything the old veteran said. Sabicas handed him the guitar and asked him to play. The young man pulled off his customarily astonishing music and after about a half hour, passed the guitar back to Sabicas asking him to play. As he placed the guitar in position, the maestro apologized saying he hadn’t played or even practiced in days, and to the astonishment of those present, his left hand trembled like a leaf in the wind. Paco Ortiz corroborates that moment and adds: “it was incredible to see that monster of a guitarist tremble before the boy! It makes you realize the magnitude of Paco’s ability, already at that age, the maturity and aplomb, the overwhelming technique”. Nevertheless, Paco de Lucía had heard Sabicas at least a decade earlier when his records made it to Spain. Paco’s biographer, Juan José Téllez, recorded the following statement of Paco’s: “With Sabicas I discovered a clean sound I’d never before heard, a technical level previously unknown to me, and beyond any doubt, a different way of playing”.

“The records are there, concerts only last
until the first breeze carries them away…”

With a thriving career underway, his name becoming a household word in Spain and new horizons being explored with his buddy Camarón, Paco had to play for Antonio Mairena on the spur of the moment at the Festival de Cante de las Minas de La Unión. When the autumn of flamenco’s most prestigious singer of the era came face to face with the young guitarist’s early spring, the changing of the generational guard was nearly completed. Playing por soleá and por bulería, taking care to give a Melchor de Marchena sound (Mairena’s regular accompanist) so as to make the singer feel at ease, the young man expertly and exquisitely coddled, supported and enhanced the classic cante leaving all those present, including Mairena himself, profoundly impressed.

The rest is history like they say. Shortly after La Unión we were surprised to see Paco de Lucía on the news sitting on stage having a ball with foreign musicians whose names we couldn’t pronounce. “What is this?! What do these guys know about compás?” But this Chiquito de Algeciras followed his particular path making great music for mainstream audiences and becoming a global superstar.

Now as we anxiously await the release of his latest recording, “Cositas buenas”, Paco has announced that the tour of America and Canada he is about to embark on in January and February, 2004 is to be the last: “The records are there…concerts only last until the first breeze carries them away”.

“My God, who doesn’t sound like Paco? It’s impossible.
He’s followed so many paths, encompassed so much…he’s
the boss, the God of guitar” – Tomatito

Estela Zatania

More information:

Paco de Lucía will not repeat sextet formula in upcoming USA tour