Paco Cepero. 'Corazón Flamenco' Fundación El Monte

Text : Kiko Valle

Guitar: Paco Cepero, Miguel Salado, José Ignacio Franco.
Percussion: Carlos Merino. Palmas: Ali, Luis de la Tota.

His guitar draws you in and seduces
you

The strings reverberate and already it sounds like Cepero.
The up-front picado, that special sound which is part and parcel
of a “Corazón flamenco” (flamenco heart). Seville
is celebrating and the crisp punchy guitar of Paco fills every corner
with its aroma. Round and dry, the sounds are as incisive at as
bee-stings, clipped, powerful, sure and straightforward.

The cultural center El Monte brought Paco “for his friends”.
Cepero gives everything and offers an intimate recital as in the
living-room of his house. He plays with decision and works the silences
leaving the audience breathlessly hanging on each note. He is inspired
and enjoys himself. His fingers stroll up and down the strings feeling
the vibrations in his skin and in his soul. He plays softly and
reigns in at just the right moment, shading masterfully. Cepero
is a magician.

Photo by Estela Zatania

Two back-up guitars, palmas and a cajón. All discreet, never
upstaging the star, creating a rhythmic base upon which Cepero can
develop. Always melodic but profound and tasteful. Without overdoing
the embellishment, but with clean, sure technique. His guitar draws
you in and seduces you.

An intimate recital, as in the living-room
of his house

He gets going with tangos and the guitar is good enough to eat.
He seeks and finds the dark sounds of a seguiriya, the lament, the
weeping, a minimalist arpeggio… The deep strings hurt and “Lola
se va a los puertos”. “La Niña de Fuego”
sets fire to the guitar, and then Cepero relaxes with rumba and
the neck of the guitar seems to run out of room to accommodate him.
His bulerías are distinctive, and Cepero knows it. What a
maestro!…and what fine taste. Then sevillanas, and why not? He
does a picado run to show he means business: the first, second and
third strings have his name on them. A concise soleá, straight
from the heart, clipped bulerías, colombiana and then he
retunes the fifth string to play the festive forms once again, damping
the strings before they can rebel, having a ball with counterpoint,
robbing time from time itself and running his nails down to the
quick with lightning-fast alzapúas that round everything
out just right. “Aguamarina” to finish. Lots of good
style and flavor. That’s what this guitarist has, and it’s
not to be taken lightly.

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