Keeper of the flame

No one from the modern world of flamenco matches Paco de Lucía for both popularizing and instilling global respect and appreciation for this essentially Andalusian gypsy music and its culture.

The virtuoso Spanish guitarist and composer was born in 1947 in Algeciras, Cadiz. His birth name is Francisco Sanchez Gomez, but it is generally the custom in Andalusia to name boys by adding their mother's name - so a stage name came easily by using the nickname for Francisco, "Paco," and the name of his Portuguese mother, "Lucía" Gomes.

He was taught to play guitar by his father, Antonio Sánchez, at a very young age to help support the family. As de Lucía tells The Prague Post, "My father was my first teacher, putting little notes on the fretboard and showing me the first steps. Then later my elder brother, Ramon. After that, I started very soon playing my own music, and looking for different styles to teach myself."

At the age of 11, de Lucía made his first appearance on the radio, and in 1961 he began touring with the flamenco troupe of dancer José Greco. Traditional flamenco is typically a dance, led by a singer. The songs are accompanied by a guitar player, rhythmic hand-clapping and rhythmic foot- (or heel-) stomping of the dancers.

For his upcoming performance in Prague, de Lucía will have these main ingredients and more. "For 10 years, I have been working with a new band of young and very talented musicians," he says. "For this tour, I have invited Farruco, a dancer from the famous Montoya family whose grandfather was a great dancer. This brings in a new color to our performance, and also something for the eyes.

"Two great singers, Duquende and David de Jacoba are also with me. Duquende follows the footsteps of Cameron de la Isla and sings with great passion; David has the colors of true gypsy phrasing. The rhythm section has Piranha on percussion, and Alain from Cuba, a great talent who has his own salsa band. Antonio Serrano is a new discovery; he plays the harmonica and keyboards, and his solos provoke applause on the spot. And last but not least, I am so happy to have my nephew in the band, Antonio Sánchez. Who can know my music better than someone from my own family?"

The comparison of Duquende to Cameron de la Isla is a crucial point. De Lucía played with the legendary singer Cameron de la Isla from 1968 to 1977, recording 10 albums with him, and forging a sound called New Flamenco, which absorbed other influences and added new instrumentation such as electric bass.

In 1979, de Lucía ventured into a musical project that opened up another world altogether. He joined "The Guitar Trio," a fusion ensemble with virtuoso jazz guitarists John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell (who was soon replaced by Al Di Meola) for four recordings: three in the studio and one live.

"This really happened by chance," de Lucía explains. "John had an agent with this idea, but nobody believed it would be a success. Who wanted to listen to three guitar players with no lyrics and no show at all? But there was a kind of magic when we played that went out to the listeners. Three different but, in a way, similar-playing artists created something that you cannot describe and cannot repeat."

This experience led to another shift in de Lucía's style. "I remember very well when I first met these fine two other guitarists, how small and uneducated I felt," he recalls. "They were able to improvise, knew all about harmonic changes, and I was and still am unable to read and write music.

"But I found my way to play with them and learned to improvise. This was maybe the most important experience, as it meant freedom. The traditional flamenco does not know that, and so I introduced many new aspects into the flamenco world."

All of which are reflected in de Lucía's playing, as well. "For a normal person, it is sometimes hard to really understand the complete history that is behind the musical expression," he acknowledges.

But you need not be an aficionado to enjoy the combined amalgamation of influences and de Lucia's finesse on the guitar, which should make for a show to match the summer heat.

Tony Ozuna can be reached at
features@praguepost.com