HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Francisco Sánchez Gómez (; 21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (), was a Spanish
virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, ...
flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
guitarist,
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
, and record producer. A leading proponent of the
new flamenco New flamenco (or ''nuevo flamenco'') or flamenco fusion is a musical genre that was born in Spain, starting in the 1980s. It combines flamenco guitar virtuosity and traditional flamenco music with musical fusion (with genres like jazz, blues, r ...
style, he was one of the first flamenco guitarists to branch into classical and jazz. Richard Chapman and
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
, authors of ''Guitar: Music, History, Players'', describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco guitar", and Dennis Koster, author of ''Guitar Atlas, Flamenco'', has referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists". De Lucía was noted for his fast and fluent picados (fingerstyle runs). A master of contrast, he often juxtaposed picados and
rasgueado Rasgueado (also called Golpeado, Rageo (spelled so or Rajeo), Rasgueo or Rasgeo in Andalusian Spanish, Andalusian dialect and flamenco jargon, or even occasionally Rasqueado) is a guitar finger strumming technique commonly associated with flamenco ...
s (flamenco strumming) with more sensitive playing and was known for adding abstract chords and scale tones to his compositions with jazz influences. These innovations saw him play a key role in the development of traditional flamenco and the evolution of new flamenco and
Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...
fusion from the 1970s. He received acclaim for his recordings with flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla in the 1970s, recording ten albums which are considered some of the most important and influential in flamenco history. Some of de Lucía's best known recordings include " Río Ancho" (later fused with
Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a s ...
's " Mediterranean Sundance"), " Entre dos aguas", " La Barrosa", " Ímpetu", " Cepa Andaluza" and "
Gloria al Niño Ricardo "Gloria al Niño Ricardo" is a flamenco guitar composition composed by Paco de Lucía which features on his 1987 album '' Siroco''. The piece is dedicated to Niño Ricardo who was de Lucia's "first hero" of the guitar. The piece is a soleá and i ...
". His collaborations with guitarists John McLaughlin,
Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a s ...
and
Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...
in the late 1970s saw him gain wider popularity outside his native Spain. De Lucía formed the Paco de Lucía Sextet in 1981 with his brothers, singer Pepe de Lucía and guitarist
Ramón de Algeciras Ramón Sánchez Gómez, better known by his stage name Ramón de Algeciras, (5 February 193820 January 2009) was a Spanish flamenco guitarist, composer and lyricist. He was the most prolific collaborator of Paco de Lucía, his younger brother, ...
, and collaborated with jazz pianist
Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...
on their 1990 album, '' Zyryab''. In 1992, he performed live at Expo '92 in
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
and a year later on the Plaza Mayor in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. He also collaborated with guitarist Juan d'Anyelica on his album Cositas Buenas. After 2004 he greatly reduced his public performances, retiring from full touring, and typically only gave several concerts a year, usually in Spain and Germany and at European festivals during the summer months.


Biography


Early life

Paco de Lucía was born on 21 December 1947 as Francisco Sánchez Gómez in
Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...
,
province of Cádiz Cádiz is a Provinces of Spain, province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of ...
, in southern Spain. He was the youngest of the five children of flamenco guitarist Antonio Sánchez Pecino and Portuguese mother Lucía Gomes; his brothers include flamenco singer Pepe de Lucía and flamenco guitarist
Ramón de Algeciras Ramón Sánchez Gómez, better known by his stage name Ramón de Algeciras, (5 February 193820 January 2009) was a Spanish flamenco guitarist, composer and lyricist. He was the most prolific collaborator of Paco de Lucía, his younger brother, ...
(now deceased). Playing in the streets as a young boy, there were many Pacos and Pablos in Algeciras. In Spain and Latin America, any of these children with common first names would be referred to as follows: '"Name of Child", (son or daughter) of "Name of Mother"', or "Paco (son) of Lucía" in his case, instead of using the child's last name. Later, after learning to play the guitar and tasked with figuring out a way to bill himself, wanting to honor his Portuguese mother Lucía Gomes, he adopted the stage name ''Paco de Lucía''. His father Antonio received guitar lessons from a cousin of
Melchor de Marchena Melchor de Marchena (19071980; born Melchor Jimenez Torres) was a Spanish flamenco guitarist. Born in Marchena, Spain, he is considered to be one of the most representative artists with a "gypsy touch", along with Diego del Gastor. His love of fla ...
: Manuel Fernández (aka Titi de Marchena), a guitarist who arrived in Algeciras in the 1920s and established a school there. Antonio introduced Paco to the guitar at a young age and was extremely strict in his upbringing from the age of 5, forcing him to practice up to 12 hours a day, every day, to ensure that he could find success as a professional musician. At one point, his father took him out of school to concentrate solely on his guitar development. In a 2012 interview de Lucía stated that, "I learned the guitar like a child learns to speak." Flamenco guitarist and biographer
Donn Pohren Donn E. Pohren (1929–2007) was an American guitarist and historian. He is known for his three major texts on flamenco: ''The Art of Flamenco'' (1962), ''Lives and Legends of Flamenco: A Biographical History'' (1964), and ''A Way of Life'' ( ...
and record producer José Torregrosa compared Paco's relationship with his father to the relationship of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
and
Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist, and music theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer grün ...
in the way both fathers "moulded their sons" into becoming world-class musicians, and both continued to dictate even after the latter became famous. Paco's brother Ramón idolized Niño Ricardo, and taught his complex
falseta {{for, the male singing voice, Falsetto A Falseta is part of Flamenco music. They are usually short melodies played by the guitarist(s) in between sung verses, or to accompany dancers. In a guitar solo, the artists play already created falsetas or i ...
s to his young brother, who would learn them with relative ease and change them to his own liking and embellish them. This initially angered Ramón, who considered Ricardo's works to be sacred and thought his brother was showing off; but he soon began to respect his brother immensely, and came to realize that he was a prodigious talent, ''fuera de serie'' (out of the ordinary). As also with Ramón, Ricardo was Paco's most important influence, and his first guitar hero; Paco said "all of us youngsters would look up to him, trying to learn from him and copy him." In 1958, at age 11, Paco made his first public appearance on Radio Algeciras. That year, he met Sabicas for the first time in Málaga. A year later, he was awarded a special prize at the Festival Concurso International Flamenco de Jerez de la Frontera flamenco competition.


1960s

At the age of 14 he made his first record with his brother Pepe, ''Los Chiquitos de Algeciras'' (''The little ones from Algeciras''). In the early 1960s, de Lucía toured with the flamenco troupe of dancer José Greco. In New York City in 1963, at the age of 15, he had his second encounter with Sabicas and his first encounter with
Mario Escudero Mario Escudero (October 11, 1928 – November 19, 2004), was one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who, following on the footsteps of Ramon Montoya, helped spread flamenco beyond their Spanish homeland when they migrated to the U ...
, both of whom became de Lucía's mentors and later close friends. They urged him to start writing his own material, advice he took to heart. In 1964, he met Madrileño guitarist Ricardo Modrego with whom he recorded three albums: '' Dos guitarras flamencas'' (1964), ''
12 canciones de García Lorca para guitarra 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
'' and '' 12 éxitos para 2 guitarras flamencas'' (1965). His early albums were traditional flamenco recordings and he recorded classics such as '' Malagueña'' on the ''12 éxitos para 2 guitarras flamencas'' album. He toured again with José Greco in 1966 and recorded " Ímpetu", a
bulerías ''Bulería'' (; interchangeable with the plural, ''bulerías'') is a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows: This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known ...
composed by
Mario Escudero Mario Escudero (October 11, 1928 – November 19, 2004), was one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who, following on the footsteps of Ramon Montoya, helped spread flamenco beyond their Spanish homeland when they migrated to the U ...
, for his debut solo album, '' La fabulosa guitarra de Paco de Lucía'' (1967). He appeared at the 1967
Berlin Jazz Festival JazzFest Berlin (also known as the Berlin Jazz Festival) is a jazz festival in Berlin, Germany. Originally called the "Berliner Jazztage" (''Berlin Jazz Days''), it was founded in 1964 in West Berlin by the Berliner Festspiele. Venues included B ...
. According to Gerhard Klingenstein, top jazz musicians who appeared at the festival (i.e.
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
,
Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...
), profoundly influenced de Lucía, and sparked a fascination for jazz that remained with him throughout his life. In the late 1960s, de Lucía toured Europe with a group called Festival Flamenco Gitano and encountered other new talents in the flamenco world including singer Camarón de la Isla, with whom he enjoyed a fruitful collaboration between 1968 and 1977. They recorded ten albums together and received considerable acclaim. Richard Nidel said that their partnership was "central to the history of flamenco in the last quarter of the twentieth century." Organizers began offering de Lucía lucrative contracts for concert tours in 1967, which he declined as he preferred to tour in company, which he did with his brother Ramón, de la Isla and other musicians. De Lucía recorded many albums with his brother, including '' Canciones andaluzas para 2 guitarras'' (1967), '' Dos guitarras flamencas en América Latina'' (1967), '' Fantasía flamenca de Paco de Lucía'' (1969), and '' 12 Hits para 2 guitarras flamencas y orquesta de cuerda'' (1969). They met Esteban Sanlucar in Buenos Aires and Juan Serrano in Detroit, and during 1970 spent considerable time in New York City where they grew close to Sabicas and Mario Escudero, playing together into the night.


1970s

De Lucía made a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
, dressed as a Mexican guitarist, in the 1971 western ''
Hannie Caulder ''Hannie Caulder'' is a 1971 British Western (genre), Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, and Ernest Borgnine. Plot Hannie Caulder is a frontier wife, living with her husband at a horse station between ...
'', playing the melody of
Ken Thorne Kenneth Thorne (26 January 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a British television and film score composer. Early life Thorne was born in Dereham, a town in the English county of Norfolk. Thorne began his musical career as a pianist with the big bands ...
's main theme over a string section. That year, he released the album '' El mundo del flamenco'', which included a version of Mario Escudero's "Ímpetu", a bulerías. ''Guitar International'' mentioned his "very aggressive" approach to playing "Ímpetu". Escudero was a major influence on de Lucía during this period, inspiring him to explore new possibilities for flamenco. He began working with record producer José Torregrosa. De Lucía's 1972 release '' El duende flamenco de Paco de Lucía'' was considered a groundbreaking album in the flamenco community. As the 1970s progressed, de Lucía continued to produce groundbreaking albums and ventured into an increasingly unconventional and innovative style of flamenco with jazz influences. His next release, '' Fuente y caudal'', acclaimed particularly for his " Entre dos aguas", which has become arguably his best-known composition, and also for "Solera" and " Cepa Andaluza". "Entre dos aguas", a rumba featuring bongos with an electric bass, means "Between two waters", referring to his home town of Algeciras, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. Biographer Pohren describes "Cepa Andaluza" as a "phenomenal" bulerías, which is "accompanied by palmas, shouts of encouragement and general jaleo, and makes one want to leap up and dance." The album also features several other tracks named after Andalusian landmarks, a theme de Lucía continued in his later albums. The ''Fuente y caudal'' album was one of the best-selling Spanish records for several months and de Lucía and Torregrosa found that the additional instruments and approach away from traditional flamenco proved more popular with the general public. The early influences of the traditional players became increasingly less apparent as de Lucía embraced jazz and other influences, creating his own voice and distinct style, yet never venturing too far from his roots. On 18 February 1975, de Lucía became the first-ever flamenco performer to perform at the
Teatro Real The Teatro Real () is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as "''El Real''" (The Royal One). it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts ...
of Madrid. He played a set with his brother Ramón, in front of a relatively young audience without the use of effects. Pohren said that de Lucía's performance "was brilliant technically, and played a meaningful, moving, traditional brand of flamenco that did not betray what Paco had in store for the flamenco guitar in the future." The recording was released as '' En vivo desde el Teatro Real''. His 1976 album, '' Almoraima'', was a wider success and featured "Almoraima" and " Río Ancho". The album was named after a former convent of the same name located about from Algeciras on the road to Jimena de la Frontera, which had recently been converted into a hotel complex. The album featured significant Arabic and jazz influences especially in the bulerías composition of the same name; the name Almoraima is of Arabic origin from the
Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...
period. De Lucía performed on an episode of '' Parkinson'' on
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
in the UK, in which
Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (28 March 1935 – 16 August 2023) was an English television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other ta ...
said "a marvelous young musician who is making his very first appearance on British television. His unconventional and modern approach to playing flamenco has already made him a big star in Europe, particularly in his native Spain." In 1977, de Lucía married Casilda Varela, the daughter of General Varela and descendant to a powerful Basque industrialist
Ampuero Ampuero is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. It is surrounded by the municipalities of Limpias, Liendo, Voto, Guriezo and Rasines. Its strategic location in the centre of the Asón-Agüera County has made ...
family; they had three children. He released his final album, '' Castillo de Arena'' with Camarón de la Isla, The lyrics were written by Antonio Sánchez, with the exception of the bulerías ''Samara'', which Sánchez and de la Isla wrote together. This would be his last LP with a singer for at least 15 years. He reportedly said that the human voice is "naturally too limited" and that he prefers the exploration of different instrumentalists; he also said a busy schedule was the reason for lack of recordings with singers. He performed extensively across the US and Europe during this period, increasing his popularity outside Spain and the flamenco community in Europe, and met many jazz,
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and other musicians who continued to influence de Lucía's evolution as a "Nuevo flamenco" player. He began to show a very keen interest in jazz fusion and rock, and in 1977 performed with
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
in the Plaza de toros de las Arenas bullring in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. He was invited by
Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a s ...
to record on his " Mediterranean Sundance" piece for his album ''
Elegant Gypsy ''Elegant Gypsy'' is the second album by American jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola. It was released in 1977 by Columbia Records. Background ''Elegant Gypsy'' was a follow-up album to Di Meola's debut release, '' Land of the Midnight Sun''. The ...
''. Despite considerable new interest in flamenco and de Lucía's playing generated by the album, traditionalist flamenco critics did not approve of the piece and hated that many people considered ''Mediterranean Sundance'' flamenco music and frowned upon de Lucía. Di Meola informed the critics not to worry and that "Paco is not leaving flamenco, but expanding it." In 1978, Paco and his brothers recorded '' Interpreta a Manuel de Falla'', a classical effort of compositions by
Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...
. In 1979, de Lucía, John McLaughlin, and
Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...
formed The Guitar Trio and together made a tour of Europe and released a video recorded at London's
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
entitled ''Meeting of the Spirits''. Pohren said that de Lucía's decision to work with musicians like McLaughlin, Di Meola, Coryell, and Chick Corea must have been an "exciting and stimulating" experience for him, given their technical musical knowledge and ability to improvise and said that they carried him "so far afield that at times he must have been profoundly confused, a man running the risk of losing his musical identity." This concerned de Lucía, who said in a late 1990s interview, "I have never lost the roots in my music, because I would lose myself. What I have tried to do is have a hand holding onto tradition and the other scratching, digging in other places, trying to find new things I can bring into flamenco."


1980s

The Guitar Trio continued touring in 1980, with Larry Coryell being replaced by Al Di Meola in 1981. De Lucía reportedly suffered from headaches and backaches while performing because he found it difficult to improvise and follow McLaughlin and Coryell's advanced knowledge of jazz improvisation. Paco professed, "Some people assume that they were learning from me, but I can tell you it was me learning from them. I have never studied music, I am incapable of studying harmony—I don't have the discipline, playing with McLaughlin and Di Meola was about learning these things." Also in 1981, The Guitar Trio released one of their most successful records, '' Friday Night in San Francisco'', which sold over 1 million copies and generated a significant interest in flamenco music in America and Europe. It featured an extended combination of " Mediterranean Sundance" and " Río Ancho"; this became arguably the piece most associated with the musicians. De Lucía also formed the Paco de Lucía Sextet in 1981 (which included his brothers Ramón and Pepe), and released the first of its three albums that same year. On 30 August 1981, de Lucía performed a solo set at St. Goarshausen in Germany, where he performed "Monasterio de Sal" and "Montino" among others and later performed with The Guitar Trio. The event was broadcast on national WDR television. Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin took part on the making of Paco de Lucía's '' Castro Marín'' (1981). It was named after the hometown of Paco's Portuguese mother, Luzia. Recorded at
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
in December 1980, ''Castro Marín'' remains one of the most obscure titles in his catalogue. Coryell and Paco played as duo on the fifth track, "Convite (Rumba)", and as a trio on the next track "Palenque". After ''Castro Marín'' came Paco's revolutionary '' Sólo quiero caminar'' (1981). It was the very first to be recorded with Paco's sextet, a group that brought into being a new way to play flamenco. One of the sextet's major contributions was introducing the
Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...
cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...
within a flamenco context. Percussionist Rubem Dantas came up with an original style of playing the instrument, one that became unique to flamenco. Largely due to ''Sólo quiero caminar'', the cajón crossed over to other
latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
styles, such as the
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
and rumba. In 1982, de Lucía put on a series of concerts with jazz pianist Chick Corea. Corea was a considerable influence on him in the 1980s and he and McLaughlin adapted a version of his piece "
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
", performing it live together several times in the mid to late 1980s. He released a "Golden" double compilation album in 1982, ''La Guitarra de Oro de Paco de Lucía'', covering de Lucía's earliest recordings with Ricardo Modrego of
Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...
songs to date, and featured two
siguiriyas ''Siguiriyas'' (; also ''seguiriyas'', ''siguerillas'', ''siguirillas'', ''seguidilla gitana'', etc.) are a form of flamenco music in the cante jondo category. This deep, expressive style is among the most important in flamenco. Unlike other pa ...
, a flamenco form in which he had not indulged in his recordings since 1972. John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucía reconvened to record a studio album, '' Passion, Grace & Fire'' (1983). In the Spanish remaster of the album, flamenco scholars José Manuel Gamboa and Faustino Nuñez weigh in their impressions on the liner notes. Though somewhat lacking the "warmth" of the live setting of their debut, ''Passion, Grace & Fire'' is a more balanced effort. The three performers contributed with two compositions each. Paco de Lucía had an acting role in
Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (4 January 1932 – 10 February 2023) was a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. With Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be among Spain's great filmmakers. He had a long and prolific career th ...
's highly acclaimed film ''Carmen'', for which he was also nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Score. De Lucía composed original film scores for several films in the 1980s, including '' The Hit'', a 1984 film in which he provided the soundtrack with
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
, with a minor contribution by
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. In 1965, he co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd as the bassist. Following the departure of the group's main songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became ...
. On his 1984 album, '' Live... One Summer Night'', de Lucía not only played guitar, but also filled the role of producer. Paco de Lucía has also appeared as himself on television in documentaries and TV shows and accepted a position as a judge at Seville's 1984 Bienal de Flamenco. By the mid-1980s, both the Sextet and the Guitar Trio had reached its plateau and stopped performing together, although de Lucía would continue to perform with McLaughlin as a duo across Europe in 1986 and later. In a 1986 interview with ''
DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
'' magazine, Di Meola said that the reason for the breakdown was that their performances were designed to "drive the audience berserk" with a display of astonishing virtuosity and that they had run out of new spectacular fast runs to impress the audiences. Di Meola remarked that the music had become too "wild and crazy" and that he preferred to explore the quieter side of music, something Paco also felt, saying that he preferred "controlled expression to velocity." In May 1986, he performed at the Centro de Bellas Artes Rock music festival alongside the likes of Earl Klugh, Spyro Gyra, and
Dave Valentin David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent. Life and career Valentin was born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. He attended The High School of Mus ...
. In 1987, de Lucía performed for the first time in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, and went back to his roots with his highly successful release, '' Siroco''. ''Siroco'' is often cited as his best album and one of the greatest flamenco albums of all time. His compositions "La Cañada", the opening track, a tango called " La Barrosa", an alegrías named after the Playa la Barrosa in the province of Cadiz, and "
Gloria al Niño Ricardo "Gloria al Niño Ricardo" is a flamenco guitar composition composed by Paco de Lucía which features on his 1987 album '' Siroco''. The piece is dedicated to Niño Ricardo who was de Lucia's "first hero" of the guitar. The piece is a soleá and i ...
", a soléa, received considerable attention and are considered modern flamenco classics. Eric Clapton and Richard Chapman described "La Barrosa", a sweet alegrías played in B major, as, "full of effortless delicacy with cascading phrases." "Gloria al Niño Ricardo" is dedicated to Niño Ricardo who was de Lucía's "first hero" of the guitar. Several of his compositions from ''Siroco'' formed the staple of de Lucía's later concert performances, and he often began his concerts with "La Cañada". In 1989, de Lucía refused to perform at the bullring in Seville with
Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
and
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...
.


1990s

Although the sextet had declined after 1986, in 1990 they got together to record '' Zyryab'', a groundbreaking Arabic flamenco/jazz album with jazz pianist
Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...
and fellow virtuoso flamenco guitarist
Manolo Sanlúcar Manolo Sanlúcar (born Manuel Muñoz Alcón, 24 November 1943 – 27 August 2022) was a Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist. He was considered one of the most important Spanish composers of recent times, and together with Paco de Lucía, ...
. The album is named after
Ziryab Abu al-Hasan 'Ali Ibn Nafi (; 789– 857), commonly known as Ziryab, was a singer, oud and lute player, composer, poet, and teacher. He lived and worked in what is now Iraq, Northern Africa and Andalusia during the medieval Islamic period. He ...
, an 8th–9th century
Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...
-born poet/musician at the
Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...
court in Córdoba, credited with introducing to Spain the Persian lute, which evolved into the Spanish guitar—and according to some, established flamenco itself. One track on the album, a tarantas, is dedicated to Sabicas. The album was critically well-received; ''
JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...
'' praised the passion and rhythm of the musicians featuring on the album. Until asked to perform and interpret Joaquín Rodrigo's '' Concierto de Aranjuez'' in 1991, de Lucía was not proficient at reading
musical notation Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The proce ...
. Biographer Pohren, however, at the time of writing his biography in 1992, said that he was still not proficient and had found a bizarre way of learning the piece, locking himself away. His performance with the orchestra under Edmon Colomer was highly acclaimed, a sensitive, atmospheric rendition that composer Rodrigo himself praised, describing it as "pretty, exotic, inspired ... I might add that Paco plays it with a great deal of feeling, far more than is normally heard. And that goes for the orchestra that backs him up." In 1992, he performed live at the bullring at
Seville Expo '92 The Universal Exhibition of Seville 1992 – Expo '92 (officially: ) was a universal exhibition held from Monday 20 April to Monday 12 October 1992, at the , in Seville, Spain. The theme for the expo was "The Age of Discoveries", celebrating the ...
, and a year later on the Plaza Mayor in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, playing "La Barrosa". In 1995, he and
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...
recorded the hit song and video " Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" on the soundtrack for the American film ''
Don Juan DeMarco ''Don Juan DeMarco'' is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Johnny Depp as John Arnold DeMarco, a man who believes himself to be Don Juan, the greatest lover in the world. Clad in a cape and domino mask, DeMarco undergoes psych ...
''. In 1996, his first "golden hits" album, ''Antología'', was in the top 20 in Spain for at least 16 weeks, selling over 65,000 copies. In 1997, de Lucía performed in a tribute show to the assassinated Spanish politician Miguel Ángel Blanco, alongside
Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top List of best-selling music artists, reco ...
, Los del Rio, and other musicians. In 1998 he released and produced '' Luzia'', dedicated to his dying mother (hence the Portuguese spelling of her name). It is considered to be one of de Lucía's most complete and mature artistic statements.


2000–14

De Lucía lived for five years in
Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...
, Mexico, but returned to his native Spain in 2003 after professing to have become really tired with spending his whole life touring for six to eight months a year, getting up at the crack of dawn and living in hotels. He continued to keep a holiday home in Mexico though and regularly visited with his family. In 2004 he toured the United States and Canada with Seville flamenco singer La Tana, but subsequently greatly reduced his live performances in public. He retired from full touring, and would only give a few concerts a year, usually in Spain and Germany and at European festivals during the summer months. Pohren described de Lucía as "extremely timid and retiring", saying that, "Being a very private person, ewas dismayed at the ensuing popularity and lionization, and the increased pressure fame placed upon his shoulders, demanding that he constantly innovate and work harder to achieve technical and revolutionary perfection." In 2003, de Lucía released ''
Integral In mathematics, an integral is the continuous analog of a Summation, sum, which is used to calculate area, areas, volume, volumes, and their generalizations. Integration, the process of computing an integral, is one of the two fundamental oper ...
'' (2003), a 26CD Limited Edition Box Set, and '' Por Descubrir'', a compilation album. In 2004, de Lucía released '' Cositas Buenas'' with
Javier Limón Javier Limón (born 1973) is a record producer, singer and songwriter born and raised in Madrid, Spain. Limón has worked with several artists, mainly from Spain, since he incorporates elements of flamenco rhythm to his work. Besides his work as ...
. It was released on Blue Thumb Records by Universal Music Spain S.L., and features four
bulerías ''Bulería'' (; interchangeable with the plural, ''bulerías'') is a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows: This may be thought of as a measure of followed by a measure of (known ...
, two rumba tracks, a
tangos Tangos may refer to: * Tangos (song), "Tangos" (song), a song popularized in Spain * Tangos (district), a district or barangay in Navotas, Philippines * ''Tangos'', a 1973 album by Buenos Aires 8 * Tangos (album), ''Tangos'' (album), a 2014 album ...
and a tientos. It won the
Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...
for Best Flamenco Album in 2004 and the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Award for Latin Jazz Album of the Year in 2005. In 2005, he was nominated for producer of the year by the Latin Grammy for La Tana's "Tu, Ven a Mi", which was de Lucía's first recording where he directed another artist since working on Camarón de la Isla's ''Potro de rabia y miel''. In 2004, he won the
Prince of Asturias Awards The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...
in Arts, and on 23 March 2007, the University of Cadiz recognized de Lucía's musical and cultural contributions by conferring on him the title of Doctor
Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
. In 2010, he was awarded an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
by
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, and performed at the Montreux Festival. He was also known for some years to select countries where he did not usually perform, and played at the
Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
in
Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...
,
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
in 2006 and 2010, and in
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
,
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
and
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
in 2013. He appeared at the 49th Carthage International Festival on 31 July, playing at the Roman Theatre.


Death

De Lucía died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
on 25 February 2014, while on holiday with his family in Playa del Carmen,
Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...
, Mexico. While playing soccer with his son on the beach, he asked his wife to take him to the hospital because he felt a "strange coolness in his throat." He was taken to a hospital and was able to enter the emergency room on his own, but had to be helped into a gurney. Soon after, he lost consciousness and died. His brother Pepe commented that de Lucía had quit a two-pack a day smoking habit 20 days earlier, and vowed to take up more sports activity after the death of his friend Félix Grande. His remains are buried at the municipal cemetery of his hometown Algeciras, Andalucía. De Lucía posthumously won the
Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the ...
for his album '' Canción Andaluza'' at the 2014 awards ceremony. Shortly after his passing, the regional government of the
Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...
announced that the new northern terminus of Line 9 of the city's
Metro system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a tu ...
would be named after him as a tribute.


Legacy

De Lucía was widely considered to be the world's premier flamenco guitarist and by many to be Spain's greatest musical export. He had a revolutionary influence on flamenco music both as a composer and otherwise. His influence on flamenco guitar has been compared with that of Andrés Segovia's on classical guitar. His album '' Fuente y caudal'' (''Fountain and Flow'') has been cited by many to have changed the world of flamenco guitar beyond traditional flamenco culture. Along with Enrique Morente and Camarón de la Isla, de Lucía was the first artist to break away from traditional flamenco and form what is now known as ''
nuevo flamenco New flamenco (or ''nuevo flamenco'') or flamenco fusion is a musical genre that was born in Spain, starting in the 1980s. It combines flamenco guitar virtuosity and traditional flamenco music with musical fusion (with genres like jazz, blues, r ...
''. As a composer, de Lucía was the first Spanish artist to mix jazz with Andalusian music in a more or less systematic way. This includes, but is not limited to, his collaborations with Di Meola, McLaughlin, and Pedro Iturralde. Esteban de Sanlúcar and
Mario Escudero Mario Escudero (October 11, 1928 – November 19, 2004), was one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who, following on the footsteps of Ramon Montoya, helped spread flamenco beyond their Spanish homeland when they migrated to the U ...
were also major influences on him and sources of inspiration. According to biographer Pohren, de Lucía was "fascinated with jazz" and held a deep respect for high-tech jazz musicians, regarding Di Meola, McLaughlin, Coryell and Corea as highly as musicians as he did his flamenco mentors. Despite these influences, according to the ''
Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...
'', "Most flamenco fans can trace the music's history to either Before Paco or After Paco." In 2004 interview with ''
El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...
'' he said "I have always found that the more technique you have the easier it is to express yourself. If you lack technique you lose the freedom to create." Like many other flamenco guitarists he often played a Hermanos Conde guitar and had his own signature model, but had a range of guitars in his collection. Richard Chapman and
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco guitar", highlighting his "astounding technique and inventiveness" and his broad range of musical ideas from other styles, such as Brazilian music and jazz. He is noted for his innovation and colour in harmony and his remarkable
dexterity Fine motor skill (or dexterity) is the coordination of small muscles in movement with the eyes, hands and fingers. The complex levels of manual dexterity that humans exhibit can be related to the nervous system. Fine motor skills aid in the growt ...
,
technique Technique or techniques may refer to: Music * The Techniques, a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group of the 1960s * Technique (band), a British female synth pop band in the 1990s * ''Technique'' (album), by New Order, 1989 * ''Techniques'' (album), by ...
, strength and fluidity in his right hand, capable of executing extremely fast and fluent picados. A master of contrast, he often juxtaposes picados with
rasgueado Rasgueado (also called Golpeado, Rageo (spelled so or Rajeo), Rasgueo or Rasgeo in Andalusian Spanish, Andalusian dialect and flamenco jargon, or even occasionally Rasqueado) is a guitar finger strumming technique commonly associated with flamenco ...
s and other techniques and often adds abstract chords and scale tones to his compositions with jazz influences. Bill Milkowski of ''
DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
'' described him as "the portrait of studied concentration and pristine perfection: stiff backed and stern faced, with a distinguished air about him that some might misread as haughtiness. He's proud and majestic, like a regal Arabian steed prancing with grace and elegance, yet able to reveal great power." Craig Harris of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
noted his "deeply personal melodic statements and modern instrumentation." ''Atlanta'' magazine said, "The guitar, when used properly, can be one of the most haunting and beautiful instruments to create sound ... when he brushes his fingers across the strings, ecan create some of the most incredible music. It's almost like a lullaby." José Luis Acosta, president of the Spanish Artists and Editors Society stated that "Paco was and will be a universal artist, who took the guitar and flamenco sentiment to the heart of the whole world." In 2015, ''Billboard'' magazine named de Lucía as one of The 30 Most Influential Latin Artists of All Time, an editor writes: "The virtuoso instrumentalist popularized flamenco worldwide, and brought the Spanish sound to the forefront of avant-garde jazz.". In the same year, he was posthumously inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame for his contributions to flamenco music. On 21 December 2016, Google commemorated the anniversary of de Lucía's birth with a
Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...
created by Google artist Sophie Diao that was shown in Spain, Mexico, and several South American nations. Another of Paco de Lucía's contributions was the inclusion of the
cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...
, an
Afro-Peruvian Black Peruvians or Afro-Peruvians are Peruvians of mostly or partially African descent. They mostly descend from enslaved Africans brought to Peru after the arrival of the conquistadors. Early history The first Africans arrived, as enslaved ...
instrument
Caitro Soto Pedro Carlos Soto de la Colina (23 October 1934, San Luis District, Cañete, San Luis, Cañete, Peru – 19 July 2004, Lima, Peru), popularly known as Caitro Soto, was an Afro-Peruvian musician and composer. He was known for his version of the Per ...
exposed to him during his visit to
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
in the late 1970s. He understood this instrument, which he saw as a permanent solution to the need for percussion in flamenco. Along with Rubem Dantas, he added its percussive elements and it became an essential tool of contemporary flamenco and later, other international musical trends. A statue is dedicated to his memory in his native city of Algeciras, overlooking the harbour.


Discography


Filmography

A post-mortem documentary based on his life, titled '' Paco de Lucía: La búsqueda'', was released on 24 October 2014.


Notes


Sources

* * * * *


Further reading

* Mercurio, Paolo (2014). "Il Flamenco di Paco de Lucía nella Spagna moderna", in ''Amici della Musica Popolare'', (ebook)


External links

* *
BBC tribute

Spanish TV tribute (La2)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucia, Paco de 1947 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Spanish guitarists 20th-century Spanish male musicians Island Records artists Latin Grammy Award winners Latin jazz musicians Latin music composers Spanish male jazz musicians Musicians from Andalusia New flamenco People from Algeciras Spanish classical guitarists Spanish composers Spanish jazz composers Spanish flamenco guitarists Spanish jazz guitarists Spanish male composers Spanish male guitarists Spanish people of Portuguese descent