Paco de Lucía, credited with modernising Andalucian traditional flamenco music, has died of a heart attack aged 66, whilst on holiday in Mexico. Born Francisco Sánchez Gomez in Algeciras, in the province of Cádiz. An infant prodigy he was pushed into intense study of flamenco guitar by his guitarist father, practicing for 10 or 12 hours a day.
De Lucía always attributed his success to his gypsy descent over innate talent. He once said "The gypsies are better since they listen to music from birth. If I had not been born in my father's house I would be nobody. I don't believe in spontaneous genius,”
Paco began playing professionally aged 12, taking the stage surname De Lucía from his Portuguese mother, Lucia Gomes; Paco, the diminutive of Francisco. As the town of Algeciras announced the news of the legendary player’s death, the Mayor commented “
Paco's music, his wonderful way of playing and his character will always be with us. He was known for collaborating with flamenco singer Camaron de la Isla, which lasted for more than a quarter of a century. He toured throughout his life around the world. One of his biggest hits was the 1973 rumba "Entre Dos Aguas", which incorporated electronic bass and the Peruvian cajón.
From the 1980s onwards, his band experminted with instruments that are often unfamiliar within flamenco, the cajón, saxophone, flute, brass, chromatic harmonica and fretless bass guitar. These were blended with palmas, traditional riffs and often a dancer during live performances, filling stadiums in Spain and worldwide.
Paco de Lucia was a charismatic and riveting live performer, whether playing out his native tradition, or collaborating with the likes of John McLaughlin or Chick Corea. He was a leader who turned a group of musicians into something greater than the sum of its parts, combining musicianship at the very highest level with an intensely dramatic use of dance and voice that brought the heart and soul of the Flamenco tradition to the concert stage, and to an audience well beyond his native Spain.
Yet he insited that hi take on Flamenco was not ‘fusion’ music, he always remained fiercely loyal to his roots and traditional Flamenco music learnt during his youth. Among the guitarist’s awards were the Culture Ministry’s Fine Arts Gold Medal and the Asturias Prize for Art as the “most universal of flamenco artists”.
He won Latin Grammies in 2004 and 2012.
Read Paco Peña's tribute to Paco de Lucia here http://latinolife.co.uk/?q=node/1528
