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PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD
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Jon Boyes
Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
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 PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD
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Just got hold of the Franciso Sanchez (FS) DVD.
On the whole, I think the Light & Shade (L&S) video is a better buy. The editing is better, the interviews are sharper and there is less fluff. The FS profile contains lots of footage of Paco hanging out at his beach place in Mexico, Paco going shopping at the local market, Paco going for a walk, interviews with Paco's mates chatting about what a great guy he is etc, etc, All very well if you like that sort of thing, but as a profile of the musician, the L&S DVD has more useful and interesting information.
I think there may even be more music clips on the L&S interview, although the FS one does have the extra DVD containing Paco's Aranjuez performance and some numbers from his solo/duo/trio concerts. (IMO the interview clips are more interesting as they are more flamenco, although he pulls off a stunning rendition of Mi Nino Curro in the solo/duo/trio concert).
Other points of interest:
-Great clip of Potito as a little kid, belting it out amongst family and friends. What a voice!
-As usual, precious little footage of Paco accompanying. In fact, they used the same clip of Paco with Cameron doing bulerias as in the L&S film.
Zero baile.
-Boy does Paco suffer for his art. He goes on (and on) about the suffering and pain of it all. This guy is so tortured by what he does.
-He apparently learned the entire Aranjuez Concierto in a month- and what's more, he couldn't even read music! This means he had to work from the score using a music theory book to decode music notation as he went along. Totally nuts. Incredible.
-He started guitar when he was twelve and there are some interesting clips of Paco's very early performances with his brother. I was expecting to see noticeable differences in his technique compared to what it is now - you know what they say: "...it takes decades of hard work to get your picado that fast, blah, blah.."
Well unfortunately for those hoping to achieve Paco light speed after a few decades of scale practice, I have some bad news. His tech is all there, fully formed, when he was a youngster. Paco confirms this himself, saying that from a technique point of view it all came naturally to him. Of course, he still put in a huge amount of practice, which is why he's got to where he is today.
Jon
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Date Feb. 22 2005 10:29:41
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JBASHORUN
Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005
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RE: PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD (in reply to Jon Boyes)
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Jon,
Thanks for sharing your views on the PDL DVD with us. This DVD was recommended to me by other forum members (Skai and Ricardo), as it also features Canizares and Paco's nephew. I have since ordered a copy and it should arrive soon. Although I found it quite hard to find in the UK, and even in America. My usual searches with Amazon.co.uk and .com prooved unsuccessful (there is a 7 person waiting list to buy it SECOND HAND from Amazon.com, and very few copies for sale, if any). I ended up buying it on Ebay from Russia, and would recommend this method to anyone else wanting to buy a copy (just make sure you buy the correct "region" of DVD where applicable).
I mainly bought the DVD for the music, rather than the lifestyle and philosophies behind it, so the second disk of performances looked more entertaining than the first with the documentary. But since you say the "Light & Shade" DVD is a better buy, I might consider getting that one just to compare the two.
Interesting to hear about Paco's youth... I have to admit that I'd been frantically practising my scales with the exact intention of building up a good speed. Unfortunately, though, I am still comparatively slow  And if Paco was quite fast to begin with, perhaps much of it is down to his natural ability and dexterity. Although I'll try not to let that deter me... "aim high", etc.
James
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Date Feb. 22 2005 14:48:31
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Miguel de Maria
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
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RE: PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD (in reply to Jon Boyes)
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Jon,
thanks, I guess I won't get that one. Maybe the new Gerardo Nunez one or the Vicente Amigo DVD!
As far as suffering for his art, I wouldn't be so glib about that. I believe that he does. Paco seems to me a very tortured soul, driven from an early age by his father and various insecurities, and his personality does not seem to have changed. Even now, with his last album, he was driven to make yet another statement and push the genre further still. I don't get the sense that he takes a great amount of satisfaction or joy out of his accomplishments. He seems to be driven by rather negative motivations. I have known lots of people like that. Of course, this does not diminish him or my admiration for him one bit, but I would not want to be him and I do not envy him.
As far as the technique it really seems that children pick up on this stuff faster than adults. It seems that are able to get rid of the tech. part early and move on to learning music. But despite what Paco said, I'll stick with the research and the idea that it takes about 10,000 hours to master the instrument. Perhaps there are anomolies like Paco, but it shouldn't affect the rest of us.
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Date Feb. 22 2005 14:54:12
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Ricardo
Posts: 14899
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD (in reply to Jon Boyes)
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Well, which is a better buy is not as important as the material. I would not call either a high budget film project. True L&S is more pro, more flowing and slick, but it just scratches the surface. Very nice, but just excerpts. And it is only an hour. "Francisco Sanchez" is 2 hours, plus the extra concert footage which is truly excellent both soundwise, camera shots, and material. That is 3hrs of stuff. I have that concert on VHS bootleg, and all you miss are his bulerias solo, and Columbianas. Also it is more current, showing concert footage post LuZia, which is great (like his bulerias in Am and Rondena). More down to earth, more stuff for fans. If you are just wanting to know about Paco, L&S is perfect. But if you are a true fan or a student of Flamenco guitar, you should not go w/out FS.
Both vids are essential for any true Paco fan, or flamenco guitar aficionado in general.
James, $9.99 sounds very cheap to me. Make sure it is two discs. $30-40 sounds more like it to me. flamencoconnection.com has Gerardo's DVD.
Ricardo
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Date Feb. 23 2005 4:20:41
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Ricardo
Posts: 14899
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD (in reply to Jon Boyes)
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Not sure what all this "is it really worth X amount of $" is all about. I must have spent thousands and thousands on flamenco stuff over the years. Everybody wants free downloads and stuff now adays. I had to dig around and take gambles, try things out, when I got into flamenco, and it was all worth it in the long run.
Encuentro vids are "expensive", but most tuition vids about an hour long are 20-50 bucks depending on how good or renowned the player is. This is the same for rock or jazz guitar vids. This is about what you would pay for a single private lesson from a good teacher here in the US. If you can't learn from a vid or you can't recognize the value in having your favorite player play it slow in your face giving you advice, well then you can't really learn on your own IMO. You need to get a regular teacher who can tell you what to do.
So flamenco is a specialized genre, not in the same market as rock or jazz, but still, I feel the Encuentro vids are fairly priced. One hour plus a large transcription book (music books ain't cheap either, usually around $50 for an album's worth). Most Encuentro vids are like this, priced around $89. Fair deal, and considering how hard to learn flamenco techniques w/out seeing them, an invalueable tool for foreighners. I have met many guitarists from Spain who learn from them too.
So Nunez, $112, why? It is TWO hours long. Lots of teaching, lots of material. Big book. Great deal.
The other essential vid collection is Rito y Geographia ($168?), even though it is not tuitional, you can learn tons from it.
Ricardo
PS, that single disc version of Francisco Sanchez sounds shady to me. Get your hands on the double DVD package ($30-40). You might be REALLY getting ripped off.
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Date Feb. 23 2005 14:48:33
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Romanza
Posts: 296
Joined: Oct. 24 2005
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RE: PDL's Francisco Sanchez DVD (in reply to Jon Boyes)
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I just thought I'd add my opinion on the Light and Shade vs Francisco Sanchez DVDs, having now seen both of them.
Personally, I preferred the Francisco Sanchez DVD, possibly due to being less of a serious musician than some others who have viewed both. To me this DVD was far more satisfying - I find Paco fascinating as a person as well as a phenomenal guitarist, and it was a real treat to see him going about his daily life in Mexico, diving, fishing and lazing around (nice trunks!).
Seeing him preparing to go on yet another tour, being forced to shave off his lovingly cultivated beard and shed the good life for the stage once again - very poignant. The fim really projected the downside of touring.
And a rare glimpse of Paco's humour in the closing credits, as he tells us that what we believe about hard working musicians is a joke - they really just laze around in the sun all day.
The Francisco Sanchez DVD showed some great clips of Paco in concert - the landmark concert at the Teatro Royal in Madrid where the famous Paco leg position outraged some observers (apparently a sign of disrespect to the audience!). As Paco points out with a hint of bitterness, he had been playing in such prestigious venues across the world for several years, while the doors of the Teatro Royal, in Paco's own country, remained closed to the art of flamenco. So, a landmark performance in many respects. Paco hammering out Mantilla de Feria here was a real treat to me.
The extra footage of Concierto de Aranjuez was great too - check out Paco's billowing white satin shirt . A funny moment at the end where Paco goes to take a bow with the composer who goes doddering off in the other direction!
Yes, I think some of the interviews with Paco's friends and associates, flamencologists etc were a bit superfluous - I'd prefer to hear more from the man himself and see a bit more guitar footage - although I also felt the Chick concert footage was a bit too long. But overall - despite a few cheesy moments (the backdrop of a stage turning into a Mexican beach for example), I felt this was quite a charming and informative film.
As for Light and Shade - well first of all I was disappointed it was over so quickly. It had a much more serious feel, but probably more in it for those who want to study Paco's technique as some extensive, close up footage of him playing that seems to have been recorded just for the DVD. Some more interesting footage - very moving scenes from Camaron's funeral as described, and a wonderful section of Paco playing a solea from Almoraima - definitely a highlight in my book.
There's a lot of Paco talking which is great, but one thing really ruined it for me - the terrible voice over! Why did they have to drown out Paco's dulcet tones using a voiceover man with a strange, nasal sounding voice a bit like that of Mark (the geeky one) off Peep Show (sorry non UK readers - that may well be lost on you).
One thing I found interesting in this DVD was Paco's recollection of being woken in his bed aged 12 or so to play guitar for some famous guitarist (name escapes me) - who told Paco that he should not try and imitate anyone else, but to play in his own style. From then on, Paco began furiously composing his own pieces. Thank goodness for that early criticism I say.
Although I preferred the Francisco Sanchez DVD more, I certainly don't regret spending the money on Light & Shade. Now I'd like to see another charting the Cositas Beunas years and beyond.. but will there be more to come, one wonders...?
Thanks for reading..
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Date Jan. 5 2006 13:03:01
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