Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
I'm ashamed to say that I've gotten my first PdL CD. Not many available here in Singapore though. Only the Aranjuez, Antologia and Cositas Buenas available down here so I thought that my best bet was to get this 2-CD compilation.
Sadly I don't seem to appreciate it all that much. I've not many flamenco guitar CDs except Paco Pena's 'Essential Flamenco Recordings', a CD with some Sabicas solos with some cante tracks and a compilation with artists such as Juan Martin, Manolo Sanlucar, Juan Serrano etc. I do have Juan Martin's Camino Latino, horrible I must add.
Many have said that PdL is above the rest. In terms of feeling, expression, technique, well I agree fully. But in terms of composition, I find him harder to appreciate. For example, the Paco Pena CD seems to have a more traditional sound to it, chording compas.. falseta.. chording.. falseta and so on. Same for Sabicas and the other CDs. However, PdL's compositions seem abit random sounding.
As for Almoraima, unusual for a bulerias I must say but man, it's still great, has maturity in composition and differentiates it from the rest. I don't exactly like the weird addition of instruments though.
Just a comment so please don't kill me Maybe I need time to adjust to his sound, just like how I adjusted to flamenco music and cante etc..
Don't forget an Anthology like that spans several years of work (1967-90), and is stylistically jumping all over the place. If you like Pena, Sabicas, etc, try to find a complete album of Paco's early work. Fantasia Flamenca 1969 is one of my favorites. It would be nice if the anthology were organized by dates, not randomly. Anyway, keep listening.
I'm with you. PDL is amazing and awe inspiring, but I do like his earlier works much better. Maybe it's because I'm still trying to learn and the traditional themes are more appealing.
I've been listening to Cositas Buenas a lot lately. It is full of great technique, form and bursts of expression, but in small pieces through each song. No one song holds me from begining to end. The closest is the buleria with Camaron.
I keep thinking he's so far ahead that I just don't understand or feel it yet.
I was thinking of getting either Camaron's CD or a compilation of live concerts of Nino Ricardo, Montoya etc. Both seemed tempting. Any recommendations?
My favourite Camarón so far is the DVD, Paris 1987-88 Live with Tomatito... just a sublime performance. Or the CD Paris 1987 Live for the audio.
RE: PdL's Antologia 2-vol CD (in reply to Escribano)
I have to agree. I have the Live in Paris 1987 CD (it also has a little video clip on it if you look at the disc on your computer). That whole performance is a real treasure. I want the DVD too but the CD is definitly worth having.