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Charles ! In 1970…As a young lad, I traveled to Europe, to Spain, in search of Flamenco.
Walking those mythical streets for hours, I stumbled upon Calle (Street) Ilustracion #7....the home of Paco de Lucia.
I bravely, yet nervously, rang the bell and his lovely mother, Lucia, welcomed me in, escorting me to where Paco was studying in the back sunroom.
With food & drink at hand...a typical Mediterranean custom I knew so very well as a Hellene ( Greek ), we spoke and played what seemed like hours and, at the end, promised that I would arrange a concert for him in the United States at Chicago’s famed Orchestra Hall.
He offered to teach me in Algeciras ( his summer home ).....yet ,foolishly, I became entangled with a beautiful young lady from South Africa...

GRAVE MISTAKE.

Upon his return back to Madrid, he asked what happened to me. Hearing my story, he laughed and said he would have done the very same dame thing!!

OLE !

Before I left Spain, he made me promise a concert in Chicago and I agreed. Years passed, when back in Chicago, I established the Flamenco Guitar Studies at the Guitar Dept. at the famed "Arlington School of Music", in Arlington Heights, IL.
With these credentials, I worked up enough courage to approach famed Impresario Harry Zelzer of Allied Arts Corp at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and, as he quibbled ( money, of course ) with Paco's International Impresario Sol Hurok in New York City, I persuaded both of them to bring Paco de Lucia to Chicago for a gala concert. Zelzer even agreed to bring the fabulous Sabicas (The King of the Flamenco Guitar) also...on the same Guitar Concert Series including Andres Segovia.

This proved to be the greatest "Guitar Series" in Chicago's History!

I called Paco long distance (no cell phones then) and he told me his agent informed him of his Chicago debut.
Paco then asked me to grab my guitar and proceeded in working with me on "Entre Dos Aguas" as I was holding the phone, glued to my chin...for over an hour. No cell phones then....

Ouch!

“Que No... Hombre !”

"NO NO... La Menor 7"...Paco would scream.

“No Maldita Sea”.

“JUGAR CORRECTAMENTE....TU MARICON” !!

( how rude ).
This went on for 30 minutes more until he was satisfied with my results. He arrived in Chicago and, staying at my apartment, we played all night. The next day , we drove to Orchestra Hall on Michigan Ave, and rehearsed there with the sound and lighting engineers. That evening, Paco played flawlessly to the utter shock of the audience...top professional Guitarists from all corners of the United States, Canada and Mexico.....riveted into their seats. They never heard a guitar sound so explosive, so emotional, so flawless technically.... so Espanol...so Gitano! It came time for his last piece..."Entre Dos Aguas" and I walked onto that stage and accompanied him to the never ending screams of the audience... the "Latinos.... y…. Latinas" …. in dance form... drowning out our performance with perpetual "OLE'S !"…yes at Orchestral Hall, no less
That following day, at the airport, Paco asked me to join him on his tour across the Southeastern USA.
This is when I was reborn.
We toured for three weeks, city after city….hotel after hotel This is where my career began.....getting to know the intimate Paco, his loves and fears, the secrets of his monstrous technique, phrasing and study habits.
Years later, Paco called and informed me of his new affiliation with AL Di Meola and John McLaughlin in their "Friday Night in San Francisco Tour" at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre...a legendary concert hall with perfection in Acoustics.
I arrived at that afternoon's rehearsal and noticed Paco's sound was awful...couldn't hear the guitar.
Without thinking, I ran back home, retrieved my Sennheiser Mic Paco used at Orchestra Hall, years before, to the utter satisfaction of Paco and the sound engineer...…

( try talking your way out of a speeding ticket with an Illinois State Trooper.)

Night came, audience brimming with young eager, guitarists, whether Rockers, Jazz Pros, Country Artists from Nashville or famed Classical and Jazz guitarists from Canada to South America ,….. they were there waiting to get a glimpse of this......."Paco de Lucia".

Lights dimmed to the constant rustling of hungry youth…all asking

“What is this Flamenco ?..
.
then...it happened......

ALL HELL BROKE LOSE!

This "Paco de Lucia" simply exploded with "The Face of An Angel And With The Technique of A Demon"
The audience gasped, going wild with hundreds of cigarette lighters ablaze in hand, to the sound of "The Holy Three".

"Musical History Had Been Made !"

The next morning, ( Hey.. contact me and I’ll tell you all the story of “Fancy Boots” that morning)…..

I drove Paco and John to the airport...(Al left on an earlier flight)
…said our goodbyes in Hellenic-Hispanic Style
...and promised that we would attend each other's funeral

…”he who would die first”….a Mediterranean Custom
.
That was the last time I saw Paco. Sadly, he died first and I angrily realized that my passport had expired, at the last minute.

It was too late for me to go.

I was incarcerated in my home, shocked and immobile upon hearing of his death.

... my life with Paco flashing before my eyes.

After all this time, and after these many, many years looking back.... I can only say......

"Paco!"

"Hermano"

"Escuchame !"......

"When it is my time to enter the Pearly Gates of Heaven (if I get there, that is) ...I'm bringing that Sennheiser Mic with me.....

.we"ll jam all night”.

Yeah with Sabicas & Mario Escudero

“The entire Universe will hear you again....live! “

"Esperame, mi Amigo!"

“Wait for me, My friend"

Memories!

(This is my true story)

Call the Arlington School of Music, a Div. of the Arlington Institute of Music & The Performing Arts, circa 1930

847-830-0471

( we’ll chat all night)