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So anyone who didnt get a ticket for his tour wont feel left out..and if you did you can relive the memory. Its fair to say that Paco has really looked after his fans on this release. Its a beautiful box set with photo book, 2 audio CDs and a DVD of concert material. In terms of presentation its easily one of the best things in the flamenco world that has been released. The 2 CDs are stacked in an unusual presentation box. You cant pull the first CD out or you will damage the disc...rather push it downwards towards the bottom of the page and then the disc comes out safely.
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So I still need to finish listening to everything to review it. Each CD is over 40 minutes I'm sure some of you already have it on order. You wont be disappointed! Here is the track listing.
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I just listened to both CDs. Aside from a few interesting parts (the Solo Quiero Caminar rumba reworkings were nice), it is thoroughly disappointing. Paco sounds absolutely listless. :(
Rather than wite a review as such I'm just going to write a few thoughts. I think if any of you are relativlely new to flamenco and have been listening to Pacos material for only a few years, you are going to love this package. Its very well recorded and mixed and sounds great. The mix has the musicians "placed" in the room and you get a feel of having the stage in front of you from the recording. The material is a mix of compositions from "Cositas buenas and falsetas from "Solo quiero caminar" onwards. The great thing about the recording is that it does actually give you an idea of how Paco presents a concert which is very different from hearing a CD track. The first CD ends with a 16 minute buleria (although the first 3 minutes is the cancion de amor). All the falsetas are recognizable but played slightly differently from the studio recordings. Very few people take on a buleria of that length. This is the real beauty of live flamenco and its useful to hear those live variations.
However, if you have been listening to Pacos playing for the last 20 years or more and have seen him play several times live then this set is not going to present you with anything new. I have been very lucky to see Paco probably a dozen times and have to listened to a lot of bootleg live material. This CD set does not do for me what listening to "Live in America" did when it first came out. That CD just amazed me. Seeing Paco play with Ramon, Ruben Dantes, Joaquin grillo and Jorge Pardo live in the 90s was jaw dropping. My memories of Paco were just being amazed by everything he did live and in the studio. I think that as I have got older and heard so much material my amazement has gone. The compositions are no longer as fresh, the playing doesnt have the fire and I have heard much more energetic bootlegs of some of the performances that appear on this set. There are no new pieces, much of the material has been unchanged on Pacos set list for the last 5 years and for me that sense of wonder is not there any more when I listen to this CD set. I consider myself lucky to have lived through a time where everything Paco released was revolutionary and the world took a couple of years to catch up with Pacos latest move. This is not a revolutionary CD. Its a portrait of his last few years in concert and a tribute to one of the most industrious and sucessful careers in the flamenco world.
Thanks for your reviews. I was expecting something like this from a CD that features the material from the shows we already heard. I will get it regardless. I am sure there are things there that are different and worth thinking about.
Through the years of his incredible career, composing revolutionary music, playing things that were considered impossible, meeting and performing with musicians from all kinds of cultures and musical styles, constantly reinventing himself... Paco has acquired maturity and wisdom that few others can match. This has to be his peak, the time when the philosopher in him triumphs over the rest. It would be a shame if he stopped putting out new material now that he's got it all.
Maybe he should look for inspiration elsewhere. I wish he did a collaboration with a singer similar to what he did with Camaron. I noticed that when he accompanies singers on stage he smiles a lot more. He seems to enjoy it most. Duquende would be a good match. Their bulerias were amazing. Why not put his effort into reinventing the art of accompaniment?
I wish he did a collaboration with a singer similar to what he did with Camaron. I noticed that when he accompanies singers on stage he smiles a lot more.
I sometimes wonder about that. In every interview, he says how much he dreads touring, and wishes he could just relax and play with a few friends.
Then why doesn’t he do it? He’s been at the top of his profession now for 40 years. Thousands idolise him. Surely he could afford to retire now, if he chose?
Has he spent all the money on the gee-gees? Has it gone in supporting his family, as Carmen Amaya’s did?
can't wait to compare this audio to the vids already been up on youtube....I am sure to discover what was spliced together from which concert. My favorite stuff was his inclusion of some of my fav buleria falsetas in C# from Zyrab that he has neglected to play live since that stuff was recorded back in 1990.
Ok, the DVD is a 20 minute documentary in the form of interviews and concert footage. A lot of the commentary is Paco talking about why he wanted to release another live CD and there are comments from the other band members and production team. Most of the footage is recent concert material with some great footage of him playing the A minor Buleria "Rio de miel" and the insane picado from the end of his Rondeña. He talks a bit about his previous collaborations with the old group and there is some nice footage and photos that I hadn't seen before with Ramon, Ruben, Jorge and Pepé. He actually echos a lot of what I said in my review, that he wanted to present a live album that gives an impression of being at a concert and he talks a bit about the differences in his playing now than from the 80s.
My only negative criticisms are that there are no subtitles at all, not even in Spanish. Considering the heavy Andalucian accents of some of the band members, this might have been useful. Secondly the production could really have been done in High Definition. There is no reason in 2011 for concert footage released by Universal to be in grainy low definition. However altogether its a very nice set and only a few Euros more than an individual CD with over 90 minutes of audio material so good value.
On a separate note, it occurs to me that this is a good strategy to deter downloads. Presenting a nice set of discs with photos and a movie will certainly make people want to have the original.
favorite stuff was his inclusion of some of my fav buleria falsetas in C# from Zyrab that he has neglected to play live since that stuff was recorded back in 1990.
I finally finished transcribing all those falsettas from Soniquette btw. I'd love to pay you a visit, and run through them with you. They are the coolest falsettas EVER...
His best and best sounding tracks apart of Entres dos Aguas can be found on the good old Dos Pacos compilation. Period.
If by chance he be inspired to some new and duende pieces, I´ll be the first to run for the album. If not however, which would be understandable after all the decades, I would love to see him work out with some of the greats in the rock and pop realm, who are often good for some fresh tunes.
I´d love to see him meeting J.J.Cale for instance. The Black Crows, Paul Simon, Randy Newman. Sheryl Crow maybe. Maybe some of the guys from Supertramp, Richie Blackmore, Brian May and not at last David Gilmour, just to mention possible examples.
It mustn´t, but if going well could yield some freaking rocking stuff. -
BTW, just listened to Santa Esmeraldas "Don´t let me be misunderstood" again two days ago. Though just disco; that lick in the intro just kills!
I dont write out tabs, but if you come over to my house, i'll show them to you, and YOU can write the tabs. LOL
I finally finished transcribing all those falsettas from Soniquette btw. I'd love to pay you a visit, and run through them with you. They are the coolest falsettas EVER...
favorite stuff was his inclusion of some of my fav buleria falsetas in C# from Zyrab that he has neglected to play live since that stuff was recorded back in 1990.
I finally finished transcribing all those falsettas from Soniquette btw. I'd love to pay you a visit, and run through them with you. They are the coolest falsettas EVER...
Awesome. Doitsujin is coming over too you should come visit when he is here and we make video all 3 of us. Anything EXCEPT La Ardila.