INTERVIEW: Flamenco artists unite for Paco de Lucía festival
Photo: Paco de Lucía’s legacy will soon be celebrated at a five-day New York City festival. Photo courtesy of Gabriela Canseco / Provided by Cindy Byram PR with permission.
Paco de Lucía, the legendary flamenco artist who died 10 years ago, is arguably the most influential guitarist in his chosen genre. Diehard fans of the Spanish musician would likely delete the word “arguably” and simply present his mastery of the art form as fact. In many people’s minds, he was the best.
One of the most prominent supporters of Lucía’s legacy is Julio Martí of the company Serious Fan Music, and now the producer is solidifying his admiration by serving as artistic director of the Paco de Lucía Legacy Festival, which plays several New York City venues Feb. 20-24. He is actively working with the Paco de Lucía Foundation on the marquee events. There are many highlights to the week of programs, but perhaps the most exciting event is the curated concert at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 20. That night there will be more than two dozen artists paying respect to Lucía’s compositions and unique guitar playing.
On the list for the Carnegie Hall concert are dancers Karime Amaya, Farru and Farruquito, along with guitarists Al Di Meola, Josemi Carmona, Yerai Cortés, Antonio Rey, Rafael Riqueni, Niño Josele, J.M. Bandera and Pepe Habichuela. They will be joined by vocalists Rubén Blades, Diego ‘El Cigala,’ Duquende, Chonchi Heredia, Salif Keita, Carmen Linares, José Mercé, Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Makarines, alongside bassists Carles Benavent and Alain Pérez; double bassist Javier Colina; percussionists Rubem Dantas, Tino Di Geraldo and Israel “Piraña” Suárez; kora player Madou Diabaté; pianist Chano Domínguez; flutist Jorge Pardo; vocalist/cellist Nesrine Belmokh; and harmonica player Antonio Serrano, according to press notes.
“This is probably the most incredible reunion of flamenco performers ever on the planet,” Martí said in a recent phone interview. “We have people coming from different parts of the world. It’s just an occasion to celebrate the biggest artist that flamenco has ever produced, so we will make a beautiful show dedicated to his magnificent music. We have the best lineup ever accomplished for a flamenco show, even in Spain.”
In Martí’s mind, de Lucía is the person who both carried on and simultaneously changed the genre of flamenco more than anyone else. He gave this style of music — which features pulsating guitars, transfixing vocals and passionate dancing — international acclaim. For de Lucía’s obituary in 2014, The New York Times wrote that he was one of the world’s greatest guitarists, gaining notoriety for fusing jazz with flamenco in the 1960s and 1970s.
“He was a real pioneer,” Martí said. “There have been important artists that have been dedicated to flamenco, but the impact of Paco in the world exceeds everybody else. … Everybody can argue anything about any kind of genre — jazz, rock ‘n’ roll. You always will have a lot of people to discuss [for the greatest of all time]. In flamenco, there are only two gods, Paco de Lucía on the guitar and Camarón de la Isla on singing.”
Everyone who is on the bill for the Carnegie Hall kickoff event signed on the dotted line because they have an excitement to carry on the legacy of Lucía, the producer said, adding that there will be no egos in the room. There’s a genuine desire to celebrate this mastery of the form. “Every important artist in the flamenco world would love to be part of this event in New York City,” he said.
In addition to the Carnegie Hall event on Feb. 20, the festival also includes special performances at Symphony Space and Town Hall, among other locations in New York City. Martí compared these next few days to the creative process that went into creating the song “We Are the World,” which is the subject of a new documentary series on Netflix. And even though the artistic director was easily able to convince the participants that this would be worth their time, there’s no denying that the 30-plus musicians who take the stage need to produce a team effort. Planning for such a gargantuan concert can be quite difficult.
“We have to share the stage with all of them,” Martí said. “They’re going to have the opportunity to show their appreciation of Paco because the thing is we have a program dedicated to the music of Paco in Carnegie Hall, where all the music we are going to be performing with the artists is related to his career. Then we have another major show in The Town Hall a couple of days later where everybody will show their own potential, their own music. So the first concert in Carnegie Hall we celebrate Paco, and the second we celebrate the movement of flamenco. And particularly in the second [concert], we’ll have different collaborations with artists that are established in the States.”
The musicians throughout the festival range in age from their 20s to their 80s, with some of them having performed with de Lucía himself.
“We’ll have all the elements that enrich the flamenco,” he said, “the playing, the singing and the dancing.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Paco de Lucía Legacy Festival will play several venues in New York City, Feb. 20-24. The kickoff event is a celebration of the guitarist at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 20. Click here for more information and tickets.
