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RIP Maestro

Paco De Lucia, 66, has passed away from a heart attack while vacationing in Mexico.

Too sad.

Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia dies at 66

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4u_adO7hUc


World-renowned Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia has died aged 66 in Mexico, reportedly of a heart attack while playing with his children on a beach.

The death of one of the most celebrated flamenco guitarists was announced by the mayor's office in Algeciras, southern Spain, where he was born.

He is said to have died in the Mexican resort of Cancun.

Famous for a series of flamenco albums in the 1970s, he also crossed over into classical and jazz guitar.

He also worked on films by Spanish director Carlos Saura, notably appearing in his 1983 version of Carmen, which won a UK Bafta award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1985.

Algeciras is to hold two days of official mourning. Its mayor, Jose Ignacio Landaluce, called the musician's death an "irreparable loss for the world of culture and for Andalusia".

He had lived both in Mexico and in Spain in recent years.

Paying tribute to a "very special musician", fellow Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco Pena, 71, told BBC Radio 4's Front Row: "Once in a while someone comes along in a musical discipline who changes everything, who sees things that others have not seen up to that point, and Paco de Lucia was one of these people.

"After him, flamenco radically changed and the proof is that so many young people have taken his lead and now flamenco is full of that virtuosity."

Full story<

Source: World Music Central


Public Wake for Paco de Lucía at the National Music Auditorium in Madrid


The public wake for the great guitarist Paco de Lucía [took] place . . . February 28, at the Symphony Hall of the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid after his mortal remains were repatriated to Spain. The flamenco guitar maestro and innovator passed away on February 26 in Mexico. He was 66 years old. . . .

Jesús López, Chairman of Universal Music Latin America/Iberian Peninsula, the label that released Paco de Lucía's recordings, said [on February 27]: "The untimely passing of El Maestro, as those of us who were lucky enough to work with Paco called him, has come as a huge shock. We are devastated by this sudden loss. His cultural heritage will live on, fueling future generations that will have the pleasure of enjoying the stunning body of work of this guitar virtuoso and kind man. Today, Paco de Lucía becomes immortal. Let us celebrate his life respectfully and joyfully."

Paco de Lucía leaves behind a considerable musical legacy, featuring 30 original albums as a solo guitarist, in addition to multiple collaborations with international artists. De Lucía's awards and recognitions include the 2004 Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, the most prestigious acknowledgement given to Flamenco art and, more specifically, to one of its leading exponents.

The guitarist also won a Latin Grammy for "Best Flamenco Album" with his album "Cositas Buenas," the National Flamenco Guitar Award and the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts, among others.

Paco de Lucía recently completed the recording of Canción Española, a tribute to Spanish song. The album is scheduled for release in April in Spain and other territories.





R.I.P.