Customer Reviews

Fantasía Flamenca

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a guitar only recording and an opportunity to hear Paco prior to his jazz and latin influences. Paco was around twenty years old when this was made (1969) and his early virtuosity and incredable creativity at the Flamenco guitar is quite evident here. Also pieces that have become some of Paco's hallmarks are on ths recording. Such as "Guajiras de Lucia" and "Panaderos Flamencos". This c.d. will be a valued addition to your collection. Also recommended "La Fabulosa Guitarra De Paco De Lucia".

This is from 1969 when Paco was 20, and when I first heard it it blew my mind. It's pure solo flamenco guitar at its finest: no bass, no percussion, no flutes or other clutter -- not even Paco's brother Ramón on 2nd guitar.

"Mantilla de feria" and "Panaderos flamencos" are both pieces by Esteban Sanlúcar, that Paco probably learned from Mario Escudero.

A landmark in the history of the flamenco guitar.

Some transcriptions of the music have now been published.

I have this on vinyl. I picked it up in a thrift store a million years ago. It sat in its jacket for a few years, then I finally got around to listening to it...I was riveted by its beautiful simplicity and virtuosity. If you are a classical guitar lover or a Hispanist (connosieur of things from Spain) you will be floored by Paco's talent. I enjoyed this album over and over much like someone does a fine reserve wine. The difference is that this won't run out. I do enjoy Paco's later works, Siroco is one of my favorites, but the pureness and youthful feel of this work gives it that something special. Nothing beats the feeling I get when he plays live though, the crowds interact with him like an involuntary response. Check it out.

Like most Americans, I didn't hear of Paco de Lucia till the seminal 'Friday Night in San Francisco' recording from 1981 that he did with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin. I was in college when Mediterranean Sundance played on the college radio station. I nearly fell off my bunk. Can someone possibly play acoustic guitar so fast? It seemed demonic, but I sat there listening intensively as if the clouds had just parted and a strong beacon of line shone upon me. Like other aspiring guitarists I eventually acquired the record and tried to play like those guys. Silly me! All I ended up doing was tying my fingers in knots and accomplishing nothing. This revelatory music entertained me to no end. Sure, they played fast, but they entertained me. They did their job. It was only recently that I acquired Fantasia Flamenca. Lo and behold, the young de Lucia played back then in 1969 like he did in 1981 - fast, furious, accurate, and full of tasteful precision. I did take the liberty of removing the tape hiss and enhancing the sound with a little reverb using Waves & Sound Forge 9, and the resulting re-mastering is an absolute gem to behold. However, even without my 3-dimensional clean up (I am a bit fanatic about these things), Fantasia Flamenca is still worth the purchase.

i bought this album for a few songs i knew and liked, but all the songs are good and this was worth getting. for whatever reason, though, this album is hard to get. even paco's first album is easier to get than this. anyhow, i'd recommend it.