Flamenco: Fire And Grace

Paco de Lucia, one of the greatest living guitarist in the world, was born Francisco Sanchez Gomez in Algeciras, a city in the province of Cadiz, in the Southernmost tip of Spain on December 21st, 1947. His stage name is an homage to his mother Lucia Gomez.

His father, Antonio Sanchez, a day laborer, played guitar at night as a way to supplement his income. He, Paco's elder brother Ramon de Algeciras and flamenco master Ni–o Ricardo were de Lucia's main influences. His first performance was on Radio Algeciras in 1958. The brothers Ramon, Pepe (a singer) and Paco now compromise half of the Paco de Lucia sextet.

The training ground for a flamenco guitarist, de Lucia once said, "is the music around you, made by people you see, the people you make music with. You learn it from your family, from your friends, in la juerga (the party) drinking. And then you work on technique. Guitarists do not need to study. And, as it is with any music, the great ones will spend some time working with the young players who show special talent. You must understand that a Gypsy's life is a life of anarchy. That is a reason why the way of flamenco music is a way without discipline as you know it. We don't try to organize things with our minds, we don't go to school to find out. We just live…….. music is everywhere in our lives."

The origins of the word flamenco are somewhat in dispute. Some argue that the word refers to the Flemish people who arrived in Spain in the 16th Century and once meant simply foreigner or non-Spanish. Others suggest that the word derives from the Arabic phrase "felah mengu," meaning pleasant in flight.

What is indisputable is that flamenco is a blend of the many cultures - Gypsy, Muslim, Jewish - that at one time settled in Andalucia, in the South of Spain. Their influences can be heard distinctively in the melisma of the singer, the rhythms, the slowly curling harmonic lines of the guitars.

Electric Rendezvous is an album by American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist Al Di Meola released in 1982. It features Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía who also recorded Friday Night in San Francisco with Di Meola.

Al Di Meola - Splendido Hotel + Electric Rendezvous (2010) [2CD] {Remastered Reissue}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 665 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 245 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 46 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2010 BGO Records | BGO CD927
Jazz / Fusion / Guitar

A pair of early 80s fusion sets from Al Di Meola – 1980's Splendido Hotel and '82's Electric Rendezvous – in a single package! Splendido Hotel is one of the most stylistically sprawling fusion efforts we can think of – with a vibe that stretches from spacey atmosherics, to muscular riffing, to Latin and Middle Eastern influences – and that's just the in the opening track! The personnel is pretty amazing – with Eddie Colon, Jan Hammer, Les Paul and Chick Corea contribution. Includes "Alien Chase On Arabian Desert", "Silent Story In Her Eyes", "Two To Tango", "I Can Tell", "Spanish Eyes", "Bianca's Midnight Lullaby" and more. Electric Rendevous is another wildly eclectic and far reaching fusion groover from guitarist Di Meola – with a number of players from the Slendido Hotel set, including Jan Hammer, Philippe Saisse, Steve Gadd and Anthony Jackson. Titles include "God Bird Change", "Electric Rendezvous", "Cruisin'", "Ritmo De La Noche", "Jewel Inside A Dream".

As a modern-day Troubadour Estas Tonne’ travels countless places and finds himself in several cultural references without identifying himself with a single nation or country, rather with the cultural richness of the world. His music is therefore a reflection of many approaches.