Paco de Lucia - Melding Virtuosity and Soul

On Wednesday, April 18 I treated myself to a performance that was long overdue. After an unusually long drought of North American concert appearances, Flamenco master Paco de Lucia brought his band to the Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. The concert hall there is a modern space that seems tailor made for a symphony orchestra, but plays host to an eclectic program of folk, rock, blues, pop, R&B, jazz, world music, show tunes and classical music. The acoustics are pristine, but the atmosphere can be kind of stiff. Not on this night. With a heavy Spanish contingent in the house, cries of Olé! could be heard throughout the performance.


There are few artists who command a lengthy standing ovation before they even strike a note. But such was the welcome Paco and his band received when they took the stage. I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the audience with goose bumps.




Paco is often credited (and sometimes maligned) for introducing foreign influences from jazz, rock and pop to Flamenco, which in turn popularized the art form in places outside of Spain. Exposed to the cajón box drum during a visit to Peru, Paco made the instrument an integral part of his music and ultimately just about any Flamenco ensemble you'll see these days. He is revered by music aficionados for his unique sense of rhythm and virtuoso guitar playing which builds heavily on techniques pioneered by flamenco guitar master Sabicas. But what makes Paco stand out from any other guitar jock is that his music, as revolutionary as it has been for Flamenco, was and still is firmly rooted in the Roma, Muslim and Jewish roots of his Andalusian culture.


All of this was on display last Wednesday night when this man took the stage with his phenomenal band to bare the soul of his land. I've always thought that Flamenco is a truly unique art form, perfectly melding elements of song, dance, and drama into a presentation that is greater than the sum of it's parts. And when it is presented by masters such as these, it can leave one with an incredibly moving and unforgettable experience. For two hours, Paco and company immersed the audience in exotic rhythms, ridiculously rapid fire guitar solos, plaintive melodies, and stunning displays of improvised, solo dance that is the corner stone of "Flamenco puro." 

"The World's Most Interesting Man"
has nothing on Paco.

The set culminated in a rousing performance of Zyryab, the title track of his 1990 album which pays homage to the Persian influence in Flamenco music. I managed to catch Paco's dizzying opening solo on my iPhone. After what seemed like a 10 minute standing ovation, when hardly anyone left the hall, the band returned to the stage for a jazzy rendition of Entre dos Aguas. It was the perfect send off, leaving a chatty crowd full of broad smiles to file out of the building, happy to have spent an evening in the company of greatness.