Musicians: Paco de Lucía (guitars, lute, bouzouki, mandolin); Piraña (percussion); Diego el Cigala, Camerón de la Isla, Guadiana, Antonio el Negro, Montse Cortés, La Tana, el Potito, Angela Bautista, Paco (vocals, chorus, handclaps); Tomatito (guitar); Alejandro Sanz (tres); Jerry Gonzalez (trumpet)
Review: Respected among his peers as the premier living flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucía has been rethinking his approach during the last five years since his last recording. Despite his technical mastery, demonstrated during his tours with John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola in the 1980’s and 1990’s and during sold-out concerts throughout the world, de Lucía has been searching for a deeper meaning from within that can be brought out by his talent for expression, rather than wowing audiences with the thrill of his execution.
After his five years of soul searching which removed de Lucía from the recording studio, he has released Cositas Buenas, an album that features the guitarist without his regular sextet, providing a heightened appreciation for his ability to simultaneously set up percussive foundations and to tell his own stories in music. That ability finds lyrical expression from flamenco singers whose delivery is as passionate as is de Lucía’s on guitar. Indeed, the master guitarist sings the lyrics to “Antonio” and “Volar” himself, creating an even greater connection between the outpouring of emotion from the flamenco guitar and the urgency of voice. Accenting the music with the handclaps of traditional flamenco form upon which de Lucía’s career is based, the singers nonetheless conform to the non-traditional inspiration of his style, which incorporates elements of other musical genres. That blending of influences, even as de Lucía remains true to flamenco form, is most evident on “Casa Bernardo,” which features Latin-influenced trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez in a flowing and muted counterbalance to de Lucía’s cascading phrasing.
De Lucía has used the occasion of recording Cositas Buenas to perform once again with the deceased singer Camerón de la Isla on “Que Venga el Alba” through the magic of sound engineering. Using a previously recorded tape of de la Isla’s voice, de Lucía has overdubbed the guitar part to recast her singing in a different perspective. The release of Cositas Buenas, satisfying the demand for more of de Lucía’s recorded work, is more than a commercial occurrence. It’s an artistic event.
Tracks: Patio Custodio, Cositas Buenas, Antonia, En Dengue, Volar, El Tesorillo, Que Venga el Alba, Casa Bernardo
JazzReview.com
