International Guitar Legend PACO DE LUCIA Embarks on His First U.S. Tour in Five Years with Philadelphia Performance, April 10
MARCH 12, 2012
“de Lucía displayed a virtuosic technique… with breath-taking speed and accuracy” –New York Post
“An explosive, percussive and perpetual-motion concert” – Chicago Tribune
Inarguably the most iconic artist of Spanish musical culture and heritage, Paco de Lucía tours the United States for the first time since 2007, with a Philadelphia performance scheduled for
En Vivo: Conciertos De España 2010 was recorded during De Lucía’s 2010 live concert tour in Spain and celebrates the heritage of the Spanish guitar and beyond.
En Vivo captures an anthology of his most iconic compositions, masterfully reinterpreted by de Lucía and his new lineup of young musicians, including his nephew Antonio Sanchez on second guitar, the virtuoso harmonica player Antonio Serrano and Cuban Latin/jazz electric bass player Alain Pére. The tour also showcases two renowned vocalists, Duquende and David de Jacoba; acclaimed percussionist Israel Suarez “Piraña”; and the rising young dancer "Farruco."
Known for his dazzling speed and technical dexterity, De Lucía has been established as the most influential flamenco artist of the past three decades. His prolific repertoire spans from the traditional classics to the avant-garde flamenco-jazz fusion which became his trademark sound in the 1980’s. De Lucía’s groundbreaking collaborations and participation in notable soundtracks including Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) have established him as the best of the best.
Tickets for Paco de Lucía are available at $35 to $67, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office located on Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, Pa. (open daily from
Known worldwide as the master of flamenco guitar, Paco de Lucía’s historic musical trajectory has spanned over 50 years, one million record sales, 24 albums, and one Grammy Award. The release of En Vivo: Conciertos De España 2010 presents De Lucía as a profoundly developed artist who has reached the peak of his artistic maturity. Born in Algeciras, a port city in the southernmost Spanish province of Cádiz, Andalucia, De Lucía never learned to read music. Constantly surrounded by the music of the deeply rooted gypsy neighborhood where his family lived, as well as the musical talents of his father and brothers, he learned to play guitar by ear and used his talents to help support his family from the age of seven. De Lucía first performed in New York at the age of 14, accompanying Jose Greco’s highly stylized cabaret flamenco popular in the USA during the early 1960’s, and returned to make his solo debut at Carnegie Hall in 1970, when he was just 23 years old.
As De Lucía’s career evolved, he began to distance himself from the old masters, defining his own personal style and showcasing his dazzling, impeccable virtuosity. He was one of the first artists to explore innovative musical collaborations outside the realm of Spanish classical guitar and flamenco in the late 60’s. Beginning in 1968, an intense artistic bond with Camarón de la Isla, a young gypsy singer also from Cadiz, resulted in the pair composing and releasing nine albums between 1969 and 1977, touring extensively throughout Spain and establishing the duo as the superstars of the Nuevo Flamenco generation. They collaborated for the last time in 1991 on Potro de Rabia y Miel, widely regarded by aficionados as their masterpiece, shortly before Camaron's untimely death in July 1992.
A continued yearning for innovation led De Lucía to form the Guitar Trio in 1979, alongside jazz greats John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell, later replaced by Al Di Meola. Two years later, he formed the Paco de Lucía Sextet, which proved to be his best and favorite band. The Sextet was the first flamenco concept band of its kind, incorporating instrumentation ranging from electric bass, saxophone and flute, along with the now ubiquitous box-shaped cajón, a Peruvian percussion instrument that changed the sound of flamenco forever. The original Sextet recorded three groundbreaking albums together: Zyryab (1990), and two live albums, One Summer Night (1984), and Live in America (1993).
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Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center. Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts Merriam Theater. Kimmel Center, Inc.’s mission is to operate a world class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience which includes providing arts in education, community outreach and a rich diversity of programming. The 2011/2012 season is sponsored by Citi. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.
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