Latin Grammys: Late, Iconic Flamenco Guitarist Paco de Lucía Competes with Calle 13, Marc Anthony, Carlos Vives as Son Honors Him with Documentary
In life and in death, the legendary flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía is honored. On Nov. 20, the beloved talent is competing at the Latin Grammys 2014 in the Album of the Year category for his posthumous release, "Canción Andaluza."
He's pitted against some contemporary heavy-hitters, such as top Latin Grammy competitor Calle 13, Marc Anthony and Carlos Vives, among others, proving that he and his work are timeless.
"Canción Andaluza," which has been called a return to de Lucía's roots through the Southern Spanish songs of his childhood, was more than a musical journey; it was a personal journey between a father and his son.
Coinciding with de Lucía's two Latin Grammy nominations, his son, Curro Sánchez Varela, is paying homage to his extraordinarily talented father with a new documentary entitled, "Paco de Lucía: A Journey." Earlier this fall, the documentary debuted in Spanish cinemas and on television.
"If I'm proud of something it's that I've contributed to a music I admire and that I've loved since I was born," de Lucía said on-screen, Billboard reports. "My father was a guitar player and my family were all flamenco players. My greatest pride is having left evidence of my journey through this music."
And "evidence" of his musical journey would be an understatement for he profoundly impacted the industry even beyond his genre.
De Lucía, who also played classical and jazz guitar, performed alongside guitarist Carlos Santana, pianist Chick Corea and guitarist Al Di Meola. He also formed a partnership in the 1970s with singer Camaron de la Isla, which reportedly played a large part in creating the New Flamenco movement.
"Paco inspired me in the construction of my own musical world as much as Miles Davis and John Coltrane, or Bartok and Mozart," Corea said in a statement.
De Lucía's son's tribute documentary to his father captures the flamenco guitar great in his dressing room conducting his "pre-show rituals," which included filing his nails down to "obsessively tuning his guitar and practicing until curtain time," Billboard reported.
His quick rise to super-stardom as a mainstream flamenco guitar player, which was uncommon at the time, was a bit overwhelming, and he soon learned that being in the spotlight often has its downfalls.
"They've put me on such a level that if I slip under it they criticize me," de Lucía explained in the documentary. "So with my character, the character my father impressed on me of perfection, to always be at that level of what people expect of you, it's not pleasant. It's an ordeal."
Despite the pressure, Sánchez recalled his father's "enthusiasm, sense of humor and natural kindness," to Billboard, as well as "vacations in Mexico, when Paco prepared the fish that he caught himself, in a house full of the musicians who accompanied him throughout his life."
While de Lucía was initially reluctant to do the documentary because of his humble nature and the fact that he attributed his talent to just unwavering persistence and hard work, he eventually got on board with the project. Yet it had a bittersweet ending.
Sánchez was able to capture the recording of "Canción Andaluza" on film, but his documentary remained unfinished for one more scheduled interview that fell two days after his father's death, according to Billboard.
Sadly, at the age of 66, de Lucía died in February, leaving his family, friends and flamenco aficionados around the world in mourning over the loss of such impeccable talent.
"My father was like an ox," Sánchez Varela told Billboard. "But the life of a flamenco musician is very intense. One day his heart just gave out."
But de Lucía's heart will go on through his memory, music and his son's documentary, "Paco de Lucía: A Journey."
"It has been said, and rightly so, that Paco de Lucía has never been surpassed by anyone and guitar playing today would not be understood without his revolutionary figure," Spain's arts association SGAE said in a statement during the icon's death.
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