[Drums Sounds]
(G Music Report)
Paco de Lucia:
This album is a tribute to my mother
it was recorded
while my mother was ill in the hospital for six months
every single morning I visited her
during the day i was with her and later in the day and at night I would compose
This album is impregnated
of those painful feelings, seeing how my mother was leaving
And I also told her once
that this album will be dadicated to her, which made her very happy
She gave me the most beautiful smile, a smile I would never forget
and that is a good razon to dedicate the album Luzia with a "Z" because
It is important for me to clarify my mothers Portuguese origins
in Portuguese Luzia is spelled with a "Z"
So this album is definetly a full tribute to her
There is also a song that is dedicated to Camaron
but the album in general is impregnated by that painful feeling only experienced when ones own mother is dying
Every experience in life
Fills you up with diferent feelings and sensations
and the pain when is so deep, it think you get used to it
to the point where pain is so intense but so is happiness
so, in a way I believe that what I write and compose is related with whatever has been experienced
If an intense and profound pain has been felt by someone, it is transmited into whatever you create or compose
Flamenco is full of pain and sadness
of the persecution of towns and the andalucian marginalization, poverty, hunger, all that.
there are many people that claim to have undergone hunger, but I
I did not experience hunger, my father made sure we did not experienced it
but we were in the verge of it
and I thing that is important for any artist
each album is like giving birth, it is painful I want to go crazy
I really do. It fills me up with anxiety and anguish
fear and insecurity
I think it is not worth it and throw away more than half of what I compose
because I think is just not worth it
making an album is an illness it turns into an illness
I suffer..suddenly I come up with a phrase that really makes me happy for five minutes
but after five minutes, the insecurities come back again
and the fears and doubts about if this is all worth it
when I could be at the beach taking the sun
having enough money to do that,
but there is something else inside me telling me to keep going and keep struggling
to keep living, to have that fullfilling sensation that I am still alive
and having something to say
I want to make sure you all know that I dont pretend to portray myself as a singer in this album
it has been almost an obligation, because there are two writings in this album
one, i dedicate to my mother and the other to Camaron
and I sang in reference to the recording so later a professional singer could adapt his voice over mine
but I thought it was more intimate according to the circumstances and the real purpose of the song
eventhough I realize he could have done a much better job
to have myself sing those lines was a real homage
(guitars)
Guitarists in general
Of course guitarists dont even buy them, on the contrary they copy each other
these guitarists have put me where I am and they know who Paco de Lucia is
that is why I always thing about the guitarists when I make an album
because they are the ones who will talk about it among themselves
and will say if the album is Ok or not
I am not interested...
there is still much to do with the acoustic guitar
now play the electric guitar is quite interesting
because with the acoustic guitar, you play a note and it dies suddenly
with the electric guitar you play a note and it can last ten minutes
it means that electric guitar gives you more tranquility because while the long note is playing you can think about which note to play next
with the acoustic guitar you can not do that
after one note the next must come quick because you ran out of sound
much more challenging to play the acoustic guitar, it has more posibilities that an electric guitar
in which you can prolong the notes and have time to think
I could not live without a guitar, but at the same time I dont live while playing
because it is such a difficult and ungrateful instrument
you dedicate all the hours in you life and all of a sudden
one day you are completely fine in regards to your hands, brilliant
you go in front of people feeling perfect to play
and you just cant play, I dont know why, a disaster
It is an instrument where all matters, the lenght of you nails matters
Im talking about a microscopic difference in lenght
and I dont know what is going on but it seems like it is the nail that not well filed
it is quite challenging instrument, very tough
I dont have a good relationship with the guitar
I dont like it, really I cant stand it
(laughs)
[guitar playing]
Because flamenco has always been a lower category music
maybe I giving it to much importance
flamenco has always been music for Andalusian Gypsies
It played in the caverns
and, I could sum it up to this
I remember someone in my town saying "Paco de Lucia" plays the guitar really well, he is a phenomena
And there was this neighbor of mine that said the opposite
He said he knew me so well when I was a young boy,
that my face as full of shit as his home, how can he play well- he said
He spoke in a sense trying to say that since he is ours he cant be good
it seams like everything that comes from outsider is better
that is something that happens not just in my country, but all over
everything that is folkloric and autochtonous is not good enough
it is so much more well seen to go see a rock concert even if its a total wreck
than to go see a local folkloric artist
I dont know why, I cant understand, but we are just like these.
There are countries that do have a much more elevated cultural education
Maybe because they have more money, the kinder has been educated in music
and may be they know how to appreciate those things even better that we can do.
This is basically a flamenco guitar album
very traditional, but also have percussion, lute, guitar mandolin
Antonio Carmona plays cajon in a Buleria, for me he is the best player of all
and Luis Miguel he plays also the guitar mandolin, he plays very well is a good musician
Tino di Geraldo, Carlos Benavent
and Duquende, a singer that I like so much, he made some beautiful Tangos
I always be in fusions, because as a Flamenco gay i never went to a School to learn music, I am a self taught person
all I know was learned by hearing
Some times I felt I needed Technical skills of music to make a composition less painfull
Because for me, to find a chord is harder than a person who has music skills and know how to read the chords and make harmony
And so, I never had the discipline to go to school, I though the best way to learn was meeting other musicians
for example Jazz musicians, people at he verge harmonically.
...and like I was curious, inquiring I never pretend not to be a Flamenco
not even dedicate my self to play Jazz, my goal always was go to learn
bring it back to Flamenco music and make it grow some way
And Ketama I think is a splendorous Band, they really make an progression
even the last album was not Flamenco, they move into Flamenco ways to make it them expression
all of they music has Flamenco intentions that I think is very positive
and like Ketama Band a lot of people will make amazing things
as I said, Why take so long to make an album?, Because the level is too high
I can not come out with any kind of album, I have to make something really interesting, very surprising.
[guitar playing]