Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía will put a rose in his mouth and a guitar in his hands when he hits the highways and the byways to support his first studio recording in five years, Cositas Buenas (Verve), out January 27. The 56-year-old De Lucía’s collaborations with jazz musicians such as pianist Chick Corea and guitarists John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell and Al DiMeola have helped to expand the vocabulary of modern flamenco.
De Lucía’s touring sextet, which he organized in 1981 featuring bass, drums, percussion, flute and saxophone, has been drastically changed to capture the essence of the new CD. With Cositas Buenas, de Lucía once again twists the tenants of nuevo flamenco, layering his guitar with lute, bouzouki, and mandolin, accompanied by vocals from seven flamenco singers (including de Lucía), percussion and palmas (handclaps). To reflect this change, the new touring band features Alain Perez Rodriguez on bass, Israel Suarez Escobar on percussion, M. Subramanya Shashank on flute and three flamenco singers: Enrique Heredia Carbonell, Hermenia Borjas Gabarri and Victoria Santiago Borja.
The CD’s eight new tracks influence three bulerías: “Patio Custodio,” “Volar” and “Que Venga el Alba.” On the latter, De Lucía echoes the sound of his long-time collaborator, the cantaor Camarón de la Isla (who died in 1992 at age 43) and plays alongside his protégé, guitarist Tomatito. Cositas Buenas also includes “Antonia,” a soleá-style bulería dedicated to his daughter, a tango, “Cositas Buenas,” two tumbas, “El Dengue” and “Casa Bernardo” (featuring Alejandro Sanz on tres, trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez and bassist Alain Pérez) and one tientos, “El Tesorillo,” featuring the vocals of Diego el Cigala.
Here are De Lucía’s tour dates for the U.S. and Canada:
Tue 01/20/04 • Davis, CA • Mondavi Performing Arts Center
Wed 01/21/04 • Arcata, CA • John Van Duzer Theatre
Fri 01/23/04 • Chico, CA • Laxson Auditorium
Sat 01/24/04 • Berkeley, CA • Zellerbach Hall
Sun 01/25/04 • Berkeley, CA • Zellerbach Hall
Mon 01/26/04 • Santa Cruz, CA • Civic Auditorium
Thu 01/29/04 • Los Angeles, CA • Royce Hall UCLA
Fri 01/30/04 • Los Angeles, CA • Royce Hall UCLA
Sat 01/31/04 • Escondido, CA • California Center For The Arts
Tue 02/03/04 • Albuquerque, NM • Univ. Of New Mexico
Wed 02/04/04 • Tucson, AZ • Centennial Hall
Fri 02/06/04 • Boulder, CO • Boulder Theater
Sun 02/08/04 • Edmonton, AB • Francis Winspear Centre For Music
Tue 02/10/04 • Vancouver, BC • Orpheum Theatre
Thu 02/12/04 • Toronto, ON • Massey Hall
Fri 02/13/04 • Montreal, QC • Pelletier Hall
Sat 02/14/04 • Boston, MA • Orpheum Theatre
Mon 02/16/04 • Chicago, IL • Orchestra Hall @ Symphony Center
Wed 02/18/04 • Fort Worth, TX • Bass Performance Hall
Thu 02/19/04 • Miami, FL • Gusman Cultural Ctr.
Sat 02/21/04 • Atlanta, GA • Rialto Center
Sun 02/22/04 • Durham, NC • Page Auditorium
Tue 02/24/04 • Washington, DC • Warner Theatre
Thu 02/26/04 • Princeton, NJ • McCarter Theatre
Fri 02/27/04 • New York, NY • Beacon Theatre
Sat 02/28/04 • Newark, NJ • New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Sun 02/29/04 • Philadelphia, PA • Kimmel Center
For more information on Paco de Lucía visit www.pacodelucia.org.
