Pena, Paco

views updated

Paco Pena

Flamenco guitarist

Paco Pena's long career in flamenco began when he first picked up his brother's guitar around the age of six. Singing, dancing, and celebrating the ups and downs of life through musical expression were long a part of his life. Steeped in the experiences of his youth, Pena's dedication to the art and history of flamenco culture and music has guided him through more than thirty years of performance. He has won numerous awards for his guitar playing and presented audience-pleasing performances that have introduced people all over the world to the intricacies of flamenco singing, dancing, and guitar playing. In reviewing a 2000 show for the Evening Mail in Birmingham, England, Dave Freak wrote of Pena, "The … dexterity of his fingers was little short of breathtaking, his mastery of both his guitar and flamenco unquestionable."

Pena was born Francisco Pena Perez on June 1, 1946, in Cordoba, Spain. He was the youngest child of nine, which included seven sisters. His family was poor and lived in shared housing with nine other families. Pena described the house to Michael Church of the Independent, " [We] rented two rooms of an old house … sharing a toilet and tub with nine other families … we were like one very big family. Every birth, marriage or bereavement involved everyone. And we were surrounded by music—sung and played, not out of a radio." Growing up in those conditions, Pena was deeply influenced by the way music permeated daily life.

Shy as a young child, Pena found that by playing guitar he could connect with the people around him much easier. He also found that it enriched his life, giving it some meaning. He explained to Arminta Wallace of the Irish Times, "For me it was a pretty significant tool in my communication with people. So I took it really seriously. I just played and played and played." He described to Church the joy he found in performing, staying out late at night, playing his guitar in the street, happy to know that what he was doing was pleasing those who listened. By age 12, Pena was performing for money. Throughout his teens he played and toured with small flamenco groups. His goal eventually was to see the world and continue playing guitar. He told Annie Taylor of the Guardian, "My dreams were not focused in Cordoba. Playing guitar and moving on was my fascination."

Found His Way to London

In the late 1960s, Pena found himself performing in England as accompanist for a group of dancers on tour. His solo debut in England came in 1968 when he played at London's Wigmore Hall. That same year he opened for Jimi Hendrix when he played at the Royal Festival Hall. In 1968, he also released his first album, The Incredible Paco Pena. Two years later he founded the Paco Pena Flamenco Dance Company. Through this collaborations with other flamenco performers Pena has created touring theater events that bring to light different aspects of flamenco culture.

Throughout the 1970s, Pena worked with his flamenco company while also releasing several albums, including Paco Pena Presents the Art of Flamenco, Art of Flamenco Guitar, and Fabulous Flamenco. Pena's goal has always been to bring the art and history of flamenco to the world. In fact, Pena is well versed in the historical events that fused together to create what he considers to be one of the most passionate forms of music. Mitch Potter related Pena's discussion of that history in the Toronto Star, "Flamenco at its purest … emerged in the early 19th century from a poverty-stricken melting pot of Gypsies, Moors, Jews and Spaniards in southern Spain's Andalucia region. It was originally an expression of song and dance that poignantly mirrored the people's brutal persecution." Pena's most successful album was Flamenco Guitar Music of Montoya and Ricardo. Released in 1987, it was acclaimed by the critics, with sales that put it on the Billboard charts for 30 weeks. At one point the album was in the Top 10 chart for crossover artists.

Flamenco's Past and Future

Pena made a home for himself in London while also maintaining ties to his birthplace of Cordoba. In 1981, Pena founded the Centro Flamenco Paco Pena in Cordoba, Spain, which became one of the leading schools of flamenco. He explained his motivation for opening the center on his website, "I wanted to build a bridge between the rest of the world and the region of my birth. For anyone wanting to learn flamenco, seeking to appreciate it to the full, there is no substitute for the potent atmosphere of Andalucía."

For the Record …

Born on June 1, 1946, in Cordoba, Spain.

Professional debut, age 12; solo debut in London, Wigmore Hall, 1968; formed Paco Pena Flamenco Dance Company, 1970; founded Centro Flamenco Paco Pena, became artistic director of Cordoba International Guitar Festival, 1981; became professor of flamenco, Rotterdam Conservatoire, 1985; collaborative album with composer John Williams and Chilean group Inti-Illimani Fragments of a Dream released, 1987; North American premiere of Misa Flamenca, 1993; debuted Musa Gitana, 1999; premiered Flamenco Requiem: In Praise of the Earth, Salisbury Festival, 2004; headlined Hispanic and Latin-American Guitar Extravaganza, 2005.

Awards: Ramon Montoya prize, best concert guitarist, 1983; Guitar Player Magazine, best flamenco guitarist, 1989–93; King of Spain, Civil Order of Merit Cross, 1997.

Addresses: Management—MPM London, Ste. 20, 1 Prince of Wales Rd., London, NW5 3LW, phone: 44-20-7681-7475, fax: 44-20-7681-7476, email: [email protected]. Website—Paco Pena Official Website: http://www.pacopena.com/.

Pena often pulls performers for his flamenco company from the students who come to the flamenco center. It is with the flamenco company that Pena has created some of his most important and challenging works. Pena described on his website the importance of the collaborative effort that is part of his flamenco company, "The depth of feeling—and the tragedy of flamenco's history—is always there. We take flamenco very seriously, not least the singing. The singers are the greatest source of inspiration for all of us, whether dancers or guitarists." At first their performances were limited to London and small festivals throughout Europe. Soon the company was touring and performing in Australia, Israel, and Hong Kong. Eventually, the company went on to create grander works.

In 1991, Pena created the work called Misa Flamenca. Based on the Catholic Mass, the performance integrated flamenco with a classical choir, thus bringing together two of the main ingredients that helped form Pena as a child—flamenco and Catholicism. The performance premiered in London at the Royal Festival Hall. Misa Flamenca was then taken on a world tour. Its North American debut was in 1993, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Other touring theatrical shows by Pena include Musa Gitana, which premiered in 1999, and Voces y Ecos, which was directed by Jude Kelly. His other touring shows include A Compas! and Requiem Flamenco.

Pena has also worked outside of his flamenco troupe, branching out for solo tours and performances at festivals around the world. He has also teamed up with composer John Williams and the formerly exiled Chilean music grouped called Inti-Illimani. In 1988, the collaboration produced the album Fragments of a Dream. They also released an album in 1990 called Leyenda. In 2000, this unlikely collaborative group went on tour together. As late as the mid-2000s, he was part of a trio of acts featured at the Hispanic and Latin-American Guitar Extravaganza in Daytona, Florida.

Pena's talent is not only evident in his guitar-playing ability, which garnered him Guitar Player Magazine awards numerous years in a row for best flamenco guitarist, but also in a number of other areas. He is a teacher and mentor to rising talents in flamenco. He has composed and produced critically acclaimed theater pieces. He is also one of traditional flamenco's most vocal and dedicated proponents.

Selected discography

The Incredible Paco Pena, Fontana, 1968.
(With Los Maracuchos) Carnival, Fontana, 1969.
Paco Pena Presents the Art of Flamenco, CBS, 1970; reissued, Sony, 1995.
Flamenco Puro Live, Decca, 1971; reissued, 1997.
Art of Flamenco Guitar, Decca, 1972.
Fabulous Flamenco!, Decca, 1975; reissued 1991.
Flamenco from Spain, Decca, 1977.
La Gitarra Flamenca, Decca, 1977.
The Flamenco World of Paco Pena, Decca, 1978.
Paco Pena Live in London, Decca, 1979.
Paco Pena Flamenco Company: Live at Sadler's Wells, Decca, 1980.
Flamenco Vivo: Live in Munich, Aconcagua, 1981.
(With Paco Lucia) Paco Doble, Phillips, 1983.
Flamenco Guitar Music of Ramon Montoya and Nino Ricardo, Nimbus, 1987.
Azahara, Nimbus, 1988.
(With John Williams and Inti-Illimani) Fragments of a Dream, CBS, 1988.
(With Eduardo Falu) Encuentro, Nimbus, 1989.
(With John Williams and Inti-Illimani) Leyenda, CBS, 1990.
Misa Flamenca, Nimbus, 1991.
The Art of Paco Pena, Nimbus, 1993.
Arte Y Pasion, Live in Concert Nimbus, 1999.
(With The Losadas) Paco Pena Flamenco Guitar, Nimbus, 2000.
Paco Pena Flamenco Master, Manteca Records, 2003.