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| Vicente Amigo |
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Vicente Amigo – g
José Manuel Hierro Laguna – g
Patricio Camara – perc
José Parra – voc
Paul Vaquero - dance
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«To
understand flamenco, you need maturity. You learn to play the guitar as a child, you
understand the technique. Also of the singing, you can more or less understand the
technique. But the essence of flamenco is something that requires maturity». This
statement, simple and straight enough, comes from a rather recent interview given by
Vicente Amigo of Spain – once a child prodigy, now a modern master of flamenco in his
own right, heard and adored around the world. The virtuoso guitarist and vocalist, now in
his thirties, is acknowledged as a mature and original artist by connoisseurs of flamenco,
and claims have been made for Amigo being «the new Paco De Lucía».
This latter assertion, however far-flung it may sound to some, may not be too unfair after
all. The very young Vicente’s falling in love with the guitar happened shortly after
he heard Paco De Lucía’s playing. Born in Guadalcanal, a small town in Sevilla, and
later on moved to Cordoba where he had his first guitar lessons, Vicente’s life as a
professional musician commenced at a remarkably early age. By 1989, when he decided to
begin a solo career, he had performed with guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar’s group for
five years and he already was the owner of a few of the most prestigious flamenco guitar
prizes – those of La Unión (1988), Extremadura (1988), and Cordoba’s XII
National Concert of Flamenco Art (1989).
Soon foreign tours beckoned and international renown followed. In 1993 the Guitar Player
magazine named him The Best International Flamenco Guitarist, and three years later he was
one of the most highly appreciated performers at MIDEM ‘96. Since the early 1990s
Vicente Amigo has performed in numerous European countries as well as Japan. In addition
to giving (prevalently) solo concerts and releasing several well-received records, Amigo
has played together with John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucía, Stanley Jordan,
Joao Basco, Wagner Tiso & Milton Nascimento. Amigo is also the author of the Flamenco
Concert for a Sailor on Land that was premiered under the conductorship of Leo Brouwer in
Cordoba, in 1992.
There is no doubt that flamenco remains the heart and soul of Amigo’s sound and
songs. At the same time he’s certainly been inspired by a host of illustrious jazz
guitarists, from McLaughlin to Jordan.
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