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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s very gratifying to be able to walk, eat and breath where he did, and meeting the people who grew up in the same street where he lived, like his long-time friend, the good Vitoriano, or his brother Pepe, who attended each of the events held every evening in each of the six days of this festival, and his nephews and nieces who came all the way from Madrid to magnify with their presence the tribute that Algeciras has been paying to its renowned musical creator Paco de Luc\u00eda in the month of July for the last five years. Each year the City Council outdoes itself in the organization of this event. Without a doubt, this was the most sentimental tribute by a land which doesn\u2019t forget the greatness of the \u201cson of the Portuguese woman\u201d and all the good things he did for his hometown. It\u2019s not enough erecting a big monument in his honor at Algeciras\u2019 Puerto Mar\u00edtimo<\/i>, or building a Cultural Interpretative Center on his name, or even organizing this Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra<\/i> dedicated to him\u2026 There is no doubt that new initiatives will constantly come to fruition to honor the memory of Paco de Lucia and all that he gave us. This an unquestionable reality, because Algeciras not just used his image, but protected his legacy.<\/p>\n
From the moment when Jos\u00e9 Carlos G\u00f3mez<\/b> officially opened this festival\u2019s edition at Parque Mar\u00eda Cristina<\/i>, from that Tuesday at 10:30 PM, with an eager and numerous public, from that instant, Algeciras felt again that intense yearning for the one who left us suddenly and now rests in the city\u2019s cemetery, the place of pilgrimage for hundreds of fans of Paco\u2019s guitar. \u201cOrigen<\/i>\u201d opened the 5th Encuentro<\/i> (\u201cgathering\u201d), six days of interesting and well-thought events, fit for this globally-renowned master. Courses, conferences, flash mob, performances, expositions, award ceremonies\u2026 Lectures attempting to express some ideas about contemporary flamenco were given by journalists such as Kyoko Shikaze, Monika Bellido and yours truly. Musicians like the Frenchman Pascual Gallo (who knew well both Paco and Camar\u00f3n) or the promoter from California, Catherine D\u00edaz, with her family, also gave talks about their life experiences. It was an environment which conveyed magic to this event.<\/p>\n
A great stage, a spectacle of lights and sounds, and a first-class organization, were the main reasons that allowed all the performing artists to achieve a great success, without exceptions. The first performance by Jos\u00e9 Carlos brought back the sounds of his childhood, from those corners where he grew up and from where he built his musical empire. On Wednesday, Pastora Soler<\/b> arrived like fresh rain, with a voice modulated between ballad and copla<\/i>, with great emphasis on the former genre. With \u201cLa Calma<\/i>\u201d, Pastora was acclaimed in this event which, in her words, was \u201cspecial, because I\u2019ve always felt loved by this land\u201d. On Thursday, the violin of Paco Montalvo<\/b>, from C\u00f3rdoba, showed that flamenco can be performed from any perspective, as long as this is done with respect and good sense. His repertoire included great pieces of Spanish culture, from \u201cGranada<\/i>\u201d to \u201cSevilla<\/i>\u201d, concluding with \u201cEntre dos Aguas<\/i>\u201d. Friday was the flamenco evening par excellence<\/i>, even as the jondo<\/i> feel was present every evening. The five expressions of flamenco came to life on stage: concert guitar, by the great Antonio Rey<\/b>, the cante<\/i> of Antonio Reyes<\/b>, the toque de acompa\u00f1amiento<\/i> of Diego del Morao<\/b>, the baile<\/i> of the prince Farruquito<\/b>, and comp\u00e1s<\/i>, a lot of comp\u00e1s<\/i>.<\/p>\n
A first-class lineup that would definitely have made Paco proud.<\/p>\n
That was not the end of it, though, because Saturday was Estrella<\/b>\u2019s evening. The daughter of Enrique Morente didn\u2019t disappoint in the first solo concert she performed in Algeciras. She was amazing, elegant as always. Well-dressed, with a well-cared voice, showing respect for her public and with a wide repertoire between flamenco and popular songs, it was the evening with the most public in the whole festival. Sunday was the final day of the Encuentro<\/i>, closed with a concert by the guitarist Dani Casares<\/b>, from M\u00e1laga, who was accompanied by M\u00e1laga\u2019s Symphonic Orchestra, performing an impeccable concert of the highest quality. Concierto de Aranjuez<\/i> was the cream on top of this pie which each year has a better taste.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s very gratifying to be able to walk, eat and breath where he did<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chronicles","category-shows"],"yoast_head":"\n