Esplanade Presents: Guitarrista de Flamenco Vicente Amigo

“Vicente Amigo appears to be enveloped by a charismatic and ethereal air, his gaze seemingly lost in the distance. His guitar constantly stimulates our imagination.”— AllAboutJazz.com

If flamenco, in all its spontaneity and emotional depth, is like a sweeping hurricane, then Vicente Amigo possesses its duende—loosely translated as “soul”, the inexplicable quality that inspires the most passionate expressions of Spanish culture. Regarded as one of the most virtuosic and prestigious artists of his generation, the guitarist has been hailed the “new Paco de Lucia”. His guitar style falls between the rough authenticity of de Lucia and the romanticism of Ottmar Liebert.

Born in Seville but raised in Córdoba, Amigo began attending guitar lessons at a very young age with flamenco greats such as El Tomate, Meringue de Córdoba, and guitarist Manuel Muñoz Alcón aka Manolo Sanlúcar, with whom he worked with for a decade.

Regarded as a true Nuevo flamenco artist, Amigo is widely renowned for his impeccable talent and majestic innovation and who pursues his well-rooted flamenco background to unprecedented limits by combining other styles from African or Middle Eastern flavours.

Since his first album, De Mi Corazón al Aire (From My Heart to the Air) in 1991, he has gone on to produce seven more highly acclaimed records. His most notorious recording, Ciudad de las Ideas (City of Ideas, 2000), stands out as one of the most important in Flamenco music. It won him a Latin Grammy for Best Album and an Ondas Award.

Amigo’s most recent album, Paseo de Gracia (2009), is a blend of flamenco techniques with elements of jazz and folk song forms that create a moving, emotional whole. It includes collaborations with some of the most seminal artists in the contemporary Spanish music scene such as Alejandro Sanz, Enrique & Estrella Morente and Niña Pasori, as well as some of his frequent contributors.

(1hr 30 mins, no intermission)

$40*, $60**, $80
Limited concessions for students, NSF and senior citizens: $25*, $40**