Eos Guitar Quartet – El Alma de Paco (EosGuitar Edition, 2020)
In 2020, four talented guitarists based in Switzerland, called the Eos Guitar Quartet, released “El Alma de Paco” (Paco’s soul), a tribute to the late Spanish guitar maestro Paco de Lucía (1947 – 2014). The Eos Guitar Quartet have a deep respect for Paco de Lucía’s music and innovation. Indeed, Paco de Lucía was one of the world’s greatest guitarists and successfully crossed over from flamenco into jazz, classical music and beyond.
Although the Eos Guitar Quartet is known for its outstanding performances of classical, tango and jazz works, on the album “El Alma de Paco” you will find profound flamenco and Spanish classical music influences.
For this project, the Eos Guitar Quartet asked three guitar masters and composers, Cuba’s Leo Brouwer; jazz fusion legend John McLaughlin, who performed and recorded with Paco; and José Antonio Rodríguez, one of Spain’s finest flamenco guitarists, to compose works for the quartet.
In addition, the album contains original pieces by two members of the quartet, as well as three dances by the great Spanish classical music composer Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946).
The Eos Guitar Quartet invited a handful of guests to collaborate in the recording of “A Tribute to Paco de Lucía”. These include the wonderful Carmen Linares, one of the best flamenco singers of our time, as well as Swiss-Spanish flamenco percussionist Ricardo Espinosa.
The result is a set of exquisite, emotive and impeccable guitar performances with stellar interplay that incorporate heartfelt tradition as well as modernity and innovation; a true delight for guitar lovers and fans of Spanish music.
The Eos Guitar Quartet was formed in 1988 by guitarists Marcel Ege, Martin Pirktl, David Sautter and Michael Winkler in Zurich, Switzerland. They named their ensemble after the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn. In 2013, Martin Pirktl left the quartet and was replaced by Argentine guitarist Julio Azcano.
The Eos Guitar Quartet enjoys an outstanding international reputation as a leading guitar ensemble. The quartet’s discography includes EOS Guitar Quartet (1991), Danza Ritual (1996), Piazzolla – 4 Seasons 4 Guitars (1999), Quadra (2002), 20+ 20th Anniversary, Live, The Guitar Quartets (2014) and El Alma de Paco (2020).
The list of eminent and diverse composers who have dedicated their pieces to the Eos Guitar Quartet includes Egberto Gismonti, Pierre Favre, Fred Frith, Christy Doran, Ralph Towner, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Sérgio Assad and Paco de Lucía himself.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.