Multifaceted flamenco artist Diego Amador prefers action and creation over excess of words. That is why his superb new EP is called El silencio es oro (Silence is gold). He elaborates: “It is a personal work that I did a few years ago for a show about Camarón and Paco de Lucía. They are references that I recorded to provide the arrangements for the musicians; personal recordings with no intention of being released. I could have worked on the material, to improve it, but I want it to come out just as I did at the time, with the enthusiasm and inspiration of the moment”.
Notably, Amador talks less and less about flamenco. He avoids meetings and stylistic discussions about the genre that, in his opinion, are not constructive. Instead, he has decided to share this material to close a cycle and start a new one. Even though Diego Amador is well known for his flamenco piano works, this time he uses the guitar beautifully and also sings, displaying powerful, emotive. Amador adds: “I have a lot of new material to offer, my musical universe is very wide, and first I want to share where my heart dances in Flamenco, in case there were any doubts”.
In the Spanish language video that appears below, Diego clarifies that he was born in a family of guitarists, and the guitar was his first instrument. His father taught him to play solo and how to accompany singers as well. He indicates that as a Gitano (Spanish Gypsy), flamenco is in his blood. Furthermore, regarding his covers of Camarón de la Isla‘s songs, he says that this set of recordings was meant to provide guidance in terms of arrangements, and he would have never attempted to re-record Camarón’s songs because he is unmatched. However, Diego does an outstanding job, specially when you consider that he performed the passionate vocals, skillful guitars and other instruments.
For Diego, this is a phase that needed to be documented, and now he will be moving to other creations. After seven months of silence on social networks by choice, Diego Amador returns with another concept of communication. “I will only do what I want and when I want, not when an algorithm or businessman asks me to. I am a musician at the service of music, and I want to give my best to the public. I appreciate being surrounded by a great human team that helps me make this possible, letting me make music freely.”
The EP begins with an original rondeña (Flamenco subgenre) song composed by Diego Amador titled “El silencio es oro.” Next, he included five songs by Camarón: “Calle de los lunares” (polka dot street), “Eres como un laberinto” (you are like a labyrinth), “Calle real” (royal street), “La primavera” (spring) and two couplets from the sevillanas “Toma que toma” (get what you get) with his personal vision. The EP concludes with “Donde baila el corazón” (Where the heart dances) that sums up his feelings.
Diego Amador has an introverted personality in everyday life, but appears overwhelming on stage. The accurate concept of him in the studio has turned him into a multi-instrumentalist expressing his own and very particular sound.
In the EP El silencio es oro he plays all the instruments and provides vocals as well with a few exceptions. Alexis Lefevre plays violins on the song “El silencio es oro”; Jesús de Rosario contributes guitars on “Calle de los lunares”; and Carlos de Jacoba and Diego Amador Jr. provide backing vocals.
Buy El silencio es oro.
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.