Diego Amador & José María Bandera – Paqueando (Toque Records, 2024)
The artists behind Paqueando are two of flamenco’s finest musicians, Diego Amador and José María Bandera. Notably, Paqueando is a heartfelt, innovative and scintillating tribute to the legendary Paco de Lucía, ten years since his passing. This collaboration is a master class that breathes fresh life into Paco’s work, combining tradition with bold reinvention to honor his legacy.
Paco de Lucía redefined flamenco. He took flamenco guitar worldwide and elevated it. Paco effortlessly mixed traditional flamenco with modern influences, collaborated with jazz maestros and earned global acclaim. His innovative spirit continues to resonate across genres, inspiring musicians worldwide. Paqueando celebrates this legacy brilliantly, not as mere replication but as an audacious reinterpretation, ensuring his genius transcends generations.
On Paqueando you’ll find the top lead instruments used in flamenco currently, the guitar and the piano. Diego Amador and José María Bandera treat the listener to a set of stellar performances with dazzling solos and fabulous interplay. It’s primarily a duo effort, although Diego’s son appears on two tracks playing cajón and palmas (handclapping). Although diego Amador focuses on the piano throughout most of the album, he also contributes cante jondo (deeply rooted flamenco) vocals on a handful of songs.
Diego Amador, a multi-instrumentalist hailed as “El Ray Charles Gitano,” has revolutionized the flamenco piano. Amador plays the piano with the soul of a flamenco guitar. He credits his Gitano (Spanish gypsy) heritage for shaping his artistry. His unique style attracted José María Bandera, Paco de Lucía’s nephew and longtime collaborator, to join this project.
Bandera, deeply rooted in flamenco through his family heritage and 13 years performing alongside Paco, initially resisted revisiting his uncle’s music to avoid imitation. However, Amador’s innovative approach inspired him to reimagine Paco’s compositions collaboratively.
Musicians: Diego Amador on piano (all tracks), flamenco guitar (track 1), bass (track 2), mandola (track 2), synth (track 2), and palmas (track 2.); José María Bandera on flamenco guitar (all tracks, except 1); and Diego Amador Jr. on cajón and palmas (tracks 1, 5)
All Diego Amador and Diego Amador Jr. parts were recorded by Diego Amador at ‘Casa DA Studio’, Chucena, Spain.
All José María Bandera guitars were recorded by José María Bandera at ‘Casa Bandera,’ Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain.
Produced by Diego Amador & José María Bandera.
Executive producers: Leonardo Pavkovic and Oswaldo Gómez.
Photos by Aliss Klein, Lorenzo Carnero and Tomoyuki Hotta provided courtesy of Paqueando, and photo by Borislav Kresojevic provided courtesy of MoonJune Festival Toledo 2023.
Front Cover photo by Tomoyuki Hotta.
Track List:
01 Gloria Al Maestro (Diego Amador)
02 Canción de Amor (Paco De Lucía)
03 Palenque (Paco De Lucía)
04 Monasterio De Sal (Paco De Lucía)
05 Potpurrí Bulería (Paco De Lucía, Diego Amador, José Maria Bandera)
06 Ziryab (Paco De Lucía, Joan Albert Amargós)
07 Montiño (Paco De Lucía )
08 Minera (Paco De Lucía )
09 Chiquito (Paco De Lucía)
10 Callejón Del Muro (Paco De Lucía, Ramón De Algeciras)
Buy Paqueando.
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.