Colección Mi Historia: Paco De Lucía / Coleccion Mi Historia: Paco De Lucia

This CD collects works from throughout the long career of Paco de Lucía, one of the foremost innovators in the field of flamenco guitar. Despite the complete lack of liner notes, one will note a range of time frames and styles for the recordings here. There is certainly some pure flamenco to be heard, but the focus is always on the addition of other ideas that can be brought to the genre. There are aspects of Mexican forms readily apparent in "Cielito Lindo" and "Guadalajara." A tiny bit of samba seems to creep in during "Mañana de Carnaval," and more classical Spanish music is interspersed throughout all of the works. Instrumentation changes are ever present, leaving de Lucía with nearly no time working completely solo. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as his innovations with instrumentation and form have led to the current product, but purists might miss some of the more straightforward solo guitar that he excels at equally. Still, his runs are something worth hearing. For the best look at de Lucía's influence, solo albums from across his career should be sampled, as well as something from his time with el Camarón. Give this one a listen for a basic overview, but dig deeper if you actually want to hear why he's a master.