Pepito y Paquito offers a glimpse into the humble and homespun beginnings of a genius who marked a turning point in flamenco guitar and reveals a series of rudimentary musical recordings of Paco de Lucía and his older brother Pepe, at ages 11 and 13 respectively. These recordings, hidden in a quince box for more than half a century, showcase the genesis of a universal figure in contemporary flamenco and highlight his brother's significance as a singer. The extraordinary home recordings that, like a home movie, take listeners back to a time of the need in Franco's Spain, and how the brothers, gifted with preternatural talent, allowed them to to escape poverty through art and ingenuity.
Thanks to BMG and the Paco de Lucía Foundation, these early sound recordings, collected by Antonio Sánchez Pecino, the boys' father, and Reyes Benítez, their main supporter and custodian of the recordings, have reached us. Made between 1959 and 1960 on a Grundig tape recorder. The recording sessions took place in the coastal town of Algeciras, first in the Sánchez family home and then in the quiet house of Benítez's mother. Their existence was known, but their whereabouts were not. Until Quique Benítez, Reyes' son, discovered them in 2022.
Pepito y Paquito represents a work of musical archaeology with immense historical value. A total of 21 songs were recovered and restored using new technologies to create an album that composes the artistic prequel of both brothers, before their revolutionary breakthrough in the 1st International Flamenco Art Contest of Jerez de la Frontera in 1962 and their first records as Los Chiquitos de Algeciras.
INNATE VIRTUOSITY OF PACO
Pepito y Paquito is an auditory window through which we observe two children having fun, playing, and singing naturally and festively. Simultaneously, their inherent talent projects the long shadow of the legacy they would develop in their respective careers as two icons of contemporary flamenco, especially that of a universal master of the guitar.
"For all the possibilities discovered in our instrument over the generations, it is not surprising to hear master Paco at 12 years old already chasing the next level of what could be. In fact, according to these recordings, he was already there in many ways," commented American jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. “Hearing and knowing Paco, and to have been on the planet with him at the same time, is one of the things I am most grateful to have experienced in life."
The influence of celebrated flamenco guitar innovator Nino Ricardo, Paco’s first hero of the guitar, is evident in his playing from an early age; however, his virtuosity and genius are revealed in his ability to play like an adult despite being a child. Moreover, he mastered various styles of flamenco, as these 21 songs include Bulerías, Soleares, Cuplés, Rumbas, Fandangos, Tangos, Seguiriyas, Alegrías, and even Villancicos. All of them are performed astonishingly, allowing us to instantly recognize his art.
THE RECOGNITION OF PEPE
Pepe is a central figure in Pepito y Paquito. His singing is pure rawness, passion, and brilliance. We understand where the admiration and appreciation for his vocal power in the early years of his career came from. His privileged position in flamenco is evident, both accompanying Paco and in various solo projects.
“Thanks to my friendship with Paco, I met his brother Pepe and heard him sing, and here is another phenomenon. Pepe's singing at 13 years old is incredible. How can two children play and sing so well, with such passion and maturity? Two prodigies born in the same house with such enormous talent can only happen once every 100,000 years,” explains the revered British guitarist John McLaughlin.
It is paradoxical that Pepito y Paquito becomes the first album that Pepe and Paco recorded together and, at the same time, the last of their extensive flamenco careers. For Pepe, it also represents a crowning achievement for someone who always dedicated love, affection, pride, and respect, witnessing firsthand the success of his younger brother. At the same time, it asserts his own stature within flamenco singing, with a personal voice full of feeling, conveying raw and honest emotions.
A decade has passed since the death of Paco de Lucía. Pepito y Paquito commemorates an anniversary that reminds us of the genius of an artist who marked a turning point in the world of flamenco guitar, an artist whose loss is still deeply felt. His dedication, talent, and innovation made him the most universal flamenco guitarist, daring to incorporate fusions that, without betraying tradition, have now become hallmarks of six-stringed music.
Nothing was impossible with Paco's perfectionist determination and his enchanting presence on stage or in the studio. A legacy that has opened countless doors for future generations. In Pepito y Paquito, we revisit a musical childhood where we can feel what Paco would later become, honing a technique that already amazed from his early years and that we now rediscover as if he had never left. An enduring icon.
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