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FLAMENCO DISCOGRAPHIES. VICENTE AMIGO
The singing guitar
Flamenco-world.com, September 2009
Vicente
Amigo never needed to work miracles on the neck of his
guitar. When he made his début with ‘De mi
corazón al aire’ - and that was nearly twenty
years ago - he distinguished himself from his predecessors
with a musical trademark all his own: lyrical scores, piercing
melodies, an open regard. Producing the hit albums ‘Del
amanecer’ by José Mercé and ‘Me
voy contigo’ by Remedios Amaya broadened even further
the dimension of his style, confirmed on discs such as ‘Vivencias
imaginadas’ and ‘Ciudad de las ideas’.
And between the two of them, he even got involved in a symphonic
project, ‘Poeta’, inspired by Rafael Alberti.
On his past two albums, he goes from the withdrawal of ‘Un
momento en el sonido’ to the outgoing nature of ‘Paseo
de Gracia’, his latest record on which he says he
“sings with the guitar”.
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Paseo
de Gracia 2009
“Singing with the
guitar”. That is the challenge Vicente
Amigo sets for himself on his sixth album, ‘Paseo
de Gracia’. The Córdoba-born guitarist
considers this record “an album of collaborations”.
And it is highlighted, among others, by those
of Enrique and Estrella Morente, Niña
Pastori and Alejandro Sanz. A whole new repertoire
of scores which are accompanied by the cante
of Rafael de Utrera and Miguel Ortega, as well
as the percussions of Tino di Geraldo and Paquito
González. The song ‘Autorretrato’,
the rumba-tango ‘Amor de nadie’,
the bulería ‘Luz de la sombra’
and the tangos ‘La estrella’ are
a few of these “songs seen with the regard
of a flamenco”. |
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| Un
momento en el sonido 2005
In order to compose ‘Un momento en el
sonido’, Vicente Amigo retreated to a
monastery. There, as he relates, “there
was a moment when your heart skips a beat. The
notes are places in sound, and I'm searching
for that moment, that place in sound which makes
you feel something special”. And it is
contained in songs like the farruca ‘Silia
y el tiempo’ and in the taranta which
is the album’s title cut. Deep, complex
songs which share space with other more outgoing
ones like the rumba ‘Demipati’ and
the bulería ‘Campo de la verdad’.
Arrangement writer Joan Albert Amargós,
cantaor Potito and percussionist Tino di Geraldo
collaborate on the recording.
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Ciudad
de las ideas 2000
With ‘Ciudad de las ideas’, Vicente
Amigo won the 2001 Latin Grammy for best flamenco
album. The fourth disc by the Córdoba-born
guitarist came after producing José
Mercé’s hit album ‘Del
amanecer’. And with inspiration coming
from the poetry of Kavafis, he offered an
album “loaded with melodies”.
Many of his best-known songs are included
here, among them, the bulería which
is the album’s title cut, the rumba
‘Tatá’, the festive tangos
‘Compare Manuel’ and the very
personal soleá ‘Córdoba’.
Diego el Cigala and Montse Cortés contributed
their voices to this project. By the way,
the live performance was later released on
DVD with the title ‘En concierto desde
Córdoba’.
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| Poeta
1997
‘Poeta’ was a special record within
Vicente Amigo’s discography. It is a work
for guitar and orchestra in which he pays tribute
to Cádiz-born poet Rafael Alberti. Conceived
in 1992 with the title ‘Concierto flamenco
para un marinero en tierra’, it materialized
into an album together with the Orchestra of
Córdoba directed by Leo Brouwer. On the
disc, the music of beautiful landscape esthetics
is combined with verses recited by Spanish singer
Miguel Bosé.
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Vivencias
imaginadas 1995
In the middle of the ’90s, with his
second album, ‘Vivencias imaginadas’,
Vicente Amigo confirmed that he was one of
the main guitarists not just on the flamenco
scene, but on that of instrumental music.
The disc consolidates a fresh, creative style
of his own which materializes in songs now
recognizable by all fans such as the rumba
‘Limón de nata’ and the
zapateado which is the title cut. As an extra,
he has the collaboration of his admired Paco
de Lucía in the song ‘Querido
Metheny’. By now, the album is fundamental
in the discography of modern flamenco.
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| De
mi corazón al aire 1991
That is how Vicente Amigo made his début.
‘De mi corazón al aire’ was
the letter of introduction of a young guitarist
who went from being Manolo Sanlúcar’s
disciple and Paco de Lucía’s follower
to shining in his own right as a musician with
a regard as much his own as international. He
was then 24 years old and he let his personality
be sensed, initiating that breath of fresh air
which he would give to flamenco’s musical
scene a few years later. In the recording, which
includes lasting pieces such as the opening
rumba, he had the collaboration of Charo Manzano
and José Mercé. But the best was
yet to come.
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Producciones
Canto
2003
Album designed-to-measure by Vicente Amigo
for Córdoba-born cantaor El Pele. And
the guitarist and producer himself thus explains
the essence of the disc: “We've already
done a lot of things and traveled many kilometers
together. And on top of it we've made an album
which arises from that friendship and that
respect we have for each other as artists.
I think our mutual understanding in the musical
and the artistic is in our hearts. It hurts
us more or less on the same side”.
Del
amanecer 1998
One year after ‘Me voy contigo’
by Remedios Amaya, Vicente Amigo was successful
once again with a production for cantaor José
Mercé. For the Jerez-born artist, who
would not lose his prominence in the charts
thereafter, the Córdoba-born guitarist
wrote, played and produced ‘Del amanecer’.
And he thus reaffirmed a formula of legible
flamenco for all audiences which marked a
style that still remains.
Me
voy contigo 1997
The way the record sales figures are right
now in Spain, ‘Me voy contigo’
by Remedios Amaya would have been a double
platinum album. One hundred fifty thousand
copies were sold of the album which popularized
the Sevillian cantaora with cantes-songs such
as the catchy ‘Turu, turai’. All
of it, as a result of Vicente Amigo’s
magic wand.
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Vicente Amigo. 'Paseo de Gracia'
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CD. Vicente Amigo, 'Un momento en el sonido'
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CD.
Vicente Amigo, 'Poeta'
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information, audio, orders |
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CD.
Vicente Amigo, 'Vivencias imaginadas'
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Vicente Amigo
Biography, discography, audio and readers'
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