Together with Andres Segovia, he's the reason why Spanish (and classic) guitar is not considered merely a pop instrument nowadays.
It may seem strange nowadays because we are living in the musical aftermath of geniuses like these, but guitar wasn't taken seriously until the 20th century. It wasn't in the league of the piano, but rather in the league of the harmonica and the bongos.
I would also throw in John Williams as a great popularizer of classical guitar (for example check out his renditions of Satie's gymnopedies and such). That's not to say that he is any better or more important.
I was fortunate enough to see him perform twice in Boston. Once at Symphony Hall with Di Meola and McLaughlin, and once at the Orpheum with the dancers and everything. He was to his instrument what Tesla was to electricity. He made it come alive in a way that no one else could imagine.
I can't count the hours I've listened to his records while coding. It seems to induce a unique state of inspired concentration unlike anything else.
So sad to hear this. There are many great guitar players out there, but to me he was probably the greatest. Technically he was impeccable, but that's not it... his playing just had some crazy fervor to it. Some of his stuff is just, if you don't feel it, you must be dead. I know that playing his music will be out of my technical reach forever, but dang it I just wish I could replicate that fervor in my playing (or in anything else, come to think of it) just a couple of times in my life...
In any case, I'm really grateful to have had the chance to see him play live two times. Off to put "Live... One Summer Night" on. Gracias por todo, maestro.
Wow, I didn't expect this to appear on nytimes or HN. This is kind of a big deal in Spain, but I didn't know he was that well known in the US. Anyway he was widely considered one of the best Spanish guitar players ever, so it's understandable. He played a lot along with Camarón de la Isla (or just Camarón), one of the pioneers of flamenco-fusión.
I'm surprised and delighted as well. But he deserves it. Paco was the extraordinary combination of talent and hard work. He was an extreme outlier in both those things, a technical virtuoso with a musical soul. He was true to his flamenco roots, but he was an innovator as well, playing with countless artists from different genres, and helping flamenco music become popular worldwide.
He was a legend and without a doubt one of the greatest musicians of the century. May he rest in peace.
Okay, this is really sad. I got into his music a while ago when I was exploring classical and traditional guitar. His rendition of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is absolutely brilliant.
It may seem strange nowadays because we are living in the musical aftermath of geniuses like these, but guitar wasn't taken seriously until the 20th century. It wasn't in the league of the piano, but rather in the league of the harmonica and the bongos.