Sunday, September 27, 2009

Paco Pena to bring flamenco musicians and dancers to UCLA for show

Paco Pena will lead a stellar group of 3 flamenco guitarists, 3 dance masters, including his wife Charo, along with singer Miguel Ortega and percussionist Nacho Lopez in a show based on his album “A Compás!” Few have explored flamenco’s riches as thoroughly as Paco Peña. This vibrant presentation of music and dance encompasses the form’s African and Asian roots, its flowering in Peña’s native Andalusia and its embrace in cultures around the globe.

Paco Pena embodies both authenticity and innovation in flamenco. As guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor, he has transformed perceptions of this archetypal Spanish art form. The New York Times declared that: “Mr. Pena is a virtuoso, capable of dazzling an audience beyond the frets of mortal man. He combines rapid-fire flourishes with a colourist’s sense of shading; this listener cannot recall hearing any guitarist with a more assured mastery of his instrument.” It should come as no surprise that readers of America’s Guitar Magazine judged Paco Pena Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year for five consecutive years.

“A Compas!” transmits to the audience the compelling nature of a range of flamenco rhythms, from almost tribal to razor-sharp complexity. The show aims to isolate each artist at some moment and they must try to get everybody “into the rhythm,” inducing the feeling of “a compass” into the whole experience.

Single tickets are on sale now.
UCLA Live at Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood.
Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.
$28-$54. ($15 UCLA Students.)
(310) 825-2101, www.uclalive.org

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