Paco Peña play his Zambra in Novi Sad, Serbia, on 1988. Paco Peña interpreta su Zambra en Novi Sad, Servia, en 1988. Paco Peña toca sua Zambra em Novi Sad, Servia, em 1988.
This is traditional flamenco, before it got exposed to jazz. It's all Andalusian and has nothing to do with jazz nor metal. Nothing wrong with drawing comparisons to jazz/metal though. Diminished chords are often present in traditional flamenco (like Sabicas, for example, you'll hear diminished chords going up and down minor thirds here and there), and harmonic minor (phrygian dominant) is of course one of the defining modes of flamenco.
In flamenco everything is from somebody else, spiced up with one's own talent. This genre is deeply rooted in ancient folk music. The whole structure of flamenco pieces (falsetas, rhythm sections, etc) is about putting different, more or less known pieces together in new, creative ways. Being traditional, flamenco music naturally pays homage to its predecessors or ancestors, too, although not in the way the western music business have got used to. There are no royalties here, and every flamenco player/composer could be fined for plagiarism, according to the laws of music industry. Everyone familiar with flamenco knows that the great Sabicas has much to do with this piece, but then Sabicas himself (being a flamenco guitarist and following the tradition) borrowed parts of his piece from his predecessors, too. They, in turn, had done the same, reaching back to their predecessors' work and folk tradition. Nobody knows for sure where exactly the elements of this Zambra, or indeed any flamenco piece, come from. Likewise, it is impossible to trace the first creator of a falseta or a particular musical element. So all we can say about this piece is that it belongs to a long row of efforts by different flamenco musicians trying to construct (or reconstruct) music based on traditional Andalusian and Moorish folk elements. And Paco Peña, with his immense talent, knowledge, experience and ingenuity, does justice to this old musical theme.
And in addition to atillakovacs' fine summation of the very essence of flamenco, it should be noted that Paco Peña has paid tribute to Nino Ricardo and Sabicas as two of his greatest inspirations.
Silly remark. In flamenco, it's free and widely accepted to use well-known, or traditional elements. Actually, this music is heavily based on Moorish and Arabic traditional music. Sabicas borrowed much from his predecessors and tradition, too.
sabicas, totally, all the way, but I kinda like this arrangement better. But then again listen to Carlos Montoya and the basic idea is there, just missing some of the techniques....
