Biography
Among the foremost voices shaping modern flamenco, Latin Grammy recipient Vicente Amigo ranks as one of his generation’s most consequential figures. Observers have labeled him “the natural continuation of Paco de Lucía,” yet that characterization, flattering as it may be, misses the mark, particularly in light of the guitarist’s extended and intimate association with the late master—although a televised de Lucía performance first ignited Amigo’s passion. His wide-ranging talents reveal themselves most convincingly on the balanced, Grammy-winning 2001 album Ciudad de las Ideas.
Amigo received rigorous classical instruction in composition, improvisation, and technique. His rapid, supple phrasing fuses classical elements with nuevo flamenco and proves especially effective when supporting vocalists. Over the years he has worked alongside numerous singers, among them El Pele, Luis de Cordoba, Niña Pastori, Carmen Linares, Arcangel, and Diego el Cigala. His versatility extends further still, allowing fruitful partnerships on stage and in the studio with pop artists such as Miguel Bose, Sting, and Alejandro Sanz. Jazz and fusion guitarists also left a lasting mark; Stanley Jordan, Al Di Meola, and John McLaughlin count among his influences, and Amigo has appeared live with the latter two.
Born in Guadalcanal outside Seville in 1967, Amigo displayed prodigious ability from an early age. At three he watched de Lucía on television; a year later he began studying guitar under the influential Merengue de Cordoba and later continued with Juan Muñoz Expósito, known as “El Tomate.” Amigo himself has downplayed the prodigy label. In a 1998 interview he remarked, “I believe that flamenco has always been something for adults, not just for children. To understand flamenco, you need maturity. You can learn to play the guitar as a child, you understand the technique. But, the essence of flamenco is something that requires maturity.” While still in his mid-teens he drew notice as a protégé of Paco Peña. At sixteen he embarked on a decade-long apprenticeship with innovative guitarist and composer Manolo Sanlúcar, remaining in that ensemble well into his twenties. By the 1980s Amigo had resolved to concentrate solely on live performance, yet singer El Pele (Manuel Moreno Maya) persuaded him otherwise toward the decade’s close. After debuting on Camarón de la Isla’s 1989 album Soy Gitano, Amigo joined El Pele for the jointly billed 1990 and 1991 releases Poetas de Esquinas Blandas and La Fuente de lo Jondo, both issued by Pasion Discos.
During the same period Amigo began composing in earnest, honing a craft that later commanded widespread respect. He joined Sony in 1991 and issued his label debut, De Mi Corazón al Aire, which included vocal contributions from Jose Merce and Charo Manzano together with appearances by Argentine pop-rock artist Pedro Aznar and Algerian rai performer Khaled. Amigo then toured Spain, France, and Latin America for three years, collecting several flamenco honors along the way. In 1992 he participated in Leyendas de la Guitarra, a Seville event previewing the Expo ’92 exposition, sharing the stage with de Lucía, Keith Richards, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Phil Manzanera, and Richard Thompson; Bob Dylan and Joe Cocker also appeared on the bill. That year he further contributed to Wagner Tiso’s score and soundtrack for the film The Baobab.
In 1995 Amigo released the instrumental set Vivencias Imaginadas, encompassing an eclectic array of bulerias, rhumbas, fandangos, and other pieces, among them the nine-and-a-half-minute “Querido Metheny,” a tribute to jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. Two years afterward he delivered one of his most celebrated and daring recordings, Poeta, an homage to the poetry of Rafael Alberti realized for guitar and orchestra and featuring Cuban guitarist, composer, and conductor Leo Brower along with Latin pop artist Miguel Bosé, who co-wrote the texts. Amigo toured and performed extensively, including concerts alongside de Lucía, who had become a close friend; the two ultimately served as godparents to each other’s children. The following year Amigo acted as both featured soloist and producer for Jose Merce’s Del Amanecer, and the pair toured together at major European festivals.
Amigo did not issue another album under his own name until 2001’s Ciudad de las Ideas, which reached the top of the contemporary flamenco charts and included three successful vocal tracks featuring Aznar, Khaled, and El Cigala. The recording earned gold certification, later attaining platinum status, and secured the 2001 Latin Grammy for Best Flamenco Album. In 2003 he renewed his partnership with El Pele on Canto; Amigo composed nine of the ten songs. The well-received collection prompted a joint tour before Amigo embarked on an independent global itinerary. For 2005’s Un Momento en el Sonido he employed his regular band and a vocal ensemble that included Antonio Villar, Blas Córdoba, Potito (guitarist and vocalist Antonio Vargas Cortés), and Ángela Bautista, presenting formally structured flamenco that merged modern and classic approaches. Pastori and Sanz appeared among the singers on the pop-oriented 2009 album Paseo de Gracia, which juxtaposed solo pieces with orchestral and folk-tinged selections reflecting Metheny’s large-ensemble aesthetic and production touches reminiscent of Mike Oldfield; the record became a commercial success despite its roots at the periphery of flamenco.
Throughout the first decade of the millennium Amigo contributed to recordings by other artists, including Pepe de Lucía’s El Corazón de Mi Gente (2002), Sting’s Send Your Love (2003), David Bisbal’s Premonición (2006), and Pastori’s Caprichos de Mujer and Esperando Verte (both 2009). Balancing his touring, producing, and session work, he explored new territory with the flamenco-Celtic fusion of 2013’s Tierra. Entirely composed by Amigo and arranged in collaboration with keyboardist Guy Fletcher, the project featured Mark Knopfler’s band, the Scottish folk group Capercaillie, and vocal contributions from Lya. The guitarist’s meticulous research into the convergence of disparate sounds and folk traditions, combined with the performances’ evident passion, earned both commercial and critical acclaim; the Spanish government awarded him the Gold Medal of the Fine Arts in recognition of the release. Following further international touring, Amigo returned to the studio in late 2016 and emerged the next year with Memoria de los Sentidos. The collection presented flamenco songs performed by an impressive roster that included Potito, Farruquito, Miguel Poveda, Pepe De Pura, Pastori, El Pele, and Arcangel. Upon release the album entered the Spanish Top Ten and received gold certification before year’s end.
Amigo received rigorous classical instruction in composition, improvisation, and technique. His rapid, supple phrasing fuses classical elements with nuevo flamenco and proves especially effective when supporting vocalists. Over the years he has worked alongside numerous singers, among them El Pele, Luis de Cordoba, Niña Pastori, Carmen Linares, Arcangel, and Diego el Cigala. His versatility extends further still, allowing fruitful partnerships on stage and in the studio with pop artists such as Miguel Bose, Sting, and Alejandro Sanz. Jazz and fusion guitarists also left a lasting mark; Stanley Jordan, Al Di Meola, and John McLaughlin count among his influences, and Amigo has appeared live with the latter two.
Born in Guadalcanal outside Seville in 1967, Amigo displayed prodigious ability from an early age. At three he watched de Lucía on television; a year later he began studying guitar under the influential Merengue de Cordoba and later continued with Juan Muñoz Expósito, known as “El Tomate.” Amigo himself has downplayed the prodigy label. In a 1998 interview he remarked, “I believe that flamenco has always been something for adults, not just for children. To understand flamenco, you need maturity. You can learn to play the guitar as a child, you understand the technique. But, the essence of flamenco is something that requires maturity.” While still in his mid-teens he drew notice as a protégé of Paco Peña. At sixteen he embarked on a decade-long apprenticeship with innovative guitarist and composer Manolo Sanlúcar, remaining in that ensemble well into his twenties. By the 1980s Amigo had resolved to concentrate solely on live performance, yet singer El Pele (Manuel Moreno Maya) persuaded him otherwise toward the decade’s close. After debuting on Camarón de la Isla’s 1989 album Soy Gitano, Amigo joined El Pele for the jointly billed 1990 and 1991 releases Poetas de Esquinas Blandas and La Fuente de lo Jondo, both issued by Pasion Discos.
During the same period Amigo began composing in earnest, honing a craft that later commanded widespread respect. He joined Sony in 1991 and issued his label debut, De Mi Corazón al Aire, which included vocal contributions from Jose Merce and Charo Manzano together with appearances by Argentine pop-rock artist Pedro Aznar and Algerian rai performer Khaled. Amigo then toured Spain, France, and Latin America for three years, collecting several flamenco honors along the way. In 1992 he participated in Leyendas de la Guitarra, a Seville event previewing the Expo ’92 exposition, sharing the stage with de Lucía, Keith Richards, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Phil Manzanera, and Richard Thompson; Bob Dylan and Joe Cocker also appeared on the bill. That year he further contributed to Wagner Tiso’s score and soundtrack for the film The Baobab.
In 1995 Amigo released the instrumental set Vivencias Imaginadas, encompassing an eclectic array of bulerias, rhumbas, fandangos, and other pieces, among them the nine-and-a-half-minute “Querido Metheny,” a tribute to jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. Two years afterward he delivered one of his most celebrated and daring recordings, Poeta, an homage to the poetry of Rafael Alberti realized for guitar and orchestra and featuring Cuban guitarist, composer, and conductor Leo Brower along with Latin pop artist Miguel Bosé, who co-wrote the texts. Amigo toured and performed extensively, including concerts alongside de Lucía, who had become a close friend; the two ultimately served as godparents to each other’s children. The following year Amigo acted as both featured soloist and producer for Jose Merce’s Del Amanecer, and the pair toured together at major European festivals.
Amigo did not issue another album under his own name until 2001’s Ciudad de las Ideas, which reached the top of the contemporary flamenco charts and included three successful vocal tracks featuring Aznar, Khaled, and El Cigala. The recording earned gold certification, later attaining platinum status, and secured the 2001 Latin Grammy for Best Flamenco Album. In 2003 he renewed his partnership with El Pele on Canto; Amigo composed nine of the ten songs. The well-received collection prompted a joint tour before Amigo embarked on an independent global itinerary. For 2005’s Un Momento en el Sonido he employed his regular band and a vocal ensemble that included Antonio Villar, Blas Córdoba, Potito (guitarist and vocalist Antonio Vargas Cortés), and Ángela Bautista, presenting formally structured flamenco that merged modern and classic approaches. Pastori and Sanz appeared among the singers on the pop-oriented 2009 album Paseo de Gracia, which juxtaposed solo pieces with orchestral and folk-tinged selections reflecting Metheny’s large-ensemble aesthetic and production touches reminiscent of Mike Oldfield; the record became a commercial success despite its roots at the periphery of flamenco.
Throughout the first decade of the millennium Amigo contributed to recordings by other artists, including Pepe de Lucía’s El Corazón de Mi Gente (2002), Sting’s Send Your Love (2003), David Bisbal’s Premonición (2006), and Pastori’s Caprichos de Mujer and Esperando Verte (both 2009). Balancing his touring, producing, and session work, he explored new territory with the flamenco-Celtic fusion of 2013’s Tierra. Entirely composed by Amigo and arranged in collaboration with keyboardist Guy Fletcher, the project featured Mark Knopfler’s band, the Scottish folk group Capercaillie, and vocal contributions from Lya. The guitarist’s meticulous research into the convergence of disparate sounds and folk traditions, combined with the performances’ evident passion, earned both commercial and critical acclaim; the Spanish government awarded him the Gold Medal of the Fine Arts in recognition of the release. Following further international touring, Amigo returned to the studio in late 2016 and emerged the next year with Memoria de los Sentidos. The collection presented flamenco songs performed by an impressive roster that included Potito, Farruquito, Miguel Poveda, Pepe De Pura, Pastori, El Pele, and Arcangel. Upon release the album entered the Spanish Top Ten and received gold certification before year’s end.
Albums
Memoria de los Sentidos
2017
Tierra
2013
Paseo De Gracia
2009
Un Momento En El Sonido
2006
Canto
2003
Ciudad de las Ideas (City of Ideas)
2002
Ciudad De Las Ideas
2002
De Mi Corazón al Aire y Otros Grandes Éxitos
2001
Poeta
2001
Amor, Dulce Muerte
2000
Esencial Vicente Amigo
1998
Vivencias Imaginadas
1996
De Mi Corazón Al Aire
1993
Singles
