Paco de Lucia (1947-2014)

Paco de Lucia has passed away today at the age of 66.  His impact has been enormous on flamenco guitar playing.  He has inspired many and expanded the love of flamenco even to the classical guitar world, which is often too full of itself to see the beauty in other styles.

Flamenco is a traditional style that is performed not from sheet music but is improvised around forms that have been developed over time in the same fashion.  It is characterized by the rasgueado (strumming) and incredibly fluent and fast scale work that makes so many classical players envious.  

I've posted several videos below for your enjoyment.  The last is a full performance from the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2012.