Gloria al Niño Ricardo

Paco de Lucía, 1987. Solo by Paco de Lucía.

A soleá honoring one of his early models, closing Siroco on a traditional form.

Gloria al Niño Ricardo is a soleá that honours one of Paco de Lucía's early models, and it closes Siroco on a deeply traditional note. The soleá is one of flamenco's most serious forms, and he plays it with gravity and restraint. His falsetas are rich and deliberate, full of dark harmony and carefully placed pauses. The tribute shows how much he valued the guitarists who came before him, even as he pushed the music forward. Listen for the moments of silence between phrases, where the soleá's twelve-beat rhythm continues in the listener's head before he picks it up again.

Gloria al Niño Ricardo by Paco de Lucía is featured in our Flamenco (#8) list. The solo is played by Paco de Lucía and the song was released in 1987.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Flamenco Guitar Recordings — #8

Sources