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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZSABICAS(b Augustin Castellón, 1912-90) Gypsy flamenco guitarist with a highly agile technique including complex pizzicato and arpeggios, a forerunner of Paco de Lucia. He made his pro debut at ten, and became the accompanist of La Niña de los Peines and of his long-time lover, the electrifying gypsy dancer Carmen Amaya (1913-63). Amaya's family had moved from the Sacromonte caves of Granada to the Somorrostro barrio of Barcelona; she began performing even earlier than Sabicas, noted for an aggressively pulsating, almost masculine style, captured on Queen Of The Gypsies on Decca (Sabicas plays several intense solos) and on La Reina de Sacromonte on Alfa. She left Spain at the outbreak of the Civil War and toured South America and the USA with Sabicas, made a number of films in Mexico and Hollywood and performed for Roosevelt in the White House in 1941. Sabicas lived in Mexico '51-2, then went to New York; fifty years of expatriate life encouraged a spirit of experimentation. He received a gold medal in Málaga '67 at the climax of an homage to him; he won the admiration even of those who felt that his style lacked profound emotion. Albums included Flamenco Fantasy: Guitar Solos And Variations On Three Guitars on MGM (he played all three by means of multitracking) and Flamenco Fever on ABC. Vol. 14 of Grandes Figures du Flamenco on Le Chante du Monde showcases his work. |