Río Ancho
Encyclopedia
"Río Ancho" is a Spanish flamenco guitar
jazz piece. The track first featured on Paco de Lucia
's 1976 album Almoraima
. It combines flamenco
and gypsy jazz
influences and the piece is in the key of E minor
and progresses to A minor
, D, G, C and B7. The original performances of the song had notable flute solos towards the end of the piece, reminiscent of classic Spanish gypsy music with trumpets.
In 1980, Paco de Lucia and Al Di Meola
collaborated and produced an ensemble track composed of Di Meola's "Mediterranean Sundance
" taken from his 1977 album Elegant Gypsy
with "Río Ancho". It was performed live in San Francisco on December 5, 1980 and the set was released by Columbia Records
as simply Friday Night in San Francisco
.
The collaborative version of the song consists of a relatively simple lyrical harmonic
progression, adorned by a flamenco rhythm. However, it poses extreme technical difficulties to the performers, due to the speed and precision required of Di Meola's picking on the steel-stringed guitar, playing extremely long melodic
phrases
, and to Paco De Lucia's complex fingerpicking on the Flamenco guitar
, as well as the exact matching of Di Meola and De Lucía's solos which frequently consist of them both playing a rapid set of matching or corresponding notes. They resort to many guitar performance techniques and fingerstyles
, such as drumming guitar tops, strumming (both solo and together), bare thumb plucking, palm muting
, tremolo picking
, hammer-on
s and pull-off
s, sweep picking, shredding, vibratos and glissando
s. The song was an instant success. A slightly shorter version of it was included in the November 1996 album "Pavarotti & Friends for War Child
" (Track 15).
The 1980 version proved the more successful version and the Mediterranean Sundance and Río Ancho track has since been performed by many artists such as Marco Porcu, Seis Cuerdas, Jorge Martinez
and La Peña Flamenca and has become a gypsy jazz classic.
Here are the lessons for this tune
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
jazz piece. The track first featured on Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
's 1976 album Almoraima
Almoraima
-Track listing:All tracks by Paco de Lucía#"Almoraima" – 5:25#"Cueva del gato" – 5:43#"Cobre" – 3:10#"A la Perla de Cádiz" – 4:27#"Ole" – 4:19#"Plaza Alta" – 6:13#"Río Ancho" – 4:29#"Llanos de Real" – 3:39-Musicians:*Paco de Lucía - Flamenco guitar...
. It combines flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
and gypsy jazz
Gypsy jazz
Gypsy jazz is an idiom often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because its origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "Jazz manouche," or alternatively, "manouche jazz," even in English language sources...
influences and the piece is in the key of E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
and progresses to A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
, D, G, C and B7. The original performances of the song had notable flute solos towards the end of the piece, reminiscent of classic Spanish gypsy music with trumpets.
In 1980, Paco de Lucia and Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date...
collaborated and produced an ensemble track composed of Di Meola's "Mediterranean Sundance
Mediterranean Sundance
"Mediterranean Sundance" is the third track on Elegant Gypsy , the second album by Al Di Meola who composed all of its songs. This piece and "Lady Of Rome, Sister Of Brazil", are the only two entirely acoustic tracks on the album...
" taken from his 1977 album Elegant Gypsy
Elegant Gypsy
Elegant Gypsy is the second album by American jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola, released in 1977. It was a follow-up album to Di Meola's debut release, Land of the Midnight Sun. The distinctive music in the album is a speedy fusion of jazz and rock, with lightning-fast guitar riffs intermixed with...
with "Río Ancho". It was performed live in San Francisco on December 5, 1980 and the set was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as simply Friday Night in San Francisco
Friday Night in San Francisco
Friday Night in San Francisco is a 1981 live album by Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía. It was recorded at The Warfield Theatre on 5 December 1980, in San Francisco.-Side one:#"Mediterranean Sundance/Río Ancho" – 11:25...
.
The collaborative version of the song consists of a relatively simple lyrical harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
progression, adorned by a flamenco rhythm. However, it poses extreme technical difficulties to the performers, due to the speed and precision required of Di Meola's picking on the steel-stringed guitar, playing extremely long melodic
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
phrases
Phrase (music)
In music and music theory, phrase and phrasing are concepts and practices related to grouping consecutive melodic notes, both in their composition and performance...
, and to Paco De Lucia's complex fingerpicking on the Flamenco guitar
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
, as well as the exact matching of Di Meola and De Lucía's solos which frequently consist of them both playing a rapid set of matching or corresponding notes. They resort to many guitar performance techniques and fingerstyles
Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
, such as drumming guitar tops, strumming (both solo and together), bare thumb plucking, palm muting
Palm mute
The palm mute is a playing technique for guitar and bass guitar executed by placing the side of the picking hand below the little finger across all of the strings very close to the bridge and then plucking the strings with the fingers while the damping is in effect. This produces a muted sound...
, tremolo picking
Tremolo picking
Tremolo picking, also known as alternate picking or double picking, describes the musical technique of picking on a guitar or other string instrument in which a single note is played repeatedly in quick succession. It can be achieved either with the fingers or with a pick...
, hammer-on
Hammer-on
Hammer-on is a stringed instrument playing technique performed by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the fingerboard behind a fret, causing a note to sound. This technique is the opposite of the pull-off...
s and pull-off
Pull-off
A pull-off is a stringed instrument technique performed by plucking a string by "pulling" the string off the fingerboard with one of the fingers being used to fret the note.-Performance and effect:...
s, sweep picking, shredding, vibratos and glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
s. The song was an instant success. A slightly shorter version of it was included in the November 1996 album "Pavarotti & Friends for War Child
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
" (Track 15).
The 1980 version proved the more successful version and the Mediterranean Sundance and Río Ancho track has since been performed by many artists such as Marco Porcu, Seis Cuerdas, Jorge Martinez
Jorge Martinez (musician)
Jorge Martínez is an Argentine born guitarist currently residing in Montreal, Canada playing mostly in the Flamenco, Latin, Acoustic genres.-Discography:*"CADENCIAS" , Jorge Martinez*Album with The Bilz...
and La Peña Flamenca and has become a gypsy jazz classic.
External links
Here are the lessons for this tune
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo239.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo240.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo241.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo242.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo243.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo244.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo245.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo246.html
- http://www.rdiaz.org/rdvideo247.html