Paco Renteria
in Vallarta Again
By Anna Reisman - July
2004
It was 9 o'clock and as usual,
the hall was full to capacity. The musicians began
to come on stage, but where there used to be four,
there are now six members to accompany Paco Renteria,
often called Vallarta's "golden
boy". They came in one by one, Emanuel Macias, the
violinist prodigy, Benjamin, the newcomer trumpet player,
Luis and Victor on guitar, Roberto on bongo and conga
drums -who now has a new colleague, Monico- and so
on until the stage was filled in anticipation of Paco's
entrance.
 This incredibly gifted guitarist
started to play in Puerto Vallarta a little over
nine years ago. He loves this town and he showed
it once again by interrupting his world tour to appear
at the May Music Festival. Among his numerous compositions,
some of which have earned him international fame,
he was inspired during his many stays in Vallarta
to write others, which are part of "Oceano", his
latest CD, and which he performed superbly during
this appearance.
Those of us who make it a
point never to miss one of Paco's performances in
this town were a little surprised to note that he
was wearing a colored shirt this time. He usually
appears dressed entirely in white, and barefoot.
He was still barefoot. He took his seat nonchalantly
and coolly joined in the first number his companions
had started, a rousing rendition of one of our old
favorites from his "Latin Gypsy" CD. The hits followed
one another to the delight of all those present. "Piel
de Mujer" (Skin of a Woman) has been rearranged. The
version that night was more complex, more like peeling
an onion, layer by layer, until the most personal,
innermost core of where we hide our feelings of love
was laid bare. As always, this song was dedicated to
all the women in the audience, and as always, it brought
out audible sighs among them. There was "El Mariachi" (the
famous theme of the famous movie), a superb violin
solo by Emanuel, and of course, what I like to call
Paco's "show-off" piece, the only one he did not compose:
La Malagueña. By the time that one ended, I
am certain that the audience was ready to kiss this
artist's bare feet! The applause was thunderous.
 As we were listening to a
solo by the young newcomer, Benjamin, on the trumpet,
a friend of ours who is much more knowledgeable than
me in matter of music said, "It
is such a pleasure to hear the trumpet played the way
it should be!" The young man / child also received
a round of well-deserved applause.
Paco's passionate, now more experienced, more professional,
more mature music easily brought out the emotions of
the audience, fans and newcomers alike, everything
from happiness and laughter to sadness and regret.
Some numbers, like Tauromaquia and Egypto, evoked ovations
in the middle of their performance, and new melodies
were heartily applauded.
It was midnight by the time it was all over. No one
wanted the concert to end, but end it did. The CD's
which the band had brought to sell in the lobby disappeared
in a few minutes. Like always.
Paco's fans may recall that
he and his boys performed at Luciano Pavarotti's
goodbye "Concert in the Desert" in
San Luis Potosi last October, an event that attracted
some 50,000 people. Pavarotti was so impressed with
Paco's performance that he invited him to join him
for his goodbye concert in Canada scheduled for later
this year. Should the event take place, you can be
sure I will fly up there to see it and tell you all
about it!
 I had the pleasure of spending
a few delightful hours with Paco and two of his musicians
the day after the concert. Everyone chatted while
enjoying some of the delicious treats made right
on the spot at Vallarta's best ice cream shoppe, "Once Upon A Time." (see
photo). I found out that the group's 2004 World Tour
has already taken it to New York City, the best venues
in Mexico, and then on to Europe! Many years ago,
I wrote that Paco was a diamond in the rough. Well,
let me tell you: the polishing process has been wonderful.
This young man's climb to the top is nowhere near
its apex. He just keeps on shining ever so much brighter
every year.
We all hope to see Paco and the
boys back in Vallarta in December or January. And for
those of you who still don't have all of Paco's CD's
yet, you may log on to his web site at:
http://www.pacorenteriaguitar.com or
contact David Lanks at:
davidlanks@pacorenteriaguitar.com to
order them.
Visit the Paco RenteriaWeb Site: http://www.pacorenteriaguitar.com
Anna Reisman
pvmomto3@yahoo.com
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