For those unaware, Pepito y Paquito offers a glimpse into the humble and homespun beginnings of a genius who marked a turning point in flamenco guitar and reveals a series of rudimentary musical recordings of Paco de Lucía and his older brother Pepe, at ages 11 and 13 respectively.

These recordings, hidden in a quince box for more than half a century, showcase the genesis of a universal figure in contemporary flamenco and highlight his brother’s significance as a singer.

The extraordinary home recordings that, like a home movie, take listeners back to a time of the need in Franco’s Spain, and how the brothers, gifted with preternatural talent, allowed them to to escape poverty through art and ingenuity.

1. Me Falta La Resistencia (Tangos de la Pirula de Málaga)
2. Al Pilarico por Agua (Bulerías por Soleá)
3. Romance de Juan Osuna (Seguiriyas Tientos)
4. Aunque Pongan en tu Puerta (Alegrías)
5. Se Comerá Mi Dolor (Soleares)
6. La Corales (Cuplé por Bulerías)
7. Que Viene el Coco (Rumba)
8. Bulerías Niño Ricardo (Solo de Guitarra)
9. De Alfombra de Rosas (Liviana)
10. Con su Rebaño (Serranas)
11. Que el Viento se la Llevó (Polo)
12. Voy A Tener Que Dejarte (Fandangos Naturales)
13. Escucha lo que te digo (Bulerías)
14. Con una Rosa en el Pico (Fandango Santa Eulalia)
15. Las Estrellitas del Cielo (Villancico por Bulerías)
16. Zapateado Niño Ricardo (Solo de Guitarra)
17. Entre Compás y Desplantes (Soleares de Cádiz)
18. Amante de Abril y Mayo (Cuplé por Bulerías)
19. Lo que Pasó en Veracruz (Soleares de Triana/Apolas)
20. Caminito de Alcalá (Bulerías)
21. Soleá Niño Ricardo (Solo de Guitarra)

This enticingly mesmerizing flashback of an album opens on the vibrancy of Me Falta La Resistencia (Tangos de la Pirula de Málaga), the spirited Al Pilarico por Agua (Bulerías por Soleá) and the evoking Romance de Juan Osuna (Seguiriyas Tientos), and then we get brought forth the rhythmic hand-clapper, at first, then sumptuous, albeit vocally forthright, balladry latterly Aunque Pongan en tu Puerta (Alegrías), the jaunty Se Comerá Mi Dolor (Soleares), the melodic La Corales (Cuplé por Bulerías), and then the guitar-fed beauty Que Viene el Coco (Rumba), then the preciseness of playing is showcased to perfection on Bulerías Niño Ricardo (Solo de Guitarra), and both the methodical De Alfombra de Rosas (Liviana) and the quietly extravagant Con su Rebaño (Serranas).

Along next is the upbeat and wholly ambient Que el Viento se la Llevó (Polo), the gently rambunctious Voy A Tener Que Dejarte (Fandangos Naturales), the atmospherically-charged Escucha lo que te digo (Bulerías) and the dutiful Con una Rosa en el Pico (Fandango Santa Eulalia), and they are in turn backed by the party atmosphere that drives Las Estrellitas del Cielo (Villancico por Bulerías), the delicate, almost classical nature of Zapateado Niño Ricardo (Solo de Guitarra), the emboldened Entre Compás y Desplantes (Soleares de Cádiz), the flourishing Amante de Abril y Mayo (Cuplé por Bulerías), the album rounding out on the textured Lo que Pasó en Veracruz (Soleares de Triana/Apolas), the fiery Caminito de Alcalá (Bulerías), closing on the infinitely intrinsic guitar playing found within the simply glorious Soleá Niño Ricardo (Solo de Guitarra).

Pepito y Paquito is an auditory window through which we observe two children having fun, playing, and singing naturally and festively. Simultaneously, their inherent talent projects the long shadow of the legacy they would develop in their respective careers as two icons of contemporary flamenco, especially that of a universal master of the guitar.

“For all the possibilities discovered in our instrument over the generations, it is not surprising to hear master Paco at 12 years old already chasing the next level of what could be. In fact, according to these recordings, he was already there in many ways,” commented American jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. “Hearing and knowing Paco, and to have been on the planet with him at the same time, is one of the things I am most grateful to have experienced in life.”