Paco Mazaco
Who is Paco Mazaco?
Francisco González Sanromán, known artistically as Paco Mazaco, was born in 1898 in Coria del Río (Seville). Unlike most of the great cante figures of his generation, he was payo (non-Roma), something unusual in an art form then dominated by Roma dynasties, which did not stop him from earning a place of respect among the purest cantaores of his time.
He trained and built his career in the flamenco environment of Seville in the early decades of the twentieth century, a setting in which he shared stages and tablaos with some of the most important names in cante jondo of the moment.
Career
One of the most fondly remembered episodes of his career was his performance at a tribute to Fernando de Triana held at the Teatro Quevedo in Seville, where he shared the bill with Manuel Torre, Vallejo, and Niño Gloria. It was in that setting that, according to flamenco tradition, his rendition of a seguiriya moved Manuel Torre himself to tears, one of the most venerated cantaores in the history of flamenco, an anecdote that sums up the level of recognition he achieved among his contemporaries.
He also took part in fandango duels with Jesús Perosanz, with Niño Ricardo on guitar, and left recordings of duets with Niño de Alcalá. He died in Seville in 1949, of cirrhosis.
Palos and discography
He moved with ease through the purest and most demanding cantes of the jondo repertoire: tonás, martinetes, soleá, seguiriyas, and saetas, though his specialty ended up being the fandango, an area in which he was considered a great specialist. His discography was not extensive, but it does include recordings of fandanguillos accompanied by Niño Ricardo on guitar, preserved in the radio program “Escuela del Cante Flamenco.”
Legacy
Although he left no extensive body of recordings, Paco Mazaco remained in flamenco memory as a payo cantaor capable of moving the great Roma masters of his time, an unusual distinction still cited as proof of the purity and depth of his cante.