I have been a sculptor and maker and sometime guitar maker, for most of my working life, with a keen interest in improvised and Jazz guitar. I first met Amancio in the late sixties, while I working as a guitar salesman. Along with many musicians, he liked to hang out in Selmers which was a […]
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Stories
This is where you can contribute to this website and help us build an archive of memories of Amancio. If you ever met Amancio or were lucky enough to hear him play live, we want to hear your story.
Use our contact page here to send us your story ➤
Recordings
We are also on the look out for any recordings of Amancio that are as yet undiscovered. We are looking for bootlegs, particularly the early years, tapes from a BBC Radio live session broadcast from the time of Hum Dono and also any recordings from the early 80's when he played almost exclusively acoustically. He had been trying out a new range of Gibson guitars (the Mark series...fantastic acoustics - Amancio was reviewing the design of the inner struts). His playing at this time went back once again to his roots (I would say, having witnessed it...but others may disagree). A solo guitar style, incorporating much of the feel of music like “A Street In Bombay” emerged, and he went nowhere without the acoustic for a long period. Unfortunately no known recordings of this period in his playing exist...but who knows, there may be something (here is a photo of Amancio playing with another guitarist and a violinist at a summer camp/gathering with quite a crowd, where a chap is recording them on what looks to be a fairly professional tape deck...if you are reading, drop us a line!).
Use our contact page here to tell us about a recording ➤
Your Stories of Amancio
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Loz Speyer
Amancio was a major inspiration to me as to many others. I met him at Jenako Arts Centre where he taught jazz guitar. I used to go there to practise. First time I met him he came into the room, I was playing Ornithology, the day had turned to evening, he said “Ah that’s a […]
Alan’s Story
I was listening to the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony recently – I play the oboe part sometimes – and I was reminded of Amancio, as he said it was one of his favourite pieces of music. Not perhaps the most usual choice for a jazz guitarist! Memory took me back to my first […]