This is an email Pepe sent to his fan club, followed with some spontaneous notes about his concert in Basel

>                                          "LA GUITARA?"
>
>    "Songs my father taught me" should be the title of everything I play.  His
> teachings took place from my first breath to his last.  They are profoundly
> present in every moment that I am with the guitar.  He taught me to love her,
> to care for her and to give myself to her.
>
>     The collection on this recording forms the nucleus of music that he used
> to teach me, and these pieces were his friends and companions during his
> life.  Many times I went to sleep listening to him playing Catalonian songs,
> or woke up to the sound of a Bach gavotte!  While walking in the Barrio de
> Santa Cruz (the old part of Seville), he would call my attention to the moon
> light illuminating the narrow streets, or smell the night blooming jasmine
> perfuming the old city, and then tell me "This is the 'Fandanguillo' of
> Turina!"
>
>    I saw my father under persecution in an oppressed Spain and later
> decorated with honours by the king of free Spain.  I saw my father in poverty
> and I saw him financially successful.  One thing remained untouched -- his
> love of music, his love of the guitar.  He practiced with the same devotion
> when there was no sight or hope of a successful career as he did later when
> success did come.  The collection of music I play in homage to him was an
> essential part of the repertoire he always kept with him and gave to my
> brothers and me so that through our love of it we could search for beauty and
> that unattainable perfection that is the guiding light of all the great
> servants of music.
>
> My father was a genius, he is an immortal man.  I always wanted to believe in
> immortality.  I always wanted to believe in eternal life, and intellectually
> I did.  But in my heart, I had my doubts.  In the last moments that my father
> and I spent together, he took these doubts away.  He taught me that indeed
> there is a God.  He taught me that there is eternal life, and we made a pact
> that we would soon be together, reunited, and in full recognition of each
> other.
>
> My father taught me many things.  For 52 years my life has been the most
> beautiful and most perfect love affair that two people could have.  My father
> was the greatest guitarist known to me, and everything in me is only an
> offspring of that magnificent tree of music that he was.  And everything that
> passes from me to future generations well be an offshoot of that beautiful
> root that was completely ingrained in the earth of music.
>
> My father was a humble man.  Already at a very young age he treated my
> brothers and me as individuals and his equals.  He made me feel that I was a
> musician, a guitarist, and above all his friend and partner.
>
> From the time when I was a little boy, I remember one of the first lessons I
> learnt from him.  He used to speak very well of a guitarist from Granada, and
> finally this artist came over to our home and played for us.  Afterwards I
> said to my father: "Papa, he is the worst guitarist I ever heard!"  But he
> answered:  "You didn't look, you didn't listen to the gentleness of his
> thumb."
>
> The greatest, most cherished lessons were those that I had with him during
> his last year.  I started the year with firm confidence in my maturity and
> perfection as a guitarist and as a musician.  But my father, with his love,
> and his knowledge, taught me more in this year that I can ever learn in the
> rest of my life.  We had a lesson every single day that I was at home.
>
> My father was a good man.  The last year of his life was a year of suffering.
> He taught us how to accept suffering.  Music and love were his medicines,
> they were his pain killers.  The more he was unable to breathe, the more he
> would just turn to music and forget his pain.  And at the very end, when he
> could hardly breathe any more, he just moved his lips to tell us what he
> wanted: peace between by brothers and me for ever.  He wanted us to protect
> each other, our mother above all, to take care of our children and love them.
>
> He asked for his guitar at the end?and then he left, thinking of God and
> releasing his body and soul to Him.  My father died a saintly death.  I will
> always love him from the depths of my soul.
>
> I recorded "Songs my Father Taught me" in tribute to my father, my friend, my
> partner, and for ever, my teacher; to him who left his life in my arms and
> his love in my heart.
>
> May the guitarists of all future generations remember his example and
> meditate on the purity and depth of the last words forms with his last
> breath: "La GUITARA?"
>
> Papa, I love
> you.
>
> Pepe
>
> Celedonio Romero died on 8 May 1996.
> Part of the above was spoken by Pepe Romero at his Father's funeral on 11 May.

Notes I wrote for the Newsgroup.

He played in Basel, Switzerland tonight. It was excellent. I sat front row center! Reminded me of being in J.Krishnamurti talks
(first row center). He is using a guitar his son Pepe built in this summer tour. It's a good sounding guitar. He said it's his
favorite guitar. Sometimes it sounds like there's a phase-shifter inside - don't know if it was his nails or the guitar - a few
pieces, e.g. Leyenda, the bass tone was thin. The strings were bending (left hand) when he was playing Asturias. Maybe this was the cause of the "phase shifter" sound. It all goes to show what an incredibly demanding instrument this is. He played all crowd-pleasers: GRAN JOTA, CAPRICHO, RECUERDOS, ASTURIAS. The best for me was Sanz's Spanish Suite - such a meditation - he's a master of slurs. He is a master of Flamenco - he improvised at end - with his ear to neck pose, etc., it's in his blood and performs flamenco better than anything.

I heard his soundcheck and met his wife - very nice lady - she came on stage few nights ago like his mom used to for the flamenco jam. We talked about his father. I said I can relate - "my father and I are one"... After the concert, we hugged 4 times!!!! There's a lot of love. He's my uncle!
Regards to all.
Reza

He used rest strokes very often and gets a great big sound. I almost suspected his FS's are not so powerful. His tremelo was very smooth but the bass (Recuerdos) which he played with RS thumb was much louder. I thought the tremelo is more important (the singer) in Recuerdos ?! (any comments?)

He has a very 'tame', gentle, efficient, "humble" RH - the pinkey in almost to the inside of the "a" finger. Both his hands looks
incredibly gentle and relaxed. His LH is a powerhouse, and RH does incredible fast and loud RS runs.

He drops his RH wrist a bit - so as to have a streight line from left side of wrist to the thumb. I heard this position kames the
hand relaxed because you're going along with gravity. On the other hand I suspect Freestrokes suffer a bit as a result??!!

He stopped in the middle of Pavan to say goodbye to the obnoxious photographer who was leaving after taking his photos the first 5 minutes of the concert. We laughed.

His guitar that Pepe Junior made is of Spruce top, cuban cedar sides, spanish cyder neck.

Probably the most loved song by the crowd was Recuerdos.

Pepe looks healthy and good and tanned.
Reza.

Thank you for sharing this with us Reza..It reminds me of the only time I
was fortunate enough to see him in the last concert ever held at the
Ambassador in Pasadena, CA.. The music was wonderful, but what I remember
most was the gentleness and courtliness of the man..At concerts end he
saluted his father who came on stage and hugged and kissed him..The love
between the two was remarkable to see.

Regards,
Sam

Thank You for sharing this with us.  Pepe Romero's words read and ring as beautiful and true as his music.  I was moved to tears and wept like a little child, recalling my own father, who died in April of the same year.

There are many lessons to be learned and drawn from his awe inspiring testimony to his father: one of these, at least for me, is that love is the centrifugal force,  legacy, and real substance that drives, shapes, and molds all great artists.

I also enjoyed reading all the feminine references to the guitar and recalled how my own father used to tell me that the guitar was designed after the likeness of a female:

 . . .The guitar has the shape of a female body.  It has a head, a neck, a body, and a wonderful mouth.  It has the curves of a well-built woman so you can hold her and cradle her in your lap.   If you love her, constantly and gentlly, she will sing beautifully for you. . .

Best Regards,
HCA

Really great seeing you in Basel. Hope you're back in Calif safe and sound.

I was sitting first row center at the concert in Basel. It was incredible - really enjoyed it. My favourite was Sanz which was a
real meditation. Just thought I'd mention to you that during a couple of pieces, the sound was kind of turning - it's difficult to
describe it - if you know electric guitar effects, there's one called phase-shifter which makes the sound kind of spiral - a very
nice colorful effect - which made it sound your guitar was going through a phase-shifter. I heard that during Asturias, and other
big sounding pieces where a lot of notes were being played at the same time - I had never heard it before - it was interesting.

I got this message about Pepe: "....I wish he would write a book, not on pedagogy but on his musical outlook."

Angelo Gilardino has dedicated his new variations on Romance "Canzoni Dimenticate" to me - which I will record for the debut CD.

All Best Wishes,
Reza

Sincerely,
BLM

March 2000
 Attended Pepe's concert at the new Luzern concert hall tonight. I thought it was at 8:30 but took an
earlier train by chance and got there at 7:30. People were rushing in. Do you sell tickets here?
"Are you with the orchestra?" No, I'm a friend of Pepe's. She gave me a free ticket! Went in and
walked in streight to first row center and sat down. The place was completely packed except those 2
seats and seats out in the sky. The first piece was The American Orchestra conducted by Michael
Palmer playing Rossini's Overture to Opera "La Scala di Seta" which made me cry from power. 2 people
came towards the seats and took off to the side and sat on the stairs next to a gorgous blond usher
to whom I proposed marriage... Samuel Barber's Adagio for strings op. 11 was next - incredible! Then
Pepe performed Concierto de Aranjuez. Then an encore: his father's fantasia - same program as I'd
seen in Geneve. After the break he performed Giuliani's Concerto for guitar & orchestra opus 30
which was incredible.

He did another encore: Recuerdos which set the crowd on fire.

Then I went backstage before the orchestra continues with Mozart's Symphony #39. A gentleman was
showing him a wonderful Rodrigo guitar. Pepe loved the guitar and as the guy played it he had his
old banana which he also offered us. I offered him a new one but he said he likes old one and was
thankful. So what? The point is, he's down-to-earth. He's got no sense of "I am a big shot" and it's
really refreshing specially in the guitar circle which is populated with egos! He is a gentleman - a
good person - he loves people - he cares - and that's a part of the key to his success aside from
being a great player. An artist is a lot more than just a great player! I don't know. This is just
some of the feeling I get.

... I tried the guitar and it was magnificant - incredible! He said he couldn't play well after
having played 2 concertos.

Pepe played on a 1969 Hauser made for him with a combination of bass Hanabachs, 2 Savarez and 1
Aranjuez. And he said it's usually different. Asked him if he had a particular system or.... "is it
random?" -yes, he replied.

His son Pepe junior is apparently making better guitars than ever - at the collectible class.

He hasn't been home since I last saw him. Do you get homesick sometimes? "of course"!

Sam, the piece you were wondering about that he played at Ambassador as encore is Oremus (as far as
I know by Schumann, arranged by Tarrega (without credit to Schumann!)).

Kyrre, I was gonno tell him hello for you but I forgot!

Ready to autograph CD's before the crow rush out, "do you sometimes go without touching the guitar
for 2-3 days?.... when you're not touring.... does it effect you?" Yes! "even at your level!"

We parted with mutual I love yous :-)

Regards
Reza