The Paco Rabal Cultural Centre will host the world première of Juan Carmona's latest show, Flamenco Gospel, on 31 October. This concert is part of the Suma Flamenca festival, in which the musician will be accompanied by the singing of Pedro El Granaíno and Montse Cortés as guest artists.
In this latest show, the audience will be able to enjoy a musical encounter that moves between gospel and Christian music, which originated among African Americans in the United States and is characterised by its spirituality, and flamenco.
Juan Carmona belongs to one of the most important families in the history of flamenco and flamenco fusion. He is the son of Juan Habichuela, considered to be one of the greatest guitarists to accompany singers, having performed with almost all of the great figures in the history of flamenco, such as Manolo Caracol, Juan Valderrama, Camarón de la Isla, Enrique Morente and Antonio Mairena, among others.
Juan Carmona Junior accompanied his father from a very early age, just ten years old, at the great festivals of that time, where he watched flamenco singers of the likes of Antonio Mairena, Terremoto, Fernanda de Utrera, Chocolate or Fosforito. His first stage appearance was accompanying Pepe Habichuela, with whom he made his first album.
Shortly afterwards, he joined the Manolo Caracol’s flamenco house, Los Canasteros, where he spent eight years accompanying great artists, such as Adela la del Chaqueta, El Chato de la Isla, María la Burra, María Soleá or La Paquera.
In conjunction with José Soto ‘Sorderita’ and Ray Heredia, they created Ketama, one of the most emblematic groups that marked a before and after in so-called flamenco fusion or new flamenco. They recorded their first album in 1983, which was released in 1985 and was well-received among musicians. In the meantime, Juan Carmona began producing and recording albums for artists who would later go down in the history of this new flamenco, such as La Aurora, José el Francés, Duquende and Tomatito. In 1988, Ketama recorded Shongai, the first part of a long-running project.
Several years and albums later, Ketama split up in 2005 and Juan Carmona focused on his solo career, returning to his roots. He produced all of his father’s albums, as well as those of other artists, such as Alejandro Sanz, Paco de Lucía and Enrique Morente, among others, and he began to win awards as a producer, including the Music Award and the Latin Grammy for best flamenco producer.
Artistic File:
- Flamenco Guitar - Juan Carmona
- Singing - Pedro El Granaíno
- Singing - Montse Cortés
- Singing - Kiki Cortiñas and La Negra
- Keyboard - Oliver Losada
- Percussion - Juan Carmona Junior
Approximate Duration: 80 minutes
