Joaquín Cortés (Córdoba,1969). He moves to Madrid at an early age, beginning his dancing studies at the age of twelve. He enrolls in the National Ballet of Spain at the age of fourteen and is promoted to soloist at seventeen.
After leaving the National Ballet of Spain, he participates in galas together with artists of the stature of Maya Plisetskaya, Silvie Guillem or Peter Schauffuss, and contributes with a number of companies and events.
In 1992 he creates his own company Joaquín Cortés Ballet Flamenco and with it he makes his debut in April 1993 at the Albéniz Theater of Madrid. He does so with Cibayí. In his presentation he kept the Madrid Theater full for twelve days. Later, he went on to consolidate his premier success at the Córdoba Guitar Festival, to then return and perform at the Zarzuela Theater during the Madrid Community Autumn Festival and saunter his success in France, Italy, Japan, Russia – in two dancing shrines: The Bolshoy Theater in Moscow and the Kirov Theater in Leningrad – and the United States, inaugurating what later became habitual circuits for his company.
He made his debut in cinema with Pedro Almodóvar in 1995 interpreting a role in ‘La Flor de mi Secreto’ (The Secret of my Flower), and repeats his experience in Carlos Saura’s movie Flamenco.
Also in 1995, his second show ‘Pasión Gitana’ (Gypsy Passion), at its first performance in the Albéniz Theater, was seen by more than one million spectators. In his fourth touring year he visits more than thirty countries, where the following prestigious events were attended: the Spoleto Festival, the Milan Forum, Radio City Music Hall in New York, Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Royal Albert Hall in London (the only Spaniard to perform to a full house for twelve consecutive days), the Sydney Festival, Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, the Saint Jordi Palace in Barcelona, the Poliedro in Caracas, the Tokyo Forum, or the Bull Fighting Arena in Madrid. In Miami he is named the Universal Spaniard.
In 1997, he recorded a CD, Gypsy Passion Band, with the themes used in his performance. In 1999 he moves to New York where he becomes acquainted with other dance forms and tendencies as well as with music. Here he begins collaboration with Debbie Allen, the renowned choreographer, with whom he participates in the 71st annual movie industry Oscar’s ceremony.
In April, he creates the Joaquín Cortés Gypsy Foundation to diffuse, popularize, promote and develop gypsy culture and art.
In October 1999 he gives the first performance of Soul, at the Tivoli Theater in Barcelona, his third creation which he presents in London, Peking, Milan, Tokyo, Hannover (Universal Exposition), or Beirut (Beittedine Festival).
In January 2000 he begins rolling the movie Gypsy where he plays the main role. In February 2001 he opens the Viña del Mar festival (Chile). That same year he performs Live at the Tivoli Theater of Barcelona with great success. The 2002 tour begins at the mythical Royal Albert Hall in London and in 2003 Live is performed in Greece, China, Austria, France, Germany and in Spain he makes a short tour through Lorca (Murcia), Bilbao, Benidorm, Marbella, Madrid and Xátiva.
Joaquín Cortés participates in benevolence performances such as “Charity Hope gala” and the “Fashion Rock for the Prince’s Trust” ceremony.
In 2003 he auditions on a national level to select the dancers that will form his new project, “Gitana Cortés Company” (Cortés Gypsy Company).
On March 14th, 2004, he gives the first performance of “De amor y odio” (Of Love and Hate) at the Diners della Luna Theater in Milan. A show of contemporary conception that talks about war, hunger, violence but also of love. From an artistic stance, it responds to a consolidated model of Live, the fusion of flamenco dance and music.
On May 3rd, 2005, he renders the first performance of “MI SOLEDAD” (My Solitude) in Mexico, where a minimalistic stage with intimate lighting set the atmosphere for a show through his own personal experience he digs profoundly into the depth of human beings and travel through his emotions. A solo accompanied by 18 musicians.
In 2006 “Mi Soledad” (My Solitude) is performed for the first time in Europe, specifically in Paris. The first performance in Spain took place on March 11th of the same year at the Palace of Vistalegre.
In 1984, Carlos Nuñez of only 13 years of age left his home in Galicia to play abroad for the first time, but not only that, it was to play the bagpipe with a Symphonic Orchestra, something unheard of even today.
The event took place at the Interceltic Festival of Lorient, held in Brittany, and this visit greatly inspired Carlos to dedicate his life to the bagpipe and Celtic music. There he discovered that the music of small Finisterre could touch the hearts of the world. The piece he played then was The Pilgrim, composed by Shaun Davey of Ireland, who twenty years later would call Carlos to celebrate the anniversary of the piece, composing a new melody for Carlos.
Another essential step in Carlos’ career also had a connection with orchestras: the recording in 1969 of the sound track for the movie Treasure Island, with Charlton Heston and Oliver Reed. It was the first great encounter, at the age of 18, with who, from there on, would be his mentors and teachers, the legendary Irish group The Chieftains. In some respects this was the starting shot not only of Carlos’ career, but also the recognition of the Galician bagpipe including the music of northern Spain, which lived a real boom in the 90’s.
Carlos is an exceptional bagpipe virtuoso who has been compared by international press with Hendrix, Coltrane or Itzhak Perlman, but also has had training in classical music with the recorder, having obtained top grades at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. Carlos has dedicated his life to traditional music, but at the same time his studies have allowed him to build bridges with other music, among them with classical music.
Carlos is convinced that in Galicia, classical music and popular music have been in contact at least since the Middle Ages of the pilgrimage to Santiago and the poetic Cantigas compositions, and that that interchange has persisted to our days, in the Renaissance, in the Baroque, and of course in the Classic, Romantic and Contemporary, as he has demonstrated in various of his records through pieces such as Amanecer (Dawn), Christmas Carol of 1829 or Negra Sombra (Black Shadow).
He is also certain that a major part of composers of international stature had a stereotyped view of Spanish music, which is the exotic southern flamenco, which really came from the north, such as “Capriccio Espagnol” by Rimsky Korsakov for example, based on a “gaita”, a musical piece celebrating dawn.
Traditional music has been arranged through history by cultured musicians who followed the tendencies of the moment, which did not allow them to really appreciate the richness of traditional music, creating none the less beautiful music, as for example the relatively unknown arrangements of Irish and Scottish melodies by Beethoven.
There are known examples of the close relationship between both musical worlds such as Bartok, but there are other unexpected such as Carlos has discovered rooted in the traditional music such as the Prelude of the Cello Sonata #1 by Bach, the Aranjuez Concert or Bolero by Ravel and this is because the personality of instruments such as the bagpipe affect the perception of music drawing in the imagination, as in its day was the case of the flamenco guitar. Even Miles Davies procured his imagination from traditional music in his modal jazz days and even recorded a Galician melody collected by Alan Lomax with a magnificent orchestral arrangement by Gil Evans, “The Pan Piper” in his record “Sketches from Spain”.
The movies sound track to which Carlos has dedicated his last record, “Cinema do Mar”, is another source for orchestral repertoire today. Since Carlos participated in the sound track of the movie “Mar Adentro” (Out to Sea) by Alejandro Almenabar, various others have come up for him, as is the last one composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto in which Carlos interprets the theme song, and also the sound track of an animated movie “Gedo Senki” which has been a major hit in Japan.
Carlos’ records have sold over 1 million copies worldwide with the outstanding cooperation of The Chieftains, Monserrat Caballé, Ry Cooder, Jackson Browne, Luz, Noa, Dulce Pontes, Teresa Salgueiro de Madredeus, Jordi Savall, Alan Stivell, Mike Scott of the Waterboys, Roger Hodgsdon of Supertramp, and a long etcetera. Carlos gives 120 concerts per year and thus is an artist who is constantly touring since the launch of his first record in ‘96; as he has the quality demanded by classic audiences and the necessary energy in rock concerts, as demonstrated in the 2000 Jubilee in Rome where he performed for 2 million people.
It was in the first days of 2007 when La Mari (the voice and soul of Chambao) began to collect ideas and compose songs for her new album. She had many things to tell after her long and successful international tour “Pokito a Poko” (Little by Little), about her trips and collaborations, and her personal experiences. “Con otro aire” (With another atmosphere), Chambao’s latest album published in Spain on the 6th of November with 11 new songs, of which La Mari composed nine, is the fruit of this work.
To say La Mari is to say Chambao. “I love the crossing of styles and enjoy experimenting with mixtures of flamenco fusion and electronic music. “Con otro aire” (With another air) is my personal look at other influences and latitudes, such as the African continent”, La Mari confirms as a result of her new album. The artist has been involved in all aspects of the creation process of the record, from composition to production. It is a big bet and the first time she takes on the challenge of creating an album single handed, with songs that talk about comings and goings as much to other continents as to the interior of her feelings and thoughts, communicating to the world her gratitude for this period of her life. “A better world is possible beginning with oneself” says La Mari.
“Con otro aire” (With another atmosphere) is Chambao’s fourth album offering a fresher and ethnical sound. The words refer to topics that influence, bother or amuse La Mari, taking on a social context such as in the song “Papeles Mojados” (Wet Papers). Among the co-operations that appear in the album, outstanding are those of two great flamencoo stars: Estrella Morente (in the song “Lo bueno y lo malo” (The good and the bad) and Enrique Morente (in “Respira” (Breathe).
“Con otro aire” (With another air) comes after Chambao’s international recognition, example of which is their nomination to the Latin Grammy Awards 2007 of Ricky Martin and La Mari as the Recording of the Year for their duo in the song “Tu recuerdo” (Your memory).
With her last album “Pokito a Poko”, (Little by Little) Chambao has traveled the world on a long tour, thus becoming Spain’s most international group. Latin America, Europe, United States… The album has been published in 20 countries and has remained more than 70 weeks among those most sold in Spain and became a Platinum Record.
It was the confirmation of one the more solid music careers in Spain. Chambao had surprised with their debut with the album Flamenco Chill (2002), to later secure a privileged position with “Endorfinas en la mente” (Endorphines in the mind) (2004), “Pokito a Poko” (Little by Little) (2005), the DVD in direct “Chambao Puro” (Pure Chambao) (2006), and the collection “Caminando” (Walking) (2001 – 2006). Now we have “Con otro aire” (With another air), the new album with 11 new songs born with the calling to cross frontiers. “I was able to see it in the last tour, which has taken me two years visiting half the world. I have felt a warm reception and proximity in countries and cities as different as Puerto Rico, Miami, London, Milan, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Caracas…” It is Chambao that returns with “Con otro aire” (With another air).
Rosana (Lanzarote, Canary Islands) is the youngest of a family of eight brothers. At the age of 20 she traveled to Madrid to study harmony and guitar.
In 1994 a song composed by her won the first prize in the Festival of Benidorm. Since then her compositions have interested many artists.
In 1996 she decided to sing her own songs and published her first album: “Lunas Rotas” (Broken Moons). This recording obtained an unsuspected projection and became a musical phenomenon. The simplicity, naturalness and emotion of her work touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people. It obtained sales of 1,600,000 copies in Spain, and more than 900,000 in the rest of the world. In 2007 there are 3 million copies sold of this recording.
Records
“Luna Nueva” (New Moon) (1998). This recording marks her debut as a producer and arrives in the Viña del Mar Festival where she wins the Gaviota de Plata (Silver Seagull).
“Rosana” (2001). The author/composer’s namesake record. Probably the one that best defines her.
“Marca Registrada” (Registered Trademark) (2003). A double disc recorded during two concerts (Malaga and Madrid) where hits and 10 unpublished themes are included.
“Magia” (Magic) (2005) After being on sale for only one month it becomes a Platinum Record.
“De Casa a las Ventas” (From Home to Sales) (2007). Tells the story of how Rosana over a short period of time went from playing in the living room of her home to doing so in front of 18 thousand people in the bull arena “Las Ventas” in Madrid.
As well as her own themes, Rosana has cooperated with other artists and in other jobs: Article 31 (Italy), A Tribute to Duncan Dhu, A Homage to Mexico, The Daughters of the Sun, María Dolores Pradera, Kesia, Emmanuel, Ketama, Raimundo Amador, Swing and Zucchero.
Some prizes and awards: 2 Onda Prizes: revelation artist and best album; 4 Prizes for Music (granted by the SGAE and AIE) as revelation composer, revelation artist, best female and best pop-rock album; Platinum Disc of Europe; 4 Friend Prizes; Communication Prize from the Lanzarote and Fuerteventura press association; Special prize in the Viña del Mar Festival (Chile); Gardel prize of music for best Latin female artist; “Lunas del Auditorio” (Auditorium Moons) prize from Mexico D.F.’s National Auditorium; Gold Microphone (granted by the Spanish Federation of Radio and Television Associations); Gold Medal for merit in the Arts (granted by the Government of the Canary Islands).
In 2007 Rosana has conducted a tour “Luna Llena” (Full Moon) and in Sitges presents us “Como en Casa” (Like at Home) due to the artist’s need to return to more intimate performances, to close and direct contact with the audience. These are small concerts in special theaters (as for example Palau de la Música) where the artist presents her themes on her guitar and singing, just as they are born when she composes them, completely bare. These are not normal concerts, they are something more, they are encounters with music where all five senses are on keen edge.
Pau Donés, originally from Aragón was brought up in Barcelona, began his music career at a very early age. After gaining some experience with various groups, he waited till after he became thirty to dedicate himself entirely to his vocation in heart and soul. His definitive project, “Jarabe de Palo” (Stick Syrup), published his first record in 1996 obtaining an exceptional success from “La Flaca” (Slim girl), which came unexpectedly one year later. The theme, which sold millions of copies worldwide, became 1997’s summer song and Pau, though grateful, concentrated his efforts to demonstrate that his success would not be short lived.
His second album, “Depende” (Depends) (99), repeated his previous success, using ingenious ironic lyrics abundantly, which not only connected with Hispanic audiences, but also with our Italian cousins. In total, nearly half a million copies sold in less than one month. “De vuelta y vuelta” (Round and Round) (01) a more conceptual delivery was equally popular in all Latin America as well as France and Italy, and in 2002 Pau secluded himself with his group in a studio in Formentera to shape his fourth album, “Bonito” (Pretty) (03), a return to a positivism in which ‘Mártires del Compás’ would want to take part, the author and singer Elena Andujar and his Italian friend Jovanotti. In 2004 he presented, 1 m2, the latest recording in which his friends Jorge Dexter, Lucrecia or Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) cooperated.
Looking back, “Jarabe de Palo” (Stick Syrup) can boast big sales, awards (Music Prizes, Ondas…), applauded video-clips, nominations to a Grammy, themes in Italian and English and cooperation with ‘La Vieja Trova Santiaguera’, Antonio Vega, Ketama, Vico C or the queen Celia Cruz (in the sound track of “El Milagro” (The Miracle) by P. Tinto). Pau has vindicated Peret in a homage recording, composed for Ricky Martin and performed in a clip of the American star Alanis Morissette.
In April 2007, “Adelantando” (Getting Ahead) was published, sixth disc of the band produced by Pau Donés himself and in which La Mari of Chambao, Carlos Tarque of M Clan, Nicolo Fabi and La Shica have cooperated.
During that same month ‘Jarabe de Palo’ (Stick Syrup) playing live presented the recording in Spain’s most important cities in a small tour format and continued with 17 concerts in Europe covering Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Holland once again demonstrating it is one of the more international and successful bands in the Spanish musical panorama. Additionally they had an extensive tour during the summer of 2007.
At present ‘JARABE DE PALO’ (STICK SYRUP) are on a tour with their show ‘Reciclando Tour’ (Recycling Tour) designed exclusively for theaters and auditoriums. They have the cooperation of luxury host, Andreu Buenafuente. It is a show with wardrobe and special scenery for the occasion where they recycle all of their big hits. They combined this tour with the “Gira Adelantando” (Getting Ahead Tour) which will continue till the end of the summer of 2008.
