habichuela
familia habichuela
TOWN HALL
LARRY ZUCKER, Executive Director
M.A. PAPPER, Artistic Director
BILL DEHLING, Technical Director
C ARL A CAMP o RA , Production Manager
CINDY BYRAM, Publicity
LEIA-LEE D o RAN, Designer
T HE To WN H ALL pRESENTS
familia habichuela LEGENDARY DYNASTIES
Flamenco guitarist pepe Habichuela, 73, is the rarest kind of master. Yes, he’s an invaluable link to the history and deepest traditions in the music, but he´s also a seemingly fearless experimenter and a champion of the younger musicians following in his steps.
He is celebrating his 60 years of flamenco guitar with a concert titled FAmILIA HABICHUELA: LEGENDARY DYNASTIES at The Town Hall, Saturday, march 24 at 8:00 pm. Habichuela becomes part of a long list of great flamenco guitarists who have appeared at The Town Hall in the last 20 years, including paco de Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito, paco peña and Sabicas.
The concert, part of Flamenco Festival New York 2018, will also feature his son, guitarist, composer and producer Josemi Carmona, a member of the groundbreaking Nuevo Flamenco group Ketama, and singer Kiki morente, the son of the late, great singer Enrique morente, whom Habichuela accompanied for more than 30 years. The superb ensemble also includes Javier Colina, one of the finest bass players in Spain; José manuel Ruiz, “Bandolero,” a top percussionist in flamenco; and flamenco dancer Alba Heredia, a member of the maya family, another storied flamenco gypsy dynasty.
Also, as a nod to Habichuela’s history of collaborations with jazz musicians , the show will also feature multiple Grammy-winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill, leader of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and his son, trumpeter and composer Adam O’Farrill.
Born José Antonio Carmona Carmona in Granada, Andalucía, Spain, pepe Habichuela (the nickname, Habichuela, green bean, is a family mark that has been passed on down from his grandfather) is the patriarch of one of the most influential Gypsy dynasties in flamenco.
“One says ‘60 years’ very quickly, but that’s many, many hours playing guitar,” said Habichuela with a chuckle in a recent conversation from his home in madrid, Spain. His career as a musician started simply as a way to help put food on the family´s table. He was 12 when he asked his father for a guitar and started to try his luck in the caves of the traditional neighborhood of Sacromonte. In time, he became a disciple of master flamenco guitarists such as mario Escudero and Agustín Castellón Campos, “Sabicas,” and distilled their teachings and his own experiences into a distinctive style, defined by its intensity, clarity and earthy elegance.
pepe was only 18 when his brother Juan, who was leaving for New York on tour, summoned him to madrid to replace him at his job at Torres Bermejas, one of the best tablaos (flamenco clubs) in the capital city. Habichuela didn’t even have a suitcase. “my mother put a pair of pants, a tortilla and a piece of bread in a bag and off I went to madrid.” It was while performing there that Habichuela was noticed by Enrique morente, beginning a transcendent musical partnership. In morente, Habichuela found a kindred spirit, always ready to take chances.
He recorded with morente and two solo albums, but also performed with artists such as cornetist Don Cherry; Anglo-Indian musician, producer, and composer Nitin Sawhney; and sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar; and recorded albums such as Yerbaguena, an exceptional collaboration with The Bollywood Strings, an Indian string orchestra; and Hands, with jazz bassist Dave Holland.
Habichuela’s son, José miguel (Josemi) Carmona, whom flamenco virtuoso paco de Lucía called “one of the guitarists who will define guitar playing in the 21st century,” was 5 years old when he debuted on stage with morente, and as a teenager he toured with his father on the landmark Broadway revue Flamenco Puro. At 14, he joined his cousins’s group, Ketama, playing a blend of flamenco, salsa, Brazilian grooves and jazz harmonies, all presented with a smart pop sensibility. Ketama became a phenomenon, launching what came to be known as New Flamenco.
It is only natural then that Habichuela and Josemi Carmona take their appearance at The Town Hall as an opportunity to cross boundaries, sharing the stage with the O’Farrills.
pHOTO: pepe Habichuela and his son Josemi Carmona (© Jose Torres)
In fact, Arturo and Adam O’Farrill represent yet another musical dynasty. Arturo’s father, Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill (1921-2001), was one of the most accomplished composers, arrangers and bandleaders in the history of Afro-Cuban jazz. Arturo Jr. is a multiple GRAmmY winner who, through his work with his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, has explored the great diversity within what is known as Latin jazz. meanwhile, his son, Adam has established himself as an up-and-coming trumpeter and composer, recording two albums with the O’Farrill Brothers Band, also featuring his brother, drummer and composer Zack, and collaborating with artists such as saxophonist Rudresh mahanthappa, pianist Vijay Iyer and bassist Christian mcBride.
For Habichuela, “to be on tour with Josemi and Kiki, to play with young flamencos, it’s wonderful. I’m living a second youth,” he says with a chuckle. “I’ve played with all the old masters you can think of in the flamenco world, and now the young people are calling me to play with them and to tell you the truth, I feel younger than my age. I’m always surrounded by young people and that fills me up with life.”
The Familia Habichuela concert at The Town Hall is supported by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) through the mobility Grants of the program for the Internationalization of Spanish Culture (pICE).
pHOTO: Adam O’Farrill (courtesy of the artist)
T HE To WN H ALL pRESENTA
FAM i L i A HAB i CH u ELA: L EGENDARIAS D INAST í AS
A los 73 años, el guitarrista pepe Habichuela es un inusual maestro. Él es, sin duda, un eslabón invaluable en la historia y las tradiciones más profundas del flamenco. pero Habichuela también es un explorador sin miedos de nuevas mezclas y un paladín de los músicos jóvenes siguiendo sus pasos.
Habichuela está celebrando 60 en los escenarios del flamenco con un concierto titulado FAmILIA HABICHUELA: LEGENDARY DYNASTIES (La Familia Habichuela: Dinastías Legendarias) en The Town Hall, el sábado 24 de marzo a las 8:00 pm. Con esta presentación, Habichuela agrega su nombre a una larga lista de brillantes guitarristas flamencos que han actuado en The Town Hall en los últimos 20 años, incluyendo figuras como paco de Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito, paco peña y Sabicas.
Este concierto, parte del Flamenco Festival New York 2018, contará con la participación de su hijo, el guitarrista, compositor y productor Josemi Carmona, miembro del Ketama, el grupo pionero del Nuevo Flamenco, y el cantante Kiki morente, a cuyo padre, el gran cantante Enrique morente, Habichuela acompañó por más de 30 años. El extraordinario grupo que se presentará con Habichuela incluye al gran contrabajista Javier Colina; José manuel Ruiz, “Bandolero”, uno de los mejores percusionistas en el flamenco; y la bailaora Alba Heredia, miembro de la familia maya, otra gran dinastía flamenca.
por otra parte, en un guiño a la historia de Habichuela y sus colaboraciones con músicos de jazz, el concierto también incluirá la participación del pianist y compositor Arturo O’Farrill, ganador de múltiples Grammys y fundador y líder de la Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, y su hijo, el trompetista y compositor Adam O’Farrill. Esta colaboración, la primera de los O’Farrill con Habichuela, no sólo acerca al flamenco y el jazz, sino que sirve para enfatizar las profundas y amplias conexiones entre el flamenco y la música afrocubana.
José Antonio Carmona Carmona, conocido mundialmente como pepe Habichuela, nació en Granada, Andalucía, y es el patriarca de una de las dinastías mas influyentes en el flamenco. (El sobrenombre Habichuela es un mote familiar que se remonta a su abuelo paterno.)
“60 años se dice fácil, pero son muchas, muchas horas tocando guitarra,” dijo Habichuela riéndose divertido en una entrevista desde su casa en madrid, España. Su carrera como músico comenzó simplemente como una manera de ayudar a poner comida en la mesa familiar. Tenía 12 años cuando le pidió una guitarra a su padre y comenzó a probar suerte en las cuevas del Sacromonte, el tradicional barrio gitano. Con el tiempo, fue discípulo de maestros de la guitarra flamenca tales como mario Escudero y Agustín Castellón Campos, “Sabicas”, y destiló sus enseñanzas en un estilo propio definido por su intensidad, claridad y sencilla elegancia.
pepe tenía solamente 18 años cuando su hermano Juan, que estaba yéndose a Nueva York en gira, lo llamó a madrid para que lo reemplazara en su trabajo en Torres Bermejas, uno de los mejores tablaos de la ciudad. Habichuela no tenía ni una vailja. “mi madre puso un par de pantalones, una tortilla y un hogaza de pan en una bolsa y con eso me fuí a madrid”. Fue en esta época que Enrique morente lo descubrió y así comenzó una de las asociaciones más ricas del flamenco moderno. En morente, Habichuela encontró un espíritu afín, un artista con raíces en la tradición pero siempre dispuesto a arriesgarse.
Grabó con morente y también dos discos en solitario. pero Habichuela también actuó y grabó con artistas como el cornetista Don Cherry, el músico, productor y compositor Anglo -Indio Nitin Sawhney y la sitarista y compositora Anoushka Shankar y grabó álbums como Yerbaguena, una colaboración excepcional con las Bollywood Strings, una orquesta de cuerdas india; y Hands, con el gran bajista de jazz Dave Holland.
pHOTO: Arturo O’Farrill (© Laura marie Diliberto)
El hijo de Habichuela, José miguel (Josemi) Carmona, a quien el gran virtuoso del flamenco paco de Lucía llamó “uno de los guitarristas que definirá el toque de la guitarra en el Siglo XXI”, tenía sólo 5 años cuando debutó en un escenario con morente. Ya como adolescente, él también estuvo de gira con su padre en el famoso show de Broadway “Flamenco puro”.
Cuando apenas tenía 14 años, Josemi se integró a Ketama, el grupo de sus primos. Fundado en los comienzos de los 80, Ketama creó una mezcla de flamenco, salsa, ritmos brasileños y armonías de jazz, presentadas con una astuta sensibilidad pop. Ketama se transformó en un fenómeno musical y marcó el inico de lo que luego fue conocido como Nuevo Flamenco.
Con todo esto es lógico que Habichuela y Josemi tomen su presentación en The Town Hall como otra oportunidad de cruzar fronteras musicales, compartiendo el escenario con los O´Farrill.
por otra parte, los O’Farrill son parte de otra dinastía musical. El padre de Arturo, el gran Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill (1921-2001), fue uno de los compositores, arregistas y directores más importantes en la historia del jazz afrocubano. Arturo Jr. es un múltiple ganador del Grammy quien, a través de su trabajo con la Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, ha explorado la gran diversidad de estilos dentro de lo que es conocido como Latin jazz. Su hijo Adam se ha establecido como un joven trompetista y compositor en ascenso. Ha grabado dos discos con la O’Farrill Brothers Band, la cual incluye a su hermano Zack, baterista y compositor, y ha colaborado con artistas de la talla del saxofonista Rudresh mahanthappa, el pianist Vijay Iyer y el contrabajista Christian mcBride.
mientas tanto, para Habichuela “estar de gira con Josemi y Kiki, tocar con jóvenes flamencos, es maravilloso. Estoy viviendo una segunda juventud”, dice y se echa a reír. “He tocado con todos lo grandes del flamenco que puedas pensar y ahora los jóvenes me esta buscando para que toque conellos y a decir verdad, me siento más joven que lo que dice mi edad. Estoy siempre rodeado de gente joven y eso me llena de vida”.
El concierto de la Familia Habichuela en The Town Hall es apoyado por Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) a través de las Ayudas de movilidad del programa para la Internacionalización de la Cultura Española (pICE).
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