JUAN CARMONA & PTIT MOH

Press Review
Juan Carmona – USA Tour 2009

THE CHRONICLE NEWS TRINIDAD, COLORADO
By LAURA L. BREWER,

Juan Carmona, Flamenco guitarist from Spain, performs in Shuler Theater

« The atmosphere in the Shuler Theater was electric during the performance of Juan Carmona onNov. 16. Not a common sound inRaton, the jazz-style flamencomusic, surprised most, pleasedmany.The five-piece group from Spainconsisted of Juan Carmona on guitar,Sabrina Romero with vocalsand flamenco dance, DomingoPatricio- flute, El Bandolero providingpercussion, and Didier delAguilla on Bass guitar. The complicatedand intricate score of eachpiece, and the amazing fingering required, raised the difficulty ofthe music to a level not seen by thiscommunity for quite sometime. Christina Boyce, owner of Studio C in DesMoines, and board member ofthe RAHC, voiced her approvalof the performance by saying“It was very exciting to hearand see the fusion offlamencowith jazz.”The Juan Carmon performancewas the second in theRAHC 2009-2010 performing arts series. The RAHC hopes toenrich the community by bringinga wide variety of music andtheater to Raton and the artscouncil understands that theycould fill the theater to capacityfor every performance if theyoffered only country, Celtic, bigband, rock and roll, or Mexican-American music to the community,but in order to fulfill itsmission to thecommunity thecouncil strives to book classical,modern, and culturally diversegroups for the season, therebyproviding opportunities formany people, especially theyoung, to be entertained by different forms of music and theater. »

GOE ERIE.COM
Preview by John Chacona

« Borders crossing : Juan Carmona, Ethos Percussion Group prove the flat-earth theory of 21st-century music making. It's funny how borders work in the arts these days. Consider the two major presentations on local college campuses this week: Flamenco guitarist Juan Carmona on Friday at Mercyhurst College's Mary D'Angelo Center, and Ethos Percussion Group on Wednesday at Penn State Berhend's free Music at Noon series.

Carmona, despite his name and the provenance of the music he plays, is a Frenchman, born in Lyon 46 years ago. Descended from Andalucian Roma people who had emigrated to North Africa, Carmona, like many second-generation children of immigrants, became fascinated with the culture of his ancestors. Fresh from the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, where, at the age of 26, he became the first professor of flamenco guitar, Carmona returned to the land of his ancestors to immerse himself in the culture of flamenco in Jerez de la Frontera. He returned to France 13 years ago a recognized master of the raw, emotional art form of flamenco with a particular interest in the North African roots of the music. Like crossbreeding different strains of the same plant species, Carmona's border hopping has brought a new vigor to flamenco.
When he hops the border to Erie where his eight-city American tour begins, he'll bring a richly seasoned stew.
Brought to life by bassist Didier Del Aguila, flautist Domingo Patricio, percussionist Pepe Motos, and flamenco dancer Sabrina Romero, Carmona's music is multicultural to be sure, but full of the fire and drama that have made flamenco such a compelling and influential cultural force. Like Carmona's flamenco, an Ethos concert is as mush of a visual treat as an aural one. Before a single performer walks on stage, the lights come up on a toy store of gongs, cymbals, mallet instruments, and drums of all sizes, materials, and provenance. If you liked the thunder of Yamato, the taiko drum group that played two sold-out houses two weekends ago, you'll love Ethos. Don't bother bringing your passport. These borders are not just unguarded. They're almost meaningless. »

THE INDEPENDANT WEEKLY LINE
on Durango and Beyond Durango Telegraph

« Got guitar? Juan Carmona certainly does and he’ll be playing it at San Juan College’s Henderson Fine Arts Center in Farmington at 7 p.m. Saturday. As one of the world’s top flamenco guitarists, the French-born Gypsy spent nearly a decade studying the nylon-stringed music in Andalusia, Spain. His recording career includes forays into Moroccan music and “Sinfonia Flamenca,” recorded with the Belgian Symphony Orchestra. »
- THE CHRONICLE NEWS TRINIDAD, COLORADO