A graduate of New York’s St. Francis Preparatory School, and the Madrid Royal Conservatory, where he studied classical piano, oboe and guitar, Limón began his career as a composer, working with various flamenco artists.
After meeting Bebo Valdés and Jerry González, Limón began working in Latin jazz and with Cuban musicians, in addition to his first love, flamenco. He has recorded all over the world, including in the West Bank, Bogotá, Bristol, Paris, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, New York City, and Morocco.
“In this moment, Javier Limón is one of the most quietly influential figures in Latin music worldwide,” said Dr. Lawrence Simpson, Berklee Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “His aesthetic as a composer and producer are at the leading edge of music today, and his enthusiasm for working across musical genres is very much in keeping with the global nature of Berklee. We are thrilled to have him teaching with us this year, particularly as we begin the first programs at our new campus in Valencia, Spain.”
Limon’s many composition and production credits include major albums with artists including Paco de Lucía, Bebo Valdés, El Cigala, Enrique Morente, Wynton Marsalis, Avishai Cohen, Alicia Keys and the acclaimed Spanish singer, Buika.
In 2004, Limón was awarded the Latin Grammy for Producer of the Year for his work on five records: Lágrimas Negras, by Diego El Cigala and Bebo Valdés, Cositas Buenas by Paco de Lucía, El Cantante by Andrés Calamaro, El Pequeño Reloj by Enrique Morente, Niño Josele by Niño Josele, and Tributo Flamenco A Don Juan Valderama by various artists.
In 2009, Limón was awarded his first Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for recording Juntos Para Siempre, a series of father and son piano duets by Bebo and Chucho Valdés.
Javier Limón will appear on August 12 and 13 at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in En Fuego: Voices and Guitars a celebration of the passion and rhythm of the guitar. This concert brings the Los Angeles Philharmonic together with Javier Limón, Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela along with Spanish songstress Buika. Limón will present the Mujeres de Agua project.
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
Dear Mr. Javier Limón:
First, congratulations on the many professional honors you have received, the most recent being the Visiting Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston during 2011 – 2012. I enjoyed reading the World Music Central.org February article regarding the above and I will buy a few of your five records from 2004 Also, I will look for the one with Buika.
Here is my question of you and I am counting on your vast knowledge of Mediterranean music to help me find an “album” from the early 1960s. I graduated h.s. in 1963; my parents gave me a “record player” and I received a gift of a Mediterranean instrumental album from the store where it was purchased. My father absolutely loved it (me, not so much … at that time in my life). We do have some Spanish heritage on his mother’s side and my father’s family was very musically inclined. I have such fond memories of him asking me to play that album, especially while we-a family of eight children-all sat down together (that was the way we did things then) for our meals. Now that my parents have passed away and I am 65 years old I have a “mini-obsession” to find that album (hopefully as a CD, but highly unlikely). I did buy Mediterranean Nights, but it is just not the same. Given the number of such albums there would have been at the time and the 48 years which have passed since then, I know it is a long shot … but would you have any idea of some of the albums during that time period and a short time before. Maybe if I hear the name of it, I will remember and I will be forever grateful to you for your help. I am aware you are extremely busy so if you can’t help, I totally understand. Thank you for listening and Thanks in advance for any assistance you may be able to offer if you know anything that would help me. Maybe even a web site I am not familiar with which would help me find that which I seek.