La vida llega (Nuevos Medios, 2015)
Madrid-based record label Nuevos Medios played an essential role in the development of the Young flamencos, the new breed of musicians that incorporated new elements to flamenco. After a long hiatus, Nuevos Medios is back, led by María Pacheco, the daughter of the label’s founder, with a fabulous album by Pepe Luis Carmona Habichuela titled La vida llega.
Singer-songwriter Pepe Luis Carmona was one of the founders of celebrated nuevo flamenco band La Barberia del Sur, an act that was supported by Nuevos Medios. Pepe Luis is part of one of the most famous flamenco families, nicknamed the Habichuelas, with roots in Granada and Madrid.
Born and raised in Madrid, a city that he loves deeply, Pepe Luis Carmona decided to leave the flamenco world a few years ago and relocated to Granada in southern Spain, the land of his ancestors. There, he got married and after many years of reflection decided that it was time to return to flamenco.
La vida llega contains an outstanding mix of original memorable songs with flamenco and Cuban influences and straight-ahead modern flamenco featuring palos (flamenco genres) such as bulerias, rumbas, tangos, fandangos, and granaina.
Pepe Luis Carmona recruited the cream of the nuevo flamenco scene along with renowned Cuban bassist Yelsy Heredia, an artist living in Spain who frequently collaborates in flamenco projects. The list of musicians is truly impressive: Agustín Carbonell ‘Bola’ on guitar; Pepe Habichuela on guitar; Jorge Pardo on saxophone; Josemi Carmona on guitar; Raimundo Amador on electric guitar; Yelsy Heredia on bass; Jesús de Rosario on guitar; Kiki Cortiñas on guitar and backing vocals; Josep Salvador on guitar; Israel Suárez ‘Piraña’ on percussion; Juan Carmona ‘Camborio’ on guitar; Lucky Losada on percussion; Antonio Ramos ‘Maca’ on bass; José Maria Cortina on keyboards; Bandolero on percussion; Ramón el Portugués on vocals; José Antonio Carmona on palmas (handclap percussion) and backing vocals; Aurora Losada on vocals; Pipote Moreno on palmas; Andrés Vedo on keyboards; and backing vocalists Irene Molina, Estrella Fernández, Antonio Montoya “Purry”, José Cortés “El Pirata”, Rafita de Madrid, Saúl Quirós, Luisa Carmona, Saira Carmona, and El Purri.
With La vida llega, Pepe Luis Carmona Habichuela reappears in the flamenco scene with one of the finest recordings of the year.
Purchase the La vida llega CD
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
