Antonio Moreno Carrasco, better known as Antonio Malena (Malena is his mother’s artistic name), was born in Jerez in 1961. He is deeply influenced by Jerez’s flamenco traditions. At the age of nine while singing Seguiriyas with the guitarist Moraíto Chico he appeared on Spanish public TV’s (RTVE) ‘Rito y geografía del cante’ show.
From this moment on he began a career that led him to perform at the leading festival and tablaos (nightclubs) and major theatres of the world. Notable among these are Bienal de Sevilla, Potaje de Utrera, Festival de Jerez. In tablaos such as ‘La Venta el Gato’ in Madrid, ‘Carmen Amaya’ in Barcelona, ‘Gitanillo’ in Córdoba. His concert appearances have included theatres in Spain, Holland, Japan and the United States.
Although primarily a solo artist, Antonio Malena has collaborated with other artists such as Faíco, Mario Escudero, Angelita Vargas.
As principal singer, he has taken part in flamenco shows such as ‘Sentir flamenco’, ‘Vivencias’ with Antonio el Pipa , ‘Arte y solera’ with the Japanese artists Mami y Hiro, and ‘Sonidos gitanos’ by María Bermúdez, among others.
Since 2001, Antonio Malena has been working with dancer and choreographer María del Mar Moreno. In 2005 they founded a company called Jerez Puro, where Antonio Malena serves as artistic director and lead vocalist for the company’s shows.
Discography
Yo soy así, así soy yo (Fonotrón, 1997)
Mis pensamientos
Para ti mi cante… que es mi libertad (Palomino Productions, 2012)
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.
