Born in 1973 into one of the elite families of Seville’s Tres Mil Viviendas neighborhood, by the young age of 11, Diego Amador was already playing professionally and had mastered drums, guitar, piano, and bass, and possessed an unusually powerful voice.
He joined the revered flamenco rock band Pata Negra founded by his brothers Raimundo and Rafael. Now considered one of the few flamenco masters on the piano, he developed his own self-taught method and is able to adapt traditional guitar accompaniment formats to the keyboard, winning the admiration of his colleagues in the flamenco sphere.
He has also played with La Susi, Remedios Amaya and Joaquin Grilo and is a long-time member of Tomatito’s Sextet. Internationally, Amador has collaborated with artists such as Larry Coryell, Luis Salinas, Alex Acuna, Birelli Lagrene and Jerry Gonzalez.
As one of the most gifted musician-composers of the current flamenco scene, he remains very much rooted in the unique gypsy approach to rhythm and harmonic structure and is thus hailed as a provocative, innovative and creative force within flamenco’s evolution, combing flamenco, jazz and salsa.
His skills are showcased on his Nuevos Medios/Fantasy Records release Piano Jondo on which he plays practically every instrument. His genius and trademark magnetism or “duende” are also clearly reflected in live performances.
In 2022, Diego Amador was immersed in a project for the conservation and recreation of the work of Paco de Lucía, together with guitarist José María Bandera.
Two years later, Diego Amador and José María Bandera released the album Paqueando, a tribute to Paco de Lucía.
Discography:
Anticipo Flamenco (1992)
El Aire de lo Puro (Nuevos Medios, 2001)
Piano Jondo (Nuevos Medios/Fantasy Records, 2008)
Rio de los Canasteros (Nuevos Medios, 2010)
Jazz a L’EStudi (TVC Disc, 2011)
Flamenco Jazz Tribute Live in Paris (DA Records, 2013)
Scherzo Flamenco (Rumor TVE, 2013)
Soy de las 3000 (Alacran Records, 2016)
Paqueando (Toque Records, 2024)
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.
Updated biography and discography.