José Montoya Carpio “El Berenjeno” was born in 1994 in one of the cradles of cante, Jerez de La Frontera. This young cantaor, from the Los Carpio family, one of the most acclaimed flamenco lineages of La Plazuela, is related to Los Moneo, Los Rubichis, Los Chalaos and Los Agujetas.
His initiation into flamenco was due to his grandfather Alfonso “El Berenjeno”, from whom he inherited his nickname, in addition to his uncles Manuel Carpio “El Garbanzo” and El Mijita. He also learned from the wisdom of other relatives such as El Torta, Luis Moneo, Diego Rubichi, Manuel Moneo, and Manuel Agujetas.
From an early age he was seen in the clubs and tabancos (taverns) of Jerez, taking his first steps as a singer at family gatherings. Over the years, his passion for flamenco led him to sing in many corners of Jerez, getting to sing in the prestigious Jerez peña La Bulería, and after that in the famous Fiesta de la bulería, obtaining a resounding success from the public and critics.
His official debut came in the flamenco club Don Antonio Chacón, where he becae the talk of the town within Jerez. This led to performances in Madrid, Zamora, Barcelona, Málaga, thus touring the entire Spanish geography.
After this, a crucial moment arrived in his short career, when he won first prize in the Naranjito de Triana contest in Seville, organized by the Fundación de Arte Flamenco Cristina Heeren, thus receiving a scholarship to receive classes from teachers such as José de La Tomasa, Esperanza Fernández and Juan José Amador. Since then, he has performed at prestigious events such as the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. This trajectory has made him one of the most sought-after cantaores (singers) to accompany baile (dance).
In 2021 he won the first prize in the Seville Federation of Flamenco Clubs contest and the following year he was selected to carry out the AIE Flamencos en Ruta tour, which each year selects the most important artists of each genre.
José “El Berenjeno” currently teaches cante classes at the Fundación Alalá, as well as touring many stages of the thriving flamenco scene as an emerging artist.
(headline image: José “El Berenjeno” Photo by Gilberto González Vázquez)
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.