José Jiménez Abadía, El Viejín, lives in the Madrid district of Caño Roto, a surprising Gypsy community where several guitarists have their homes (Felipe Maya and his son Jerónimo, El Entri and his brother Ramón Jiménez, etc.). He learned how to play the guitar for the first time at the age of three.
He is the son of the great dancer El Toupé and his relationship with Flamenco dance doesn’t finish there. El Viejín is one of the artists responsible for the evolution of music in modern Flamenco dance shows. He has collaborated with both Joaquín Cortés and Antonio Channels. British film director Mike Figgis (“Leaving the Vegas,””One Night Stand”) already knew this when he commissioned El Viejín to be the musical director of the outstanding documentary “Flamenco Women,” shot in the Madrid dance academies, which focused on the learning of this fascinating art form.
Thanks to his work for dance shows the reputation of The Viejín grew and grew. He received critical acclaim for his contribution to the Nuevos Medios compilations “Los Jóvenes Flamencos” ( “A mi hijo Jonatan,” in volume III, and “Amigos,” together with Ramón Jimenez in volume IV) and everything led to being recruited by the great Paco de Lucía as second guitarist: the dream of any guitar player was thus fulfilled.
Algo Que Decir (Something That Say) is the first CD by El Viejín and recorded it with great care and dedication. It is an album with a warm sound where El Viejín shows his prodigious and passionate technique. He has illustrious collaborators: Paco de Lucía, who accompanied him in the title “A los niños que sufren,” also present is the young singer Montse Cortés, and, since dancers were mentioned earlier, nothing less that Antonio Channels and Juan Ramirez who contribute their masterful heel tapping. Guitarists Ramón Jiménez and Juan Carmona produced the album.
Discography:
Algo Que Decir (Nuevos Medios, 1999)
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.