José Antonio Carmona Carmona, better known as Pepe Habichuela, was born in Granada (Spain) in 1944. The guitar was always n present in the Habichuela dynasty. Pepe Habichuela’s grandfather, Tio José Habichuela and father Juan Carmona Habichuela played the guitar and all his brothers were professional players. His son is Josemi Carmona, who along with Pepe’s nephews, Juan y Antonio, founded innovative flamenco fusion group Ketama.
As many other guitarists Pepe Habichuela’s professional career started as accompanist to well-known cantaores (singers) like Camarón de la Isla. His collaboration with the great cantaor Enrique Morente meant a giant step for modern Flamenco. Pepe Habichuela participated in several of Morente’s superb albums: Se hace camino al andar, Homenaje a Don Antonio Chacón and Despegando.
Since 1980 Pepe Habichuela gave concerts as a soloist. Notably, his first solo album was a tribute to his grandfather.
Pepe went beyond traditional flamenco guitar by adding bass, percussion, and jazz elements to his compositions. His interest in jazz led him to collaborations with jazzmen Don Cherry and David Holland. He also explored the connections between flamenco and Indian music, collaborating with Nithin Sawhney, Anoushka Shankar and The Bollywood Strings.
The 2001 album Yerbagüena stood out for its weight, clarity, and depth. The concept of Yerbagüena was ingeniously embodied in the title track, presented in two versions: An Eastern version, recorded in Bangalore, India, with the Bollywood Strings, and a Western version, recorded in Madrid, featuring his son Josemi Carmona and a stellar flamenco-jazz rhythm section: Tino di Geraldo (drums) and Javier Colina (double bass).
The album included much more. Flamenco vocals appear at their most emotive and contemporary. The soaring malagueña from Cádiz, sung by Enrique Morente (finally sharing a record with Pepe Habichuela), was intensely moving. The “toná” that Guadiana performed at the beginning of the eleven-minute seguiriya, recorded live at the Grec Festival in Barcelona, confirmed his place as one of the most powerful voices in flamenco’s future.
The Bollywood Strings contributed arrangements that were substantial, generous, and cohesive. Under the musical direction of Chandru, the orchestra masterfully supported the palmas (handclaps) in “Bangalore Krishna” and delivered virtuosic solos that blended seamlessly with flamenco. Chandru’s violin and Baluli Shrivastava’s sitar were especially notable, while the percussion brought color, wisdom, and unmatchable precision. The voice of T.S. Shankar, one of India’s finest vocalists, was also featured.
The brilliance of the album owed much to its musical director and producer Josemi Carmona, who also brought Juan and Antonio Carmona (aka Ketama) into the studio for the track “Tres Colores,” a pure dose of “habichuelismo.”
In 2025, Pepe Habichuela received the Castillete de Oro, the highest institutional honor presented by the Cante de las Minas Festival, in recognition of his lifetime contribution to flamenco guitar. He accepted the award nearly four decades after his previous appearance at the festival and described the distinction as a meaningful milestone in his career.
The honor coincided with the presentation of Now or Never, his authorized biography by José Manuel Gamboa. The book chronicles Habichuela’s life and career through his own account, alongside contributions from his wife, Amparo Bengala, and his son, Josemi Carmona.
During the event, Habichuela reflected on a pivotal decision early in his career, when he left the stability of tablao performances to pursue concert work with singer Enrique Morente. That collaboration led to extensive international touring and became a defining chapter in his artistic development.
The Castillete de Oro added to a list of major honors that included Spain’s Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts, awarded in 2019, as well as honorary professorships from the University of Alcalá in Madrid and Berklee College of Music in Boston.
During the presentation ceremony, Joaquín Zapata, president of the Fundación Cante de las Minas, praised Habichuela’s exceptional role as an accompanist and highlighted his work alongside four generations of flamenco singers, from Pepe Marchena and Juanito Valderrama to Enrique Morente, Rocío Márquez, and Silvia Pérez Cruz.
Pepe Hachuela died on August 4, 2026, in Madrid.
Discography:
Homenaje a D. Antonio Chacón, with Enrique Morente (Hispavox, 1976)
Despegando (CBS, 1977)
A Mandeli (Nuevos Medios, 1983)
Habichuela en Rama (Nuevos Medios, 1997)
Yerbagüena, with The Bollywood Strings (Nuevos Medios NM15788, 2001)
Hands, with Dave Holland (Dare2 Records, 2010)
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.
As far as I can tell from watching Pepe masterfully play flamenco, he is right handed. On the cover of Guitarra Flamenca, it shows him playing left handed. Or posing left handed. Was he ambidextrous?
Updated Pepe Habichuela’s biography.