(headline image: Pepe Habichuela – Photo by Paco Manzano)
Pepe Habichuela (José Antonio Carmona Carmona), the influential flamenco guitarist born, died on August 4 in Madrid after a long illness. He was 82.
Throughout his career, however, Habichuela earned widespread recognition for his distinctive guitar playing and his lasting contribution to flamenco music.
José Antonio Carmona Carmona, known worldwide as Pepe Habichuela, was born in Granada, Spain, in 1944 into the legendary Habichuela flamenco dynasty, where the guitar was a family tradition passed down from his grandfather, father, and brothers. He began his career accompanying celebrated flamenco singers, including Camarón de la Isla, before his groundbreaking collaborations with Enrique Morente helped redefine modern flamenco.
As a solo artist, he honored tradition while innovating the genre through collaborations with jazz musicians such as Don Cherry and Dave Holland and by exploring connections between flamenco and Indian music with artists including Nitin Sawhney and Anoushka Shankar. His acclaimed 2001 album Yerbagüena, produced by his son Josemi Carmona, exemplified his innovative spirit by mixing flamenco, jazz, and Indian influences.
Pepe Habichuela’s musical legacy also lives on through his son Josemi and his nephews Juan and Antonio Carmona, founding members of the influential flamenco fusion group Ketama.
The President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, declared on his Facebook page: “A master has left us. Pepe Habichuela, a genius of flamenco guitar who dedicated his life to music, leaves behind his work and a great influence on artists of several generations. Andalusia is proud of his enormous talent. A very warm hug to his family, friends, and colleagues. Rest in peace.”
More about Pepe Habichuela: worldmusiccentral.org/artist-profiles-pepe-habichuela
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central