Josemi Carmona He was 14 years old when he joined KetamaHe lived from within the boom of the so-called new flamenco, that time of notable confusion but also of bubbling creativity that served, more than anything, for a whole generation of Spaniards who had not had the slightest contact with the jondo put aside their prejudices, become familiar with our native sounds and embrace them forever.
But the years have passed –thirty, it is said soon– and Josemi has been growing as a composer and performer, getting close to some of the most talented creators of our music, just like that, without labels, like Jorge Pardo, Javier Colina o Carlos Benavent, while recording such esteemed albums as The Little Things, Adding Up, Up Close o Life. He was never the fastest, nor the purest (whatever that means), but he always showed off a natural flamenco style, perfectly adapted to his restless and searching character.
That long and fruitful journey is what he wanted to remember in My life, my music, the repertoire with which he presented himself this Wednesday at the Castle of Santa Catalina de Cádiz, within the framework of the Heritage Festival FlamencoA somewhat ghostly crescent moon shone over the colonial building when Carmona appeared on the scene to perform a somewhat cold Granada song, playing with the loop.
It was followed, with the group already on stage, by a version of Wishing Well, a beautiful vestige of the time of Ketama, before Rafita from Madrid would like to shine in alegrías, fandangos of Huelva and martinete. Pay attention to this interesting singer, a relative of Diego El Cigala and with only one disc on the market, which measured up very well with the cantes exhibiting abundant class details.
"Josemi Carmona, that creator who has managed to sustain himself in music not by living off his name or his earnings, but by delving deeper into his quest. I hope he doesn't stop there: he has almost his whole life ahead of him."
After the topic My Fat Girl, with that ideal tango weather to listen to on these dates with the blinds down and the fan on full blast, the intimate haven of Moon River, the classic of Henry Mancini who popularized the soundtrack of Breakfast at Tiffany's, and which Josemi Carmona takes to his territory in a way that is as smooth as it is effective.
The bulerías that the guitarist recorded accompanied by Paco de Lucía under the title Two daggers They still seem like a delicious jaunt of rhythm and flavor, perfectly linked to the rumba Ni contigo sin ti or, further proof of the happy marriage between flamenco and Cuban rumba, which the Ketama, Barbershop of the South and related projects explored with determination.
The bass of Joshua 'Ronkio' It sounded powerful, in the virtuoso line of a Popo or a Juanfe Pérez; the percussion of Bandit, another fundamental name of the years of the new flamenco, was highly polished, especially with the cajón; while the trumpet of Enrico, although at times it seemed difficult for him to find his place, he contributed the beautiful sound of his instrument and constant melodic support to Carmona's sonanta, which for its part joyfully dialogued with its multilingual, flamenco, Latin jazzy nature.
Acclaimed by the respectable crowd that filled the castle courtyard – there are no tickets left for almost any performance in the cycle – the musicians came out for the last time to play the very paquera Tangroove, one of the hallmarks of Josemi Carmona, the creator who has managed to sustain himself in music not by living off his name or his earnings, but by delving deeper into his quest. Hopefully, he doesn't stop there: he has almost his whole life ahead of him.
Credits
My life, my music, by Josemi Carmona
Heritage Festival Flamenco
Castle of Santa Catalina, Cádiz
August 6th, 2025
Josemi Carmona, guitar
Rafita from Madrid, cante
Josué 'Ronkio', bass
Enriquito, trumpet
Bandolero, percussion
