Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 27/06) - Spanish guitar virtuoso and recording artist Juan Martin returns to Yellowknife next month for a pair of concerts at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.
He'll share the NACC stage with two performers who practice the other expressions of flamenco: singer Nuria Martin and dancer Carmen Rios.
"(Carmen) is a glamorous young lady of 27," he said, playfully suggesting that the dancer shares more than a name in common with the fiery gypsy from Georges Bizet's opera.
While in Yellowknife, Martin will meet with classical guitarist Lyndon Duong for a one-on-one workshop.
Martin and Duong met when they played on separate stages during Folk on the Rocks two years ago.
Duong said he is planning a couple of songs to play for the Spanish guitarist.
"He has a gift," Martin said of the young guitarist's talent. "But, the guitar is a long journey."
Martin grew up in the Mediterranean climate of Andalucia, the birthplace of flamenco. It's a region in southern Spain that was named Al Andalus during pre-1492 Muslim rule.
Martin's compositions give a home to Muslim and gypsy influences, combined with other stylistic elements borrowed from around the world.
He will open his concert at NACC with some tarantas, or Spanish mining songs, that demonstrate techniques meant for guitar aficionados in the audience.
He will then accelerate into some up-tempo rumba followed by Solea, a deep and solemn form of flamenco from which other styles flow, such as the fast-paced bulerias and the festive Cuban guajira.
His shows feature lots of nuevo flamenco, a fusion genre that crosses into jazz, pop and rock.
"Musicians can't stand still and repeat what was done before," he said.
Martin performs at NACC on Feb. 10 and 11.