Music
Friday, 05 February 2010 04:02
Written by Emma Chi

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Get your sexy dancing shoes on because this Sunday at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Spaniard (and Shanghai resident) Abraham Carmona is going to have those toes a tappin’. We caught up with the composer/guitarist/singer/flamenco dancer/sex bomb for a quick chat…

Flamenco is in everything you do, right?
Yeah, I think flamenco is in all the aspects of me, as an artist and as a human being. Flamenco is not only a kind of music, for me is also a way of living. If you listen to any of my music, even if is a funk song, you can tell that behind that composition there is a ‘flamenco artist.’ It is not that everything I play is flamenco, it is that everything I play has flamenco. It’s a way of expression.

Your show is called “Flam3ntriko.” What's it mean?
It’s three words in one, flamenco, trinity and dynamic. The show is three different ways to express my music in one concert. Pure flamenco, instrumental jazz/flamenco fusion and funk/rock/flamenco fusion. I'll perform solo and with my band. I’ll sing, play guitar, piano and sometimes percussion. It will be a very dynamic show. Instruments like the violin and trumpet will sound like flamenco; and the piano will be transformed into a flamenco guitar and the flamenco guitar into a voice. There will be a few new songs that I’ve never played before and a few more surprises. It’s going to be an adventure.

Your musicals influences come from... ?
Well, I never had a teacher. I’m not a good student. I preferred to learn by myself, I’m very used to it. I make mistakes and I learn from them, that’s what I do and that’s how I learned everything I know. My grandfather and my father were both guitarists, but my father never wanted me to be a professional musician. He didn't want that for me, so he never taught me anything, but he would let me watch him playing and that’s how I started. The rest is work, work and work. The music teaches you itself, it makes you keep going anytime you discover new things.

You’re a composer, guitarist and singer. What’s your preferred label?
I like the three of them, together. If I choose just one I’ll miss some part of me as an artist.

What's your definition of original flamenco? How do you interpret it?
The original flamenco, pure flamenco, is very basic. Three elements; voice, guitar and dance. Flamenco is the way for gypsies to express their happiness and sadness. The guitar does the chords with the rhythm, the voice does the melody and the dance is the percussion.

How does flamenco fit into the musical tapestry of Shanghai?
Shanghai is a great city to lose your fear and experiment with your art. I believe that’s what we are doing here, and that’s what the audience gets from us. I think foreign musicians in Shanghai are a great influence for the local musicians and vice versa. We're all growing together and it means it's more competitive, and that’s a good thing. It makes you to want to be better, makes you work harder. I’m also very pleased to know many Shanghai musicians; we're all friends and support each other.

// Feb 7, 3pm, Flam3ntriko, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, RMB60-300 (6854 1234)

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