Lately he's being cheered during performance almost as much as some of the singers he accompanies with his knowledgeable, classic yet updated playing style. Antonio Carrión Jiménez (Mairena del Alcor, Sevilla, 1964) was originally known as "Niño Carrión" ['kid Carrión'], and he was but a boy of thirteen when he recorded for the first time to accompany his father's singing. This young guitarist is one of the few nowadays who manages to negotiate the troubling division between classic flamenco and the modern sound, earning the respect of flamenco-lovers both young and old.

His vast professional history includes prizes such as the Yunque de oro de Pechina, Insignia de oro de la peña Curro Malena de Aguilar de la Frontera, Espuela gitana de Lebrija, Guitarra de oro peña Torresmacarena, Insignia de oro de la peña Juan Talega de Sevilla, Granadina de plata Peña Platería de Granada, Bandera de oro de Andalucía en Bruselas, Insignia de Mairena del Alcor y Madroño Flamenco de la Federación de Sevilla.

The night of Saturday, July 12, 2003, during a break at the thirty-fifth Reunión de Cante Jondo in La Puebla de Cazalla, Antonio devoted a few minutes of his time in the dressing-room to explain his perspective:

"There was always cante in my house,
and I always had a guitar in my hands"

Con Chocolate, José Menese & Diego Clavel

Antonio, what flamenco artists have there been in your family?
Well, my father was a singer, Carrión de Mairena, my grandfather too, not so much professionally, but a brother of his was professional and he shared many stages with Antonio Mairena, Juan Talega and all those people...he was called Cancuna, from Mairena del Alcor.

So you've practically been playing for flamenco singing all your life...
There was always cante in my house, and I always had a guitar in my hands...when I was a little boy I played for my father.

You also sing, don't you?
Well, I like to sing a little...I'm sort of modest so I don't know...I say "a little"...it's other people who have to judge. The fact is, I do like to sing, because apart from everything else, I don't have a bad voice, so I like to sing. I've got a few things recorded. The thing is, I like the guitar better. Besides, any guitarist who's accompanying cante nowadays should know about cante, as much or more than the singer, and more so if it's a guitarist who doesn't regularly play for one singer, but for many...each singer is a world unto himself or herself, and you have to know cante inside and out so you're ready for anything.

"Any guitarist who's accompanying cante nowadays
should know about cante, as much or more than the singer"

Do you accompany yourself on the guitar when you sing?
[He laughs.] ...No usually other people play for me...

Why are you the guitarist of choice for veteran singers?
More than "veterans", I'd say all the "classic" singers. I really like traditional flamenco, and I stick up for it, I know you have to move with the times, they're doing new things and I also do things, but I'm sort of type-cast with the classic singers...Menese, Chocolate, Manolo Mairena, Lebrijano, Curro Malena, Chano Lobato...because I champion purity and I know the foundations well.

Your playing is heavily inspired in Melchor de Marchena...is it because you like that style, or because it goes with these singers?
Above all, it goes well with these singers, but I've found tremendous purity and inspiration in Melchor...Melchor, Manolo de Huelva, Ricardo...but above all, Melchor, he's my idol when it comes to cante accompaniment.

"I've found tremendous purity and inspiration in Melchor"

Did you ever meet Melchor in person?
No, I never met him.

What's your opinion of flamenco guitar-playing today?
I see a direction that makes use of a lot of technique, but not much of a flamenco sound. Flamenco guitar has evolved spectacularly but when you look for depth, there isn't very much.

...because you're young enough to have become enthralled with fusion and "new flamenco"...
Yes, of course, but I feel most comfortable with traditional playing, and the truth is, contemporary playing isn't for me.

Do you aspire to a career as soloist?
I play my little solos once in a while, in fact I'll be going to Germany very soon to give a solo concert, but maybe it's because I like to sing so much that I like accompanying cante.

You incorporated some Morón sounds in your guitar solo that opened the festival tonight...
Well, we're just twelve or fifteen kilometers from Morón and the people love that...sometimes I add Morón touches for solo pieces.

Do you play for dance?
If there's no other choice I do, but I've almost never had to play for dancing.

What professional plans have you for the future?
Well, I have to record another record with José Menese now, and Chocolate, another with Carmen de la Jara we just finished, Kiki del Castilblanco just made another too, and I'm preparing my own, it's more or less coming together, solo guitar but with the collaboration of some very good singers.

Is there anything you'd like to say to Deflamenco's readers?
Well, we're delighted to be here in La Puebla de Cazalla tonight with a really perfect audience...and warmest regards to everyone.