Cañizares publishes Suite Iberia in the United States, to be presented on tour February, 2008

Cañizares is currently one of the most important stars of flamenco guitar in Spain.  His musical career is noteworthy for the quality of his compositions and his original, personal sound, discovering new directions for Spanish guitar.  He worked ten years with Paco de Lucía, and collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Al DiMeola, Michael Brecker, Mike Stern, Leo Brower, Peter Erkskine and some of flamenco’s greatest artists such as Camarón or Enrique Morente.  He has composed music for film and ballet, appeared on the world’s major stages, from New York (Carnegie Hall) to Tokyo (Sumida Triphony Hall).  Cañizares is one of the great performance musicians of flamenco, and his most recent record, Suite Iberia, is being released this month in the United States, and eventually Italy, Holland, Greece and soon, Germany and the rest of Europe, after having been recorded in the United Kingdom.

To present this album in concert, Cañizares has planned an extensive tour of the United States, beginning February 13th in Chicago (The Old Town School), continuing on the 14th in Chicago (Chicago Cultural Center), the 16th in Round Top (International Guitar Festival), the 19th in Albuquerque (Hispanic Cultural Center), the 21st in San Luis Obispo (The Monday Club), the 22nd and 23rd in Mountain View (Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts) and the 26th and 27th in Seattle (Dimitrius Jazz Alley).  In addition to these concerts, confirmation is expected for recitals in Washington, New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, among other cities, whose dates will shortly be made known.

Suite Iberia is Cañizares’ version of Iberia, the centerpiece work of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909).  For the first time, Iberia, originally conceived for piano, is being interpreted by two guitars, both recorded by Cañizares.  The result is an exciting and surprising communion between the guitar of Cañizares and the flamenco expression of the work of Albéniz.  With Suite Iberta, Cañizares culminates the challenge that began during his years with Paco de Lucía in 1991 when he transcribed for guitar the pieces Triana, El Albaicín and El Puerto, piano compositions by Albéniz.  According to Josep Pons, Director of the Orquesta Nacional de España, “the height of Spanish piano work is developed in this version for two guitars as a new flavor which, without losing musicality, shows the tremendous rhythmic force of the work”.