Once again El Lebrijano has fused flamenco with Andalusí music, with Faiçal Kourrich, an Arab violinist he met in 1991 when the latter accompanied the singer in the Orquesta Andalusí.
“Puertas abiertas” is Lebrijano’s third recording with
the Senador label, a small recording company in Seville which turns 25
next year. This record is the thirty-fourth in Lebrijano’s career.
“May these sounds, born of varied cultures, serve the common good
and men and women of good faith…a prayer to the universal God to send
peace”. With these words Juan Peña presented “Puertas
abiertas” this morning at the Spanish Society of Authors (SGAE)
with the presence of Faiçal, as well as Casto Márquez, author
of some of the lyrics of the songs.
It was in 1983 when the maestro recorded “Encuentros” and
surprised flamenco fans fusing flamenco with Andalusí music, a
work that inspired many flamenco artists to follow in his footsteps. In
previous records such as “Casablanca” and “Lágrimas
de cera” el Lebrijano has also experimented with this type of fusion
along with his student Faiçal.
During the formal presentation of “Puertas abiertas” Lebrijano,
Faiçal and Pedro María Peña performed several pieces
from the record live: “Granate” and “Alicia” are
bulerías composed by Casto Márquez in honor of the victims
of 11-M, Madrid’s fateful day. Alicia is a child whose mother was
a victim of the attacks in Madrid while still pregnant with the child
who came into the world unharmed. The infant girl was present as well.
The record also includes Lebrijano’s nephew Pedro María
Peña, his regular guitarist, and David Peña Dorantes, another
nephew, who composed two pieces for the record. Antonio Coronel and Tete
Peña collaborate on the percussion in addition to Manolo Nieto
on bass and Juan Reina and Juan José Amador on chorus.
