Flamenco Mediterráneo

Carlos Coronado likes to establish a musical connection with landscape. Having been born in the Baix Empordà region of Catalonia, the guitarist had his share of rock and jazz bands before searching for a more meaningful exploration of music inspired by the Mediterranean landscape (to which he feels deeply connected). And he found flamenco, with its enticing rhythms, a suitable framework. But while delving into flamenco, Coronado did not lose sight of his broader Mediterranean horizon.

After some years of practicing and perfecting his technique, the young Spanish guitarist gathers all his resources and teachings and spreads them out in Flamenco Mediterráneo, using the traditional flamenco structures as the background to his free-spirited compositions. Thinking of landscapes such as a holm oak forest, a small cove or a full moon, Coronado references flamenco as a starting point but goes into jazzy and other Mediterranean music geography in stunners like ‘Soleà’ and ‘Font Martina’. And for every clap by Marc López and Pere Martinez that brings flamenco closer to home, there is Montserrat Martos’ violin (for example, in ‘Fandango Mediterrani’) stretching its boundaries.

Most likely Carlos Coronado won’t climb the heights of Paco de Lucía or Vicente Amigo, but his flamenco is a fresh, appealing and charismatic take on the genre.