Juan Martín

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Juan Martin

Juan Cristóbal Martín (born Málaga, 1948) is a Spanish flamenco guitarist ^[1] ^[2].

1 Career
2 Discography
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Career

Juan Martín started learning the guitar at the age of six. In his early twenties he moved to Madrid to study under Nino Ricardo and Paco de Lucía^[3].He played in clubs in Málaga, Seville and Granada. One of his first recordings was "Picasso Portraits" (1981). Each section is a depiction of a painting by Pablo Picasso. The compositions were by Juan, and the guests include Simon Phillips (session musician for Mike Oldfield and many others), most of the Gordon Giltrap Band, and some members of the Jeff Beck Band. Although it was not released until the 1990s, he recorded a track with Rory Gallagher in 1984 (on the album "Wheels Within Wheels"). The same track has Richard Thompson and David Lindley on it. He recorded with Herbie Hancock in 1987 and has played on stage with Miles Davis. ^[4]^[5]

After establishing himself amongst the Gitano's of Andalucia, Juan Martin released the successful 'El Arte Flamenco De La Guitarra' which was printed in both English and Spanish. The music itself, in flamenco terms, is very basic, and Juan Martin starts the book with a very basic Malaguenas and with the provided tape and CD talks the learner through some of the classic Flamenco pieces from history - for instance the basic solea^[1] and sevillanas, very simple to play for the accomplished classical guitarist, but also a simple introduction into the various flamenco techniques - rasgueado and compas. The more difficult techniques like "alzapúa", "tremolo" and "picado" are also explored in a simple to understand way.

"Juan Martin's Guitar Method El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra has been designed for players of all standards - from absolute beginner to advanced. An international bestseller, this definitive guitar tutor contains dozens of detailed photographs and over 100 pages of music in conventional notation and cifra plus information on the lore, language and history of Flamenco."[1]

Following the popularity of 'El Arte Flamenco De La Guitarra', it has been reprinted 7 times in various languages.

He divides his time between Malaga and London. One of his sons, Carlos, learned the guitar from an early age and has since experimented with fusions between Electronica and Flamenco under the alias of DJ Carlito^[6], specialing in drum n bass. Juan Martín has been voted in the top three guitarists in the world in the magazine "Guitar Player". He has an English wife, Helen. They have a family business called Flamencovision.^[7]^[8] His latest albums have flamenco dancers on the soundtrack, contributing towards the sound of the album with the familiar flamenco zapateado.