Diego El Cigala -- GRAMMY-Winning Singer from Spain
Zellerbach Hall Berkeley, CA
Diego El Cigala headlines 6th Annual Bay Area Flamenco Festival: Festival Flamenco Gitano 2011 Sunday, October 23, 7pm Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley Campus Presented by Bay Area Flamenco $30/$50/$75
VIP Tickets are available for $100 which includes Premium Seating plus invite to after-show reception
"When I listen to him, it warms my heart." - Paco De Lucia
"a conjurer of impulsiveness and abandon." - The New York Times
The Bay Area is thrilled with the news of Diego el Cigala's much anticipated debut here this Fall. Noted as a pioneer for his unique approach to Latin American music forms such as the bolero, tango and Afro-Caribbean jazz, Cigala has deep roots in the culture of Spanish Gypsy flamenco. As explained by Josh Kun in the New York Times, Cigala is able to "enter flamenco into conversations with other traditions without ever sacrificing its distinctive identity." He won his first Latin GRAMMY for Bebo & Cigala: "Lagrimas Negras," hailed by critic Ben Ratliff of The New York Times as Album of the Year and "one of the great new cross-pollinating documents of Latin music." And then he went on to win another for a more flamenco-oriented CD "Picasso en Mis Ojos" which featured guests such as the legendary Paco de Lucia and Latin jazz master Jerry Gonzalez. Returning to the bolero, his 2008 project "Dos Lagrimas" united him with giants of Cuban percussion Tata Guines and Changuito and established his ongoing collaboration with the musicians who will be appearing with him at Zellerbach: guitarist Diego del Morao, pianist Jaime Calabuch Jumitus, percussionist Sabú Porrina and Cuban bassist Yelsy Heredia. Just nominated for yet another Latin Grammy, his latest album "Cigala & Tango" marries "Spanish flamenco with the equally gritty and powerful South American tango." (The Observer, UK). "It works effortlessly," says Felix Contreras of NPR who describes it this way: "it's a cross-genre type thing. It's as if John Legend made a blue grass album and killed."
Cigala's group: DIEGO DEL MORAO, Guitar; YELSY HEREDIA, Bass; BERNARDO PARRILLA, Violin; JAIME CALABUCH JUMITUS, piano; SABU SUAREZ PORRINA, Percussion
*Guitar workshop with Diego del Morao Oct. 21-23. See http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/196045
Cigala's Berkeley performance is part of his first major North American tour which also includes stops in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Vancouver, Toronto and New York City, October 20-November 6.
DIEGO EL CIGALA 2011 USA TOUR Dates October 20, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in LA October 23, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley (Festival Flamenco Gitano) October 27, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts November 1, Town Hall in NYC (Festival Flamenco Gitano) November 5, Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor November 6, Harris Theater, Chicago
"Lagrimas Negras" Con Bebo Valdez (Bluebird/ RCA, 2003)
The 6th Annual Flamenco Festival takes place from October 21st through October 30th with performances and master classes by visiting artists from Spain including guitarist Diego del Morao and group (October 22, Brava Theater, San Francisco); singer Diego El Cigala (October 23rd, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley); and dancer Jose Maya & Company (October 29th, Crocker Theater, Cabrillo College Aptos/Santa Cruz and October 30th, Cowell Theater Fort Mason, San Francisco). For tickets and information on master classes see website http://www.BayAreaFlamencoFestival.com
Representing the area's vibrant Flamenco community, The Bay Area Flamenco Partnership is dedicated to fostering the flamenco arts, creating and presenting quality flamenco to audiences throughout Northern California. Founded in 2004 by Artistic Director Nina Menéndez, the BAFP has produced numerous major flamenco performances featuring world-class artists from Spain, including the annual Bay Area Flamenco Festival and the Festival Flamenco Gitano. The BAFP also provides a forum for the rich pool of outstanding local flamenco artists and facilitates cultural exchange opportunities and workshops with visiting artists from Spain.
The 6th Annual Bay Area Flamenco Festival: Festival Flamenco Gitano has been made possible in part by a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts in partnership with the Walter and Elise Haase Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation. Community partners include Amoeba Records, KPFA, and La Peña Cultural Center.
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