Juan Cristóbal Martín (born 1948) is a Spanish

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

istJuan Martin and his flamenco ensemble to perform in Calgary
. Calgaryjournal.ca. Retrieved on 2012-12-16.
Nsnews.com (2011-10-28). Retrieved on 2012-12-16.» Flamenco Master Juan Martin in Calgary Jazz Elements: jazz & blues music blog with news, reviews, concerts & more, with a Canadian focus
. Jazzelements.com (2007-10-15). Retrieved on 2012-12-16. and an author of flamenco guitar method books.

Career

Raised in Malaga, Juan Martín started learning the guitar at the age of six. In his early twenties he moved to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

to study under

Niño Ricardo Manuel Serrapí Sánchez (11 July 1904 – 14 April 1972), better known as Niño Ricardo, was a Flamenco composer, considered by some sources as the most accomplished flamenco player of his day. He played a significant part in the evolution of ...

and

Paco de Lucía Francisco Sánchez Gómez (; 21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamen ...

. He played in clubs in Málaga,

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

and

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. He soon moved to London, where he has developed most of his career. One of his first recordings was ''Picasso Portraits'' (1981) based on the music he played at Picasso's 90th birthday celebrations. Each section is a depiction of a painting by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

. Although it was not released until the 1990s, he recorded a track with

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

in 1984 (on the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

''Wheels Within Wheels''). Also in 1984, his track "Love Theme from ''

The Thorn Birds ''The Thorn Birds'' is a 1977 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. Set primarily on Drogheda—a fictional sheep station in the Australian Outback named after Drogheda, Ireland—the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans 1915 ...

''" reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. He recorded with

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

in 1987, and has played on stage with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

. Juan Martín is the author of several textbooks on flamenco playing, including ''El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra'', issued with cassette tapes and later with vinyl sound sheets, and ''Solos Flamencos'' issued with CDs and DVDs. Both tutorial books, printed in English and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, are successful in the English-speaking world. He now divides his time between London and

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

. He has an English wife, Helen. They have a family business called Flamencovision.

Discography

*''The Exciting Sound of Flamenco'' (1974) *''The Flamenco Soul'' (1976) *''Ole, Don Juan! Flamenco En Andalucia'' (1977) *''Romance'' (1978) *''Picasso Portraits'' (1981) * ''Serenade'' (1984) (with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

) * ''Painter in Sound'' (1986) * ''Through The Moving Window'' (1988) * ''Painter in Sound'' (1990) * ''Musica Alhambra'' (1996) * ''Music Alhambra'' (1998) * ''Luna Negra'' (1992)re'released 1998 * ''Arte Flamenco Puro'' * ''The Andalucian Suites I-IV'' (1998) * ''Camino Latino'' (2002) * ''Live En Directo'' (2005) * ''El Alquimista (The Alchemist)'' (2005) * ''Solo'' (2009) Juan Martín and Antonio Aparecida * ''Riquezas'' (2002) DVD * ''Guitar Nights: The Four Martins'' (2003) : Martin Taylor,

Martin Simpson Martin Stewart Simpson (born 5 May 1953) is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in Britain, Ireland, America and beyond. He builds a purposeful, often upbeat voi ...

, Juan Martin,

Martin Carthy Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later ar ...

References

External links

Official website
at esflamenco {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Juan 1948 births Living people Spanish flamenco guitarists Spanish male guitarists Spanish composers Spanish male composers