Ricardo Garcia (Musician)
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Garcia is a Spanish guitarist, leader of the group Flamenco Flow, who is known for his interpretations of Flamenco
blended with other musical forms.
.
His family moved to France when he was a young child, during the Franco
era.
His family was musical, and he was taught to play guitar by his uncle Antonio when he was very young.
He learned to accompany his mother, the singer Maria del Carmen.
Garcia appeared in his first concert at the age of nine, and since then he performed alone or with his aunt and uncle in all parts of France. In 1988 he was selected to represent France on a cultural tour of Uruguay
and Argentina
sponsored by the Casa de America Latina.
Garcia studied flamenco under Merengue de Cordoba, Paco Serrano and Jose Antonio Rodrigues Munoz between the ages of 15 and 18, while also studying classical guitar. During this period, he fronted a Pat Metheny
jazz concert in Paris.
, Africa
for eight years, coming into contact with musicians with very different musical backgrounds.
He learned to incorporate African and Indian elements in his repertoire.
He worked closely with Aaron Sangala
and Tione Mwera, and collaborated with sitar player Bimal Lohd in several concerts.
Ricardo was the founder of the group Kalulu with Aaron Sangala and Bashir Sacranie.
While in Malawi, he often performed solo or with others at the French Cultural centre, The British Council and the University of Malawi
.
He married Julie Gunn, a language educator from the United Kingdom, when they were both living in Malawi.
Garcia returned to Europe in 1999 and settled in Barcelona.
He mostly performs in Spain, France and in Scotland, where he played in the Edinburgh Festival
for six years running.
He has also performed in many other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
He toured to Montreal and Vancouver in 2005, and performed in many locations in the USA.
From May 8-19, 2006, Garcia was Artist-in-Residence with his group Flamenco Flow at the State Theater, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
s to the emotive tiento
s and soleas.
Talking of a 2009 performance with Spanish guitarist Eduardo Niebla
and India tabla-player Dharmesh Parmar, a critic noted that he contributed Arabic influences to the performances.
His ensemble of musicians and dancers also incorporates elements from Indian, African, South American and Caribbean music. Their work shows modern influences such as jazz, Latin jazz, bossa nova, and salsa.
According to the Only
magazine, he has forged "a unique and devastatingly original, awe-inspiring sound".
At the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Garcia created a unique blend of Flamenco and Hip-Hop.
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
blended with other musical forms.
Birth and education
Garcia was born in AndalusiaAndalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
.
His family moved to France when he was a young child, during the Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
era.
His family was musical, and he was taught to play guitar by his uncle Antonio when he was very young.
He learned to accompany his mother, the singer Maria del Carmen.
Garcia appeared in his first concert at the age of nine, and since then he performed alone or with his aunt and uncle in all parts of France. In 1988 he was selected to represent France on a cultural tour of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
sponsored by the Casa de America Latina.
Garcia studied flamenco under Merengue de Cordoba, Paco Serrano and Jose Antonio Rodrigues Munoz between the ages of 15 and 18, while also studying classical guitar. During this period, he fronted a Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
jazz concert in Paris.
Performing artist
Garcia worked in MalawiMalawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
for eight years, coming into contact with musicians with very different musical backgrounds.
He learned to incorporate African and Indian elements in his repertoire.
He worked closely with Aaron Sangala
Aaron Sangala
Aaron Sangala is a politician who was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Security in the cabinet of Malawi in May 2009....
and Tione Mwera, and collaborated with sitar player Bimal Lohd in several concerts.
Ricardo was the founder of the group Kalulu with Aaron Sangala and Bashir Sacranie.
While in Malawi, he often performed solo or with others at the French Cultural centre, The British Council and the University of Malawi
University of Malawi
The University of Malawi is an educational institution established in 1964 and composed of five constituent colleges located in Zomba, Blantyre, and Lilongwe. Of the five colleges, the largest is Chancellor College in Zomba. The name of the school is abbreviated to UNIMA. It is part of the...
.
He married Julie Gunn, a language educator from the United Kingdom, when they were both living in Malawi.
Garcia returned to Europe in 1999 and settled in Barcelona.
He mostly performs in Spain, France and in Scotland, where he played in the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
for six years running.
He has also performed in many other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
He toured to Montreal and Vancouver in 2005, and performed in many locations in the USA.
From May 8-19, 2006, Garcia was Artist-in-Residence with his group Flamenco Flow at the State Theater, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Musical style
Garcia's performances incorporate flamenco styles that range from free-flowing Alegrías and tangoTango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
s to the emotive tiento
Tiento
Tiento is a musical genre originating in Spain in the mid-15th century. It is formally analogous to the fantasia , found in England, Germany, and the Low Countries, and also the ricercare, first found in Italy. The word derives from the Spanish verb tentar , and was originally applied to music...
s and soleas.
Talking of a 2009 performance with Spanish guitarist Eduardo Niebla
Eduardo Niebla
Eduardo Niebla is a Spanish guitarist. Besides his work with jazz and Spanish flamenco guitar, he has collaborated with trance group Juno Reactor and early in his career played in Spanish progressive rock band Atila, and the Franco-British progressive rock band Mother Gong.- Solo albums and...
and India tabla-player Dharmesh Parmar, a critic noted that he contributed Arabic influences to the performances.
His ensemble of musicians and dancers also incorporates elements from Indian, African, South American and Caribbean music. Their work shows modern influences such as jazz, Latin jazz, bossa nova, and salsa.
According to the Only
Only (magazine)
Only is a free Canadian bi-monthly news and entertainment magazine published in Vancouver, British Columbia by the Only Trust - who also organize Vancouver's Music Waste Festival and Victory Square Block Party. The paper has a circulation of 10,000 in the Vancouver area...
magazine, he has forged "a unique and devastatingly original, awe-inspiring sound".
At the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Garcia created a unique blend of Flamenco and Hip-Hop.
Recordings
Selected albums:- 2004 "Set Luna" (Julia SarrJulia SarrJulia Sarr is a Mezzo-soprano born in Dakar, Senegal. She comes from the Serer ethnic group . As one of the most sought after backing vocalist, she has worked with several prominent artists over the years including Youssou N'Dour and Patrice Larose.- Career :Julia launched her singing career...
, vocalist) - 2006 "Flamenco Flow"
- 2007 "Flamenco con Fusion"
- 2009 "Magicus Mundi"