The flamenco guitarist José Luis Montón has just released his first solo recording on ECM Records.

© Daniel Vass, ECM Records

On Solo Guitarra he is performing completely solo – without even the support of palmas or a cajón. However, in the final short piece, Te he de querer mientras viva, he sings as a parting gesture. Apart from Air, which is based on the Air from Orchestra Suite No. 3 by J.S. Bach, each of the tracks is in a strict flamenco style. José Luis Montón is a refined and mature player with an understated, unpretentious style. His harmonies are a subtle extension of traditional flamenco.

Over the years José Luis Montón has collaborated with a range of excellent performers from both within and without the flamenco circuit, including the flamenco singer Mayte Martín, the Lebanese violinist Ara Malikian, and the Moroccan singer Amina Alaoui – José Luis Montón played on her Arco Iris recording (ECM 2180).

José Luis Montón released his first recording, Flamenco entre amigos (Aliso Records), in 1996. This was followed by a stream of further recordings, which have won him numerous awards: Aroma (Auvidis, 1997), Sin querer (Auvidis, 2000) with Tomasito de Jerez, Ara Malikian and Eva Durán, Manantial (Warner Music, 2002) and De la felicidad (Warner Music, 2005) both with Ara Malikian. His project, Flamenco Kids, was premièred at the Bienal de Sevilla in October 2010.

© 2012 Thérèse Wassily Saba