Chaâbi Flamenco - Juan Carmona and Ptit Moh

Biographies

Juan Carmona
If Juan Carmona had to write the book of his life, the title would be La Belle Histoire, as Claude Lelouch’s movie for which he performed the soundtrack in 1992.

The Carmona family had emigrated from North Africa to France after the exile of the beginning of the 1960s. Juan, born in Lyon, was just ten years old when his father offered him his first guitar. His passion for this instrument and his abilities did not contradict over time and his virtuosity, quickly spotted by professionals.

After becoming an accomplished guitarist, he will head to the opposite direction, Spain, experiencing the need to join the land of his ancestors to reconnect with his roots and learn from the source of flamenco, in Jerez de la Frontera. His talent and the originality of his art will be quickly recognized there, considered as the cradle of flamenco.

For 9 years, absorbing their knowledge in the purest flamenco tradition, he was surrounded by the biggest names of flamenco such as Joaquín Grilo, Agujetas, Duquende, Antonio Canales, Chano Domínguez and many others. He recorded his first albums and won international awards including the prestigious guitar competition International de Jerez, finalist of the competition of the Union of Cordoba and the great prize Paco de Lucia.

At his long list of prizes and rewards, it is necessary to add a unique feature: a final triumph in Spain, a consecration for this Gypsy from France. His return to France, he made different musical collaborations with: Sylvain Luc, Larry Coryell, Marcus Miller, Jan Garbarek, Trilok Gurtu, Subramanian, Baden Povell… Each new meeting expands his sound palette.

Creative and curious, his eagerness for learning seems unquenchable and brings him to what he is today: one of the most beautiful guitars on the international scene. He writes his music with his memory, his ears, his heart and his passion. A self-taught musician, he can take pride of having composed his Sinfonia Flamenca and Orillas, today performed by many orchestras in the world as the St Louis Symphony Orchestra (USA), the Russian Philarmony (Russia) or even the Orchestra National of Lyon (France).

On tour with his musicians around the world (United States, China, Canada…), his albums Alchemya, Orillas, Sinfonia Flamenca and El Sentido del Aire were nominated at the Latin GRAMMY Awards, category « Best Album Flamenco of the year ». Winner of the Grand Prize Charles Cros 2015, UNESCO awarded him also the Grand Prize Zyriab of Virtuosos. His new opus Perla de Oriente (September 2016), recorded during his last tour in Asia, reports the magic of his concerts.

Praised by the leading figures of flamenco, Juan Carmona wanders on the airways of the duende. At the intersection between musical modernity and the oldest and liveliest flamenco traditions of Andalusia, Juan Carmona is an innovator, one of the most valiant of his generation.

Ptit Moh
Child of traditional music, Mohamed ABDENNOUR, called « Ptit Moh », starts studying the mandola and is later infatuated by its harmony and arrangements. He becomes one of the most experienced and perfectionist of this instrument really present in the Chaâbi music.

Ptit Moh is a composer and arranger. He actively contributes not only in giving a contemporary overview of the mandola but also in helping in the evolution of this instrument that he knows so well.

Besides his passion for composing, as a performer, he has a moving talent. He exploits his capacities to the maximum of his possibilities on all of his melodic, rhythmic and harmonic ranges.

As a multi instrumentalist, Ptit Moh also participates to creations in the theater world, signs soundtracks and contributes to the vulgarization of string instruments (banjo, mandola, gumbri, guitar, laud and oud, etc.)

He is also the artistic director of the El Gusto orchestra and directs diverse records with the help of Mick Jones (The Clash).

Very talented composer, he co-writes for the rapper Médine, Gnawa Diffusion, RaïNB Fever, Guismo (Tryo), Danyel Waro, Raoul Barbosa, HK et les déserteurs, Desert Rebel, Idir, Chico et Gypsies, etc.

Furthermore, he is the founder of his own group “Ptit Moh Project”, a musical encounter whose goal is to make musicians from different styles and origins interpret and perform his own creations and arrangements (Chaâbi – Andalou Jazz – Gnawi).

Throughout his numerous encounters on European scenes and browsing other continents, without denying his roots and his attachment to traditional music, he continues his quest by integrating world music’s diversified aesthetics…

Eliades Ochoa – (Buena Vista Social Club), Damon Elbarn, Manu Chao.

Oud and Mandola Workshop With Ptit Moh

• Wednesday, Oct 17 @ 7pm
• Click here to sign up.

Flamenco Guitar Workshop With Juan Carmona

• Wednesday, Oct 17 @ 7pm
• Click here to sign up.