Double Performance with Antonio Fernández, Cantes Malditos and Jesús Méndez & Antonio Higuero

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Image courtesy of Grec Festival de Barcelona.

Blues at its darkest and flamenco go hand in hand in an evening also features a cantaor who has breathed new life into the “cante jondo.”

Since its first edition in 2021, Desvarío has aimed to present flamenco as it is today: rich, diverse, contemporary, and open to blending with anything that enriches it. This program exemplifies that mission, bringing together a concert of cante and classical guitar concert featuring Jerez-based musicians Jesús Méndez (cante) and Antonio Higuero (guitar), both outstanding exponents of the cante of their homeland, and a felicitous symbiotic experiment: Antonio Fernández, a skilled cantaor, alongside a shadowy, swampy blues band evoking the Mississippi, full of electric effects and feedback. This remarkable collaboration, now available as an album, is titled Cantes malditos. The charm lies in the fact that neither party dominates the other: both worlds coexist fully and generously, reveling in what they create. The cantaor sings the flamenco he knows, while the band does not try to follow him through every rhythmic twist of each flamenco palo, but instead provides a harmonic support that lets him move freely within each cante.

Antonio Fernández is a cantaor from Granada with excellent vocal technique, developed both as a dance accompanist and as a solo performer. He knows the styles well and has a broad, diverse repertoire, as shown on Cristal suelto, the album he recorded with Miguel Ochando on guitar.

Jesús Méndez was born with a prodigious voice, which he uses with great control. He carefully shapes melodic lines to achieve a powerful and balanced sound. A nephew of La Paquera de Jerez, he grew up in a family environment where flamenco was part of everyday life. He has released four albums; his Barcelona performance of the first, Jerez sin Fronteras (2008), took place at El Dorado. Today he is one of the most in-demand voices in the professional circuit.

Antonio Higuero is a guitarist highly regarded as an accompanist to cante, as evidenced by the many cantaores who have called on him for their performances, including José Mercé, Nano de Jerez, Rancapino, Fernando Terremoto, El Torta, Ezequiel Benítez, and Antonio Reyes, among others. He has received numerous awards, including the Copa de Jerez.

Sounds of the City: Summer Music Festivals

What are your plans for summer? If you’re staying in the city, you won’t be alone. Barcelona is becoming a go-to destination for festival lovers, given Catalunya’s covetable combination of culture, great weather and an increasingly diverse concert circuit. So if you’re looking to expand your horizons while staying put this season, check out our article Sounds of the City: Summer Music Festivals for a summary of the summer music events taking place in Barcelona, from big-name gatherings to boutique takeovers.

For more music events check our online events calendar.