This week in Solera Flamenca we bring you the guitar of José “El Ciego” (“the blind”), a bohemian artist, with a lot of duende, who will not leave anyone indifferent. There are many types of guitarists: some stand out for their prodigious technique, others for their musical knowledge and way of composing (with notes often bordering on mathematical sudoku rather than a piece of music) and others for their way of transmitting, for their DUENDE. We have absolutely no doubt, we’ll stick with the latter.

José is the perfect example of this type of artist. He is a guitarist whose technique, way of composing and way of expressing and plucking the strings manage to create a magical atmosphere, through his music, that allows us to feel and live that moment as something really unique, special and unrepeatable.

José is an artist in the broadest sense of the word, as he sings, dances and plays. As an artist, he is usually hired for his singing of flamenco rumbas, which he composes himself. But since we discovered him through a YouTube video in which he appeared playing some bulerías, we knew we had to bring him to Solera Flamenca and show the world that there are guitarists who, despite not being popularly known, have magic and an essence that is even above everything else.

José Antonio Rodríguez Fernández was born on 31 August 1985 in a village in the province of Granada. His beginnings in the world of music started at a very young age, influenced by his father’s great love for the guitar.

At a very early age, he became interested in flamenco and the guitar. Thanks to the help of a neighbour called “El Caracol”, a humble man who worked in the construction industry, he was able to learn the cadences of the main flamenco styles (palos). To our surprise, José “El Ciego” is a direct relative of our dear friend and artist Pepe Fernández de Francia.

In 1996, at the age of eleven, he won the 2nd prize in the “Veo Veo” famous Spanish contest.

He has two recordings on sale: “OLE LO PURO CANASTERO” (2018) and “La Loca” (2021).

We were delighted to meet José “El Ciego” and his manager Fernando Monzó, as the figure of a manager at the side of a good artist is always essential for his musical career. Two people bursting with art that we will keep close for many years and who are already part of the Solera family and, above all, “real people” who show themselves with simplicity and humility, far from the arrogance and airs of grandeur that unfortunately abound so much in the music world.

Without further ado, we leave you with these two songs with which we would like to bid farewell to this year’s productions and at the same time wish you happy holidays on these magical dates. A beautiful granaína and a bulería that José “El Ciego” composed with us in mind and which he has entitled “Bulerías con Solera”, accompanied on the palms by Joaquín “El Duende” and “El Pirata”, two of the most sought-after and renowned cantaores (flamenco singers) on the flamenco scene in Catalonia. For this recording José “El Ciego” has played with a Hermanos Conde, 1978 guitar for the bulería and our Miguel Rodríguez, 1968 for the granaína, guitars with duende and magic like the playing of our artist. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!