When we think of the Roma or Rom people , whether we call them “gypsy”, or “tzigane” or “manush”, and their relationship with music, we can’t help but think this legend mentioned in the middle of the 10th century by the historian from Ispahan : Hamza, and by the Persian historian and philosopher Ferdowsî in 1010 in his “Book of Kings” Shâh-Nâme). From their earliest migrations to the West, the Gypsies which came from India before the year 1000, have contributed unceasingly to the musical life of Europe, from the Balkans to Andalusia.

“The good Persian king Bahrâm Djoûr, moved by the complaints of his poorer subjects who demanded music to party like the rich, is said to have obtained from his father-in-law, King Shankal of Kanauj, living in the upper Ganges valley, the dispatch of twelve thousand musicians. When they arrived, King Bahrâm gave to each of them enough to live on, by cultivating the land: a donkey, an ox and a thousand loads of wheat. But a year later, he saw them reappear completely starved, as they had been content to eat their oxen and wheat. Irritated, the sovereign advised them to put silk strings on their instruments, jump on their donkeys and go live off their music…”

The Gypsy miracle lies in the fact that they brought with them from India and East until Andalusia, a music indomitable and warm. The determined pounding of an Andalusian gypsy’s feet dancer as she dances across the floor, as if in a rite of fertility or death similar to some Indian rituals, carries the memory of a long travel through centuries.

Juan Carmona’s journey as a professional guitarist took him back to the land of his ancestors, Spain, to go back to his roots and imbibe at the source – Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. His talent and the originality of his art were quickly recognized in this city, known as the “cradle of Flamenco”.

Juan Carmona, a free spirit, has collaborated with musicians from all over the world such as Larry Coryell, Marcus Miller, Jan Garbarek, Trilok Gurtu, Baden Powell and even Indian maestros like L. Subramaniam and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.