Tomatito
Elbphilharmonie World
Pioneer of nuevo flamenco
His stage name is misleading. Tomatito, Spanish for ‘little tomato’, is one of the great stars of his field. José Fernándes Torres, who was born in the south-eastern Spanish city of Almería in 1958, is known as a pioneer of the nuevo flamenco and as a magician on the guitar who opens up new sound horizons with his instrument.
Tomatito was practically born with a love of the flamenco in his heart. His grandfather and father ‒ both of whom performed on the guitar under the name »El Tomato« ‒ celebrated this old Andalusian musical and dance tradition. As a twelve-year-old, he was discovered by none other than Paco de Lucia, and he later accompanied the famous flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla for two decades.
The characteristic feature of the five-time Latin Grammy winner’s music is the expansion of the musical vocabulary to include influences from jazz, rock, blues and bossa nova. Tomatito is a great flamenco performer, brimming with virtuosity and a rousing polyrhythmic inventiveness.
Performers
Tomatito guitar
Kiki Cortiñas vocals
José del Tomate guitar
Mari Àngeles vocals
El Piraña percussion
El Torombo dance