José Jiménez was born in 1962 in Caño Roto - the Gypsy part of Carabanchel,
an old neighborhood of Madrid - to a family with deep roots in flamenco.
His
father, El Tupé, was a famous flamenco dancer in the 60’s and 70’s. His uncle
Nani is a legendary and mysterious guitarist, recognized and admired by everybody,
including the great Paco de Lucía, despite never having recorded an
album or given a concert.
It was tío Nani’s guitar playing that profoundly influenced little José and
planted in him the first ideas that would eventually develop into what is
known today as The School of Caño Roto.
José started playing guitar at the tender age of three, displaying outstanding
talent from the very beginning. Awe-struck listeners would comment that he
played like a wise old man, giving him the nickname el Viejín, which literally
means “a little old man.”
When José was thirteen he was hired as a soloist at a prestigious tablao, Corral
de la Morería, where he would work for the next eight years. Little by little
his reputation as a great virtuoso and composer spread throughout the
country.
In 1980 maestro Sabicas stopped by Corral de la Morería, and, upon
hearing José’s performance, demanded to talk to him. In the course of their
conversation the old maestro said to the rather nervous and overwhelmed
Viejín, “Son, you’re going to be one of the great ones. I haven’t heard anything
like that in a long, long time.”
With his solid reputation as a composer El Viejín is in constant demand for
creating music for various dance companies.
In 1986, he wrote music for the
Ballet of Rafael Aguilar. Two years later he received the “Best Music for
Dance” award from the Italian Public Television Company RAI 1. The same
year he began working as the composer, musical director and first guitarist
for the Antonio Canales Dance Company, for which he composed, over years
of collaboration, the music for the productions “Torero”, “Gitano”, “Bernarda”,
and “Cuerda y tacón”, among others.
In the following years he created
the music for Joaquín Cortés’s production “Pasión Gitana” and wrote the
soundtrack for a film by Mike Figgis, a prestigious British filmmaker.
In 1989 he was hired as a soloist and accompanist by the company Cumbre Flamenca, directed by Paco Sanchez.
In the 90’s he developed a close friendship with Paco de Lucía, and in 1998 the
two guitarists did a series of tours in Spain and South America. A year later El
Viejín embarked on a lengthy tour as a soloist throughout Europe.
That same
year he recorded his masterpiece, the long-expected CD, “Algo que decir”,
with special appearances by his friends Paco de Lucía, Montse Cortés and Antonio
Canales. This CD immediately received the “Best Album of the Year”
award from the Spanish Association of Journalists.
The importance of Viejín’s work is unanimously recognized, not only because
of his virtuosity and the incredible sophistication of his harmonic and melodic
language, but also because of his creation of an entirely new set of techniques
and concepts, known today as The School of Caño Roto.
This way of playing has already influenced two generations of excellent
young guitarists. Some of them belong to El Viejín’s extensive family, while
others are residents of the neighborhood that gave this school of playing its
name.
DISCOGRAPHY
“Algo que decir” by José Jiménez "el Viejín"
“Gitana Soy” by Remedios Amaya
“Alabanza” by Montse Cortés
“Cuerda el río suena” by Guadiana
“Plata y oro” by Guadiana
“Duende” by various flamenco artists (three CD compilation)
