In Spain, music has a long history. It has played an important role in the development of Western music, and has greatly influenced Latin American music. Spanish music is often associated with traditional styles such as flamenco and classical guitar. While these forms of music are common, there are many different traditional musical and dance styles across the regions. For example, music from the north-west regions is heavily reliant on bagpipes, the jota is widespread in the centre and north of the country, and flamenco originated in the south. Spanish music played a notable part in the early developments of western classical music, from the 15th through the early 17th century. The breadth of musical innovation can be seen in composers like Tomás Luis de Victoria, styles like the zarzuela of Spanish opera, the ballet of Manuel de Falla, and the classical guitar music of Francisco Tárrega. Nowadays, in Spain as elsewhere, the different styles of commercial popular music are dominant.
The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. Since the early 20th century the term has been used in different countries to refer to distinct styles of music and dance, most of which are only tangentially related to the original Cuban rumba, if at all. The vague etymological origin of the term rumba, as well as its interchangeable use with guaracha in settings such as bufo theatre, is largely responsible for such worldwide polysemy of the term. In addition, "rumba" was the primary marketing term for Cuban music in North America, as well as West and Central Africa, during much of the 20th century, before the rise of mambo, pachanga and salsa.
Gipsy Kings are a musical group founded in 1979 in Arles, France. The band, whose members have Catalan heritage, play a blend of Catalan rumba, flamenco, salsa, and pop. They perform mostly in Spanish but also mix in Catalan and languages of southern France, such as Occitan.
Jazz fusion is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll.
The Music of Andalusia encompasses a range of traditional and modern musical genres which originate in the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. The most famous are copla and flamenco, the latter being sometimes used as a portmanteau term for various regional musical traditions within Andalusia. Today, Andalusia has a rich and thriving musical scene, which draws from its own musical traditions as well as from external influences such as salsa, jazz or pop music.
Ojos de Brujo was a nine-piece band from Barcelona who described their style as "jipjop flamenkillo". The band sold over 100,000 copies of their self-produced Barí album and received several awards, among these the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award for Europe in 2004, having also been nominated in 2003.
Rumba flamenca, also known as flamenco rumba or simply rumba, is a palo (style) of flamenco music developed in Andalusia, Spain. It is known as one of the cantes de ida y vuelta, music which diverged in the new world, then returned to Spain in a new form. The genre originated in the 19th century in Andalusia, southern Spain, where Cuban music first reached the country.
Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" musical traditions of all the Celtic nations, as well as from all styles of popular music, it is thus sometimes associated with the Pan-Celtic movement. Celtic fusion may or may not include authentic traditional music from any one tradition under the Celtic umbrella, but its common characteristic is the inspiration by Celtic identity.
Strunz & Farah is a guitar duo with an eclectic sound that has been described as a cross between world fusion and flamenco.
Los Chichos is a Spanish band that was formed in the mid-1970s by singer-songwriter Juan Antonio Jiménez and brothers Julio and Emilio González. The band reached its peak popularity in the 1980s and restructured in 1990 when Jiménez began his solo career. Los Chichos has sold 15 million records, making it one of the best-selling Spanish groups in history. They performed the popular rumba flamenca in the vein of Los Chunguitos.
Gualberto García Pérez is a Spanish musician regarded as a pioneer of the flamenco fusion, also called Andalusian rock.
Bandido is the fourth studio album by Spanish duo Azúcar Moreno, released on CBS-Epic in 1990. The album became the Salazár sisters' international breakthrough.
Ketama is a Spanish musical group in the new flamenco tradition. Fusing flamenco with other musical forms, they created a style that lies somewhere between flamenco and pop salsa. Their music drew as much criticism as praise because purists did not like the change from traditional flamenco, but the group won over the young public. They continued to fuse other music in, and their 2002 album, Dame la Mano, added hip hop and house music.
Jerry González was an American bandleader, trumpeter and percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Together with his brother, bassist Andy González, Jerry Gonzalez played an important role in the development of Latin Jazz during the late 20th century. During the 1970s, both brothers played alongside Eddie Palmieri and in Manny Oquendo's Conjunto Libre, and from 1980 to 2018 they directed The Fort Apache Band. From 2000 to 2018, Jerry González resided in Madrid, where he fronted Los Piratas del Flamenco and El Comando de la Clave. In October 2018, he died of a heart attack after a fire in his home in Madrid.
The Catalan rumba is a genre of music that developed in Barcelona's Romani community beginning in the 1950s and 1960s. Its rhythms are derived from the Andalusian flamenco rumba, with influences from Cuban music and rock and roll.
Marcus Nand is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, and sound engineer best known for his work with flamenco guitar. After learning rock, blues, and flamenco in Spain in his youth, he has been based in Los Angeles since the 1990s. A past guitarist for Los Angeles metal band Freak of Nature, he later formed the world music and rock band Ziroq with bassist Carmine Rojas. Ziroq's debut album was named "Best Mix: Non-Orchestral" at the 2002 Surround Music Awards. Nand also works on various solo projects. As a session guitarist, he has contributed to albums such as Situation Dangerous by Bozzio Levin Stevens, Essential Ballads by Jeff Scott Soto, and various compilations.
Sílvia Pérez Cruz is a Catalan and Spanish singer and composer. In 2012, she recorded her first solo album, 11 de Novembre, which was nominated for album of the year in both Spain and France. A song performed by her, "No te puedo encontrar", received a Goya Award for Best Original Song for 2012. In 2014, she released her album Granada. Both releases have been in collaboration with Raül Fernández Miró. She received another Goya Award for best original song, for the song "Ai, ai, ai", composed and performed by her, for the film At Your Doorstep (2016). In 2022, the Spanish Government awarded her the "Premio Nacional de la Músicas Actuales". In her latest album, "Toda la vida, un día" (2023), Cruz "recreated her whole life in a single album, embarking on what would become a year-long work recorded in Barcelona, Pontós, Madrid, Jerez, Buenos Aires, Coatepec and Havana."
Fusion Jonda is a Puerto Rican band that blends Caribbean music with gypsy-flamenco sounds, melodies, and rhythms. The band has centered its music around Afrobeat, jazz, Arabic, and Indian music and has a contemporary approach.
Las Migas is a Spanish popular music quartet created by four young women in 2004 in Barcelona. Since then, new members have replaced former ones, adding new musical genres to their usual New flamenco repertoire. In November 2022, their fifth album Libres was distinguished as "Best Flamenco Music Album" at the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards gala in Las Vegas.
