Luis Delgado
Luis Delgado was born on 7/16/1956 in the quarter Chamberi in Madrid. At the age of fourteen he did his first concert with the orchestra of Laúdes, "Gaspar Sanz", whose director, D. Manuel Grandío, taught him most of what he knows about music. Luis also took classes in Hindu, Iranian and Andalusian music, as well as in African percussion.
The musical spectrum of the Spanish multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer ranges from Ambient to different kinds of traditional and ethnic music, and even includes medieval and ancient music. Luis Delgado has worked with all kinds of groups, like "Iman" (Andalusian rock), "Atrium Musicae" (antique music), "Babia" (east-west-fusion), "Finis Africae" (ethnic fusion), "Cálamus" (Spanish medieval music), "La Musgaña" (traditional music), Spanish-Moroccan group "Ibn Baya" etc.
In the last years he has been touring in Europe, USA, Canada, North-Africa, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and many more countries.
As a producer he has worked among others with Amancio Prada, Joaquín Díaz, María del Mar Bonet, Nuestro Pequeño Mundo, Luis Paniagua, Emilio Cao and has collaborated in recordings of "Alfonso X El Sabio", Pablo Guerrero, Oscorri, Vainica Doble, Kepa Kunkera etc.
Apart from his work as an interpreter and composer, at the moment he forms part of the "Quarteto Medieval de Urueña", works with the French ensemble of medieval music "Le Tre Fontane", the trio of Andalusian music "Riyad al-Hubb" and Joaquín Saura's "Academia de Música Leonardina".
The most important prices he has been offered are the titulation of honorary member of the "Grand Ole Opry", highest entity of traditional American music, "Premio de la Música" and "Premio Trovador", both in 2001.
Luis Delgado is also working as a composer and musical adviser for the "Planetario de Madrid" and has been working for the Planetariums of New York, Pamplona, Cuenca, La Coruña and San Sebastián.
In 1985 he founded a production company for new kinds of music, "El Cometa de Madrid", which released various albums and won a price for fostering new Spanish authors, offered by the Ministry of Education.
Luis Delgado has composed and produced various soundtracks for television programs. Outstanding is the soundtrack of Alquibla, a serial about the Arabian world, written by Juan Goytisolo and directed by Victoria Prego. Besides he has created the music for the documentary "Al-Andalus" for the exhibition the Metropolitan Museum of New York did in the Alhambra, the documentary serial for Spanish Television (TVE) "Un Mundo Sin Fronteras" (a world without frontiers) about the work of the NGO and, in cooperation with José María Silva, the dramatic serial "Don Juan Tenorio", directed by José Luis García Berlanga.
Among the pieces he composed for ballet there are three important ones, all for Victor Ullate, which are "Arrayan Daraxa" performed as the final act of the Expo ´92 before the Majesties of Spain, "Jaleos", performed for the first time in the City Center of New York and "Seguiriya", first performed in the Liceo in Barcelona.
Some of his outstanding works for theatre are "Lope de Aguirre, traidor", written by José S. Sinisterra; "El retablo de la Avaricia, la Lujuria y la Muerte" by Valle Inclán; "Los Entremeses" written by Cervantes and directed by José Luis Gómez. For the "Teatro de la Abadía" in Madrid he has composed the music for "El Señor Puntila y su Criado Matti", written by Bertold Brecht and directed by Rosario Ruiz, and for the "Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico" he composed the music for "El caballero de Olmedo" by Lope de Vega, directed by José Pascual.
Luis Delgado has published 20 solo albums and 29 albums as a member of various groups, produced more than 40 works and participated in more than 100 recordings.
In 1997 he started to work with Arabic-Andalusian poetry of the Spanish middle Ages. He dedicated the first album of that series to the work of Al-Zaqqâq, who inspired him to compose twelve themes, five vocal and seven instrumental pieces. More than a recreation of Andalusian music it is a personal work, settled in the extremely rich legacy of the Arabian culture left for the Spanish peninsula. The critics were unanimous in their appreciation of El sueño de Al-Zaqqâq. In 1997 "Todas las Novedades" named the album to be the best album of ethnic music.
In the year 2000 Luis Delgado started to occupy himself with Andalusian female poetry of the 11th and 12th century. In El hechizo de Babilonia three exceptional female voices take part - María del Mar Bonet, Mariem Hassan and Herminia Hugenel - all of diverse origins but perfectly integrated in this adventure shared with great musicians like Hossam Ramzy, one of the best in Arabic percussion, Jaime Muñoz on flutes and Serghini el Arabí, perfect counterpart to the feminine voices.
The album is a jewel that in the same year won the price "Mejor disco de nuevas músicas" (Best album of new music), offered by the SGAE and AIE.
The trilogy is completed with Tánger, which was recorded during a concert in the antique synagogue Ets Haim (The tree of life), which now is the residence of the Foundation Lorin. New compositions as well as extracts of Luis Delgado's former works, recorded this time only using acoustic instruments, form an intense and truly beautiful album. The participating musicians are: Luis Delgado (santur, Andalusian oud), El Arabi Serghini Mohammed (voice, viola), Jaime Muñoz (kaval, bamboo-flutes, clarinet) - those three musicians have participated in all three albums - Akrin Larbi (oriental oud), Jamal Ben Allal (violin), David Mayoral (darbucas and other percussions), and Cuco Pérez (accordion).
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