This concert is a journey through the art of flamenco guitar, exploring its many facets as a solo instrument, accompanying dance and cante. Above all, it is a voyage that carries flamenco guitar from its deepest roots— from the Soleá and Bulerías— into a fusion with other genres, such as jazz, Cuban, and Arabic music, all while preserving the essence of flamenco guitar.
In this blend of emotions and states of mind, we will experience original music composed by Andrés Vadin, guiding us on a sonic balance—from virtuosic compositions to more delicate, intimate ones—never losing the magic that flamenco art brings.
Andrés Vadin Trío is made up of exceptional musicians: Diego Álvarez, Grammy-winning percussionist with a remarkable musical career, and Yosmel Montejo, an extraordinary bassist whose journey includes bands like Men At Work, among others.
Special guests artists Lakshmi “La Chimi,” a brilliant dancer with an impressive career, and Pelé de Los Reyes, a flamenco-fusion singer, composer, and founder of the group “Navajita Plateá, one of the best Flamenco fusion groups of Spain, Latin Grammy nominee and Triple Platinum Disc.
Andrés Vadin, as a prominent guitarist and composer, has performed at major festivals worldwide, such as Montreal, Glastonbury, and more recently, the Festival de Flamenco de Jerez de la Frontera. He has collaborated with artists like Billy Cobham, Concha Buika, Yasmin Levy, Antonio Carmona, Faramarz Aslani, José Antonio Rodríguez and many others. He has been nominated twice to the Latin Grammy in two album collaborations that he took part in.
Forever Flamenco: The Journey
Featuring
Andres Vadin
Diego Alvarez
Yosmel Montejo
Lakshmi “La Chimi”
Pele de Los Reyes
Andrés Vadín, Artistic Director– Virtuoso Guitarist & Composer
Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Andrés Vadín is a highly skilled guitarist and composer, blending flamenco, classical, Cuban, jazz, and world music. A prodigious talent, he trained at the Guillermo Tomás and Amadeo Roldán Conservatories, winning his first major guitar competition at age 12.
His dynamic career includes collaborations with Billy Cobham, Antonio Carmona (Ketama), Concha Buika, Yasmin Levy, Jose Antonio Rodríguez, Faramarz Aslani, Aleph Abi Saad, among others. His contributions to the albums Cuba le canta a Serrat and Bajo Mundo earned Latin Grammy nominations.
Andrés has toured globally, performing at renowned festivals such as WOMAD, Glastonbury, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival, among others. He has recorded film soundtracks (The Wale of a Tale, Bel Canto, Breaking the Silence) and performed at Steve Vai’s Big Mama Jamathon alongside Al Di Meola and Orianthi.
He also leads The Andrés Vadín Project, where he showcases his original compositions infused with Cuban, Arabic, classical, and jazz influences. His performances have graced prestigious festivals such as the Flamenco Arts Festival (FAF) and SB Acoustic. Additionally, he performed recently at the Flamenco Festival in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. He also performs with Beyond Carmen, a project blending classical music, opera, and Ladino traditions. In collaboration with mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock, he has performed at the Opera Festival in Utah, Opera Delaware, and other renowned venues.
Andrés Vadín is endorsed by Godin Guitars, Fishman Amplifiers, and Shubb Capos.
Diego Alvarez “El Negro”
Diego "El Negro" Alvarez master cajón player born in Venezuela. He lived 16 years in Spain where he developed his career alongside the most prestigious flamenco dance companies such as Joaquin Cortez, Antonio Canales, Sara Baras, Nuevo Ballet Español and Paco Peña among others. With more than 12 nominations to the Latin Grammys, winner of a Latin Grammy in 2010 for best Rock album of the year for "Sera" by La Vida Boheme. Promoting El Cajon as a universal instrument, showing its main roots in Peruvian and flamenco. Now lives in Los Angeles California, where he continues working with different musical projects between flamenco and jazz.
Yosmel Montejo
A Cuban native, Yosmel Montejo is notable mostly for his mastery, passion, and keen sense of musical style. Showcasing his versatility and unique musical approach as a bassist, he has been able to perform in various genres of music with well known artists such as Colin Hay (Men At Work), Stanley Jordan, Kamasi Washington, Poncho Sanchez, Oscar De Leon, Luis Enrique, Nestor Torres, Arturo Sandoval, and Andres Levin (just to mention a few). His blend of Latin, Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Flamenco is notable not just in his sound but also in his work as an arranger and composer.
Pele de Los Reyes
Latin Grammy nominee, Ildefonso De los Reyes, better known as Pelé, is a flamenco-fusion singer, composer, and founder of the group “Navajita Plateá”. Part of the echelon of “nuevo flamenco” (new flamenco) innovators, Pelé and his group were nominated for best artist and best flamenco composer for their album "Contratiempos“, reaching the Billboard charts with the hit song “Frío Sin Ti” (Cold without you). Received a Triple Platinum Disc with their album "Desde mi Azotea" (From my Rooftop), and best song of the year with their legendary “Noches de Bohemia” (Bohemian Nights) from the Music Awards, Spain (“Premios de la Música, España”.) Consolidating them as one of the best flamenco groups of Spain.
Lakshmi Basile
Lakshmi Basile began performing at the age of six with her parents’ band The Electrocarpathians. She grew up in a bohemian household filled with music and dance with her father, a prominent San Diego musician, and her mother, an artist from Argentina. She studied dance at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, the University of California Santa Barbara, and within the flamenco community of San Diego, finally traveling to Spain at the age of 20 to complete her flamenco studies. She was quickly embraced by artists and teachers, and found work in tablaos and at private flamenco events alongside well-known artists.
“La Chimi” became one of the first and only foreign artists in Spain to win a coveted national prize, the Concurso de las Minas de La Unión, and she was also awarded the Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba. There she surprised flamenco critics, and received high praise from Alberto García Reyes, ABC, who described her performance as “un desgarrador homenaje a los románticos de lo jondo” (a heart-wrenching homage to the romantics of pure flamenco).
Before returning to San Diego, Lakshmi worked for over fifteen years in Seville, the cradle of flamenco, where she performed daily as a soloist at the tablao El Palacio Andaluz. She has worked alongside significant artists in private events and festivals internationally, including Great Britain, Denmark, Toronto and Uruguay, and produced her own show in Spain called “Zarabanda, Lo Que Duerme en el Cuerpo de los Gitanos” (Zarabanda, What Sleeps in the Body of the Gypsies).
She is sought after as a performer and master teacher worldwide. Lakshmi Basile has found her purpose and career as a flamenco dancer because that is what she is in her soul and heart.
“Su baile es de una alegría conquistada” (Her dance is one of conquered joy). — Félix Grande, poet and flamencologist
“La única cosa americana que tiene es su pasaporte” (The only American thing she has is her passport). — Ángel Ojeda, former Minister of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía