Famous Flamenco Musicians - Pansequito

Pansequito

José Cortés Jiménez was Born in La Linea de la
Conception in 1946 but as a child he went to live in Puerta de Santa Maria, the place that he took his early artistic name from, Pansequito del Puerto. Today he is known simply as Pansequito and he is connected to the Montoya family whose branches bear names like El Farruco and El Chocolate.
His early career began in the taverns of Málaga in well-established haunts like the Bodega El Pimpi in Calle Granada and Las Cuervas in Torremolinos.
At the age of fifteen he was noticed by Manolo Caracol and taken to perform in his tablao in Madrid. He later went on to the Torres Bermeja tablao in the capital where he shared the bill with Camarón de la Isla and Enrique Morente.

He is one of the many singers who has toured extensively with Antonio Gades, which took him to Europe, America and Japan.
In 1974 he was awarded a prize in  at the Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco in Cordoba, for his creativity.  He is, to date, the first and only artiste to receive this award.

Pansequito has recorded many discs over his long career with guitarists of such importance as Tomatito, Enrique de Melchor and currently with Niño de Pura, although he is  one artiste who needs to been seen live in order to really appreciate his genius.
His soleares and bulerias stand out as his best styles as he makes them so different than any other; his personal dark voice is a shattering, painful cry in the soleá and a festive explosion, full of joy and rhythm during the buleria. He has the voice and tone of the ancient fathers; his command of the rhythm and solid sense of timing is a main feature and the crisp snapping of the fingers a trademark.
This copper skinned gypsy possesses one of the most authentic voices around at the moment; his siguiriyas have a deep rounded echo that comes from deep down in his gut. He has a tone in his voice that sounds as though it could well of come from the native American Indians.
One Cd to be recommended is “Como los gitanos éramos” on which he is accompanied by Tomatito, and this disc shows Pansequito is a great innovator of cante, as the romance, buleria, and alegria will demonstrate.
Pansequito is still very active on the festival scene and also performs regularly with his wife, Aurora Vargas. His son is also a flamenco guitarist who uses the name Pansequito hijo.

Recommended Viewing

TVE Puro y Jondo Pansequito.

Recommended Listening

Como los gitanos éramos 1993
A Mi Bahia 2005