Daniel Casares
Who is Daniel Casares?
Daniel Casares was born in 1980 in Estepona (Málaga), into a family with no previous musical tradition, which makes all the more striking the almost instinctive obsession he felt for the guitar as a child. He began taking lessons at just eight and made his musical debut that same year, 1988, on the collective album “A la guitarra, Estepona.” By fourteen he was already composing his own pieces, and at sixteen he took the leap onto a major stage, the Festival del Cante de las Minas in La Unión.
Among his stated influences are, above all, Paco de Lucía, as well as Manolo Sanlúcar and Vicente Amigo within flamenco, the classical guitarists Narciso Yepes and Andrés Segovia, and jazz musicians such as Pat Metheny and George Benson, a mix of references that goes a long way toward explaining the direction his sound would take.
Career
He accompanied the cantaor Juanito Valderrama on the final tours of his career and also worked with Juan Antonio Valderrama, Morenito de Illora, Pitingo and El Güito, in addition to collaborating with percussionist Juan Heredia and the cantaores Ton Romero and Chaleco. His international profile led him to share the stage with artists from other fields, such as mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, and to perform in cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, where in 2004 he appeared at the Thalia Spanish Theatre.
In 2008 he was chosen as the sole European representative at the Shanghai World Music Week, as part of the promotional activities for Expo 2010, an unusual recognition for a Spanish flamenco guitarist. A year later he composed the soundtrack for the film “El discípulo” and performed at the Teatro Cervantes in Málaga. In 2018 he took his version of the Concierto de Aranjuez, together with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, to Bolivia.
Style and discography
His playing is characterized by incorporating jazz elements, Latin rhythms and Arabic and Mediterranean sounds into flamenco, a fusion that sets him apart within his generation of guitarists. His discography includes “Duende Flamenco” (1999), “La Madrugá” (2001), “Corazón de tu alma” (2004) and “Caballero” (2007), along with the Picasso tribute album “Picassares” and “Concierto de Aranjuez + La luna de Alejandra” (2018), the latter featuring a symphonic piece dedicated to his daughter.
Legacy
Throughout his career he has received the Jóvenes Intérpretes award from Jaén (1996), the Bordón Minero of the Festival de Cante de las Minas in La Unión (1997), recognition as Best Artist from Thomson Music (2000) and the ACE Musical Revelation award in New York (2004), in addition to being named Favorite Son in Klagenfurt (Austria). These honors, added to his profile in the United States, Europe, Japan and Latin America, establish him as one of the Spanish flamenco guitarists with the greatest international reach in his generation.