Félix de Utrera
Who is Félix de Utrera?
Félix García Vizcaíno, known as Félix de Utrera, was born on 29 June 1929 in the Canary Islands, though his parents were from Utrera and he moved there at just six, building his entire artistic identity from then on in the town in Seville province that would give him his stage name. He studied in Cádiz with a little-known tocaor, Capinetti, who had been a disciple of the maestro Patiño, and he always acknowledged great admiration for the playing of Niño Ricardo, whose influence can be felt in his style.
Career
He was much sought after by all the great masters of cante in his prime thanks to his ability to adapt: his playing naturally suited the style of each singer, a quality that allowed him to accompany practically every great flamenco artist of his time and that was captured in the celebrated “Antología Magna” of cante, in which he took part as an instrumentalist. He recorded numerous albums as an accompanist and toured throughout Spain and Europe, but his most remembered period was his thirty years as lead guitarist at the Madrid tablao Corral de la Morería, one of the capital’s most prestigious flamenco venues.
Legacy
He died on 4 September 1998 in Madrid, leaving behind a career built less on solo prominence than on the solidity and versatility of his work as an accompanist, able to adapt to the voice of every singer he shared a stage with.