Gerardo Núñez
Who is Gerardo Núñez?
Gerardo Núñez Díaz was born in 1961 in Jerez de la Frontera, into a payo family with no direct flamenco tradition, which did not stop him from becoming one of the most respected figures in contemporary Jerez guitar. He began his training in his hometown with Rafael Aguilar, himself a student of Rafael Águila, within the circle of the Cátedra de Flamencología of Jerez, and very soon began cutting his teeth accompanying major cantaores.
Between 1975 and 1982, while still a teenager —he was only fourteen when he started— he accompanied figures such as Tío Gregorio Borrico, Manuel Mairena, José el de la Tomasa, Terremoto de Jerez and La Paquera, an intensive on-stage apprenticeship that proved decisive in his development.
Career
Later he collaborated with Paco Cepero and with the choreographer Mario Maya, in whose circle he met the dancer Carmen Cortés, who became his artistic and personal partner and for whom he composed music for shows such as “A contraluz,” “Memoria del cobre,” “Cantes de ida y vuelta” and “Los Gabrieles,” in addition to an adaptation of Manuel de Falla’s “El amor brujo” for four guitars. Already in the 1980s he broadened his horizons toward jazz, collaborating with musicians such as Dave Thomas, Tomás San Miguel and Paquito D’Rivera, and his guitar has also accompanied artists as diverse as Plácido Domingo, Joaquín Sabina, Ana Belén, Isabel Pantoja and Mecano.
In 1992 he founded the Jerez Flamenco Guitar Seminar, later moved to Sanlúcar de Barrameda with the collaboration of the local conservatory, which has now held more than thirty editions. He has also helped launch festivals such as the Tarifa Flamenco Festival and Enclave de Sol.
Style and discography
His playing is recognized for convincingly integrating deep flamenco sound within other musical frameworks, without losing its Jerez roots in the process. He debuted as a soloist with “El gallo azul” (1988), released on his own record label of the same name and met with excellent reviews, followed by “Flamencos en Nueva York” (1989), “Juncal,” “Calima” (1998, recorded in the United States with Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Arto Tunçboyacıyan) and “Andando el tiempo” (2004). He was also part of the international quartet “International Guitar Night” (1998) alongside Alex de Grassi, Paolo Bellinati and Brian Gore.
Legacy
In 2008 he received the Nikolai Rubinstein Medal from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the first award of its kind he had received and one he described as especially valuable for coming from a classical music institution. Considered one of the best-trained guitarists of his generation, he has also worked as a producer and editor for young artists, helping, for example, Jesús Méndez release his first album.