Niño de Pura
Who is Niño de Pura?
Daniel Navarro Cruz, known as Niño de Pura, was born on September 26, 1966 in Seville. He began his training in 1976 in the Bellavista neighborhood with Manuel Lozano, continued with Manolo Carmona and, at twelve, moved to Sanlúcar de Barrameda to study with Manolo Sanlúcar, who gave him, in his own words, “a perfect technique of very special mastery” and became one of the most decisive influences on his understanding of the guitar.
Career
He started out professionally accompanying the dancing of his brother, the bailaor José Joaquín, and gradually built a career of his own, also accompanying singers such as Juan Valderrama, Aurora Vargas and Pansequito. He came into his own in 1984, when he won three national prizes simultaneously, among them the first Premio del Concurso de Jóvenes Intérpretes de Guitarra Flamenca at the 3rd Seville Biennial, followed by the Giraldillo de Guitarra at the 6th Seville Flamenco Art Biennial in 1990.
Style and discography
That training produced a demanding concert technique, specialized in flamenco accompaniment for both dance and song, with a personal stamp combining technical rigor and expressive depth. He has built up his own discography with titles such as “Capricho de Bohemias” (1986), “Caliente” (1991), “Maquida” (1996) and “Pozo y Caudal” (2006).
Legacy
His career has been marked by awards from a young age, among them the second Premio Nacional from the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez in 1979 and the “Zipa de Oro” in Colombia (1985), honors that established his place among the most outstanding guitarists of his generation from Seville. He remains active, combining teaching at the Fundación Arte Flamenco Cristina Heeren and the Escuela Joaquín Turina with composition, record production and international concerts on prestigious European stages.