Niño Jero
Who is Niño Jero?
Pedro Carrasco Romero, known artistically as Niño Jero, was born in 1954 in Jerez de la Frontera, cradle of one of the purest flamenco schools in Andalusia. He is the son of the singer Manolo Jero and cousin of the fellow flamenco artist Diego Carrasco, so he grew up surrounded by cante and compás from the cradle. His apprenticeship was that of a typical child of the Jerez neighborhoods: playing by ear in taverns and family gatherings, accompanying veteran singers who upheld the oral tradition of Gitano-Andalusian cante.
Among his earliest stage mentors were figures as respected as Tío Gregorio “el Borrico” and Tía Anica La Piriñaca, with whom he cut his teeth accompanying the most orthodox cante before moving on to bigger stages.
Career
His professional career was built through collaborations with some of the most important names in Jerez cante and flamenco in general. He took part in productions such as “Macama Jonda” and “La tierra lleva el compás,” and in 1980 joined the legendary Los Canasteros tablao in Madrid, one of the leading stages of the capital’s flamenco scene at the time. He was a member of the group Los Montoyas, with whom he performed at the 1986 Cumbre Flamenca in Madrid and toured internationally, besides working alongside Lole y Manuel and other members of the Montoya family.
He has been a regular accompanist to Juan Villar and Rancapino, two leading figures of Jerez cante, and collaborated with Santiago Donday on the TVE program “Puro y Jondo.” He also worked with El Potito and Capullo de Jerez, with whom he went on to co-produce an album.
Style and discography
The trait most singled out in his playing is a sense of compás and rhythm considered practically unmatched within the Jerez school, a quality that made him a much sought-after accompanist among singers demanding in matters of timing and meter. His career has developed above all as an accompanying guitarist and composer for other artists, rather than as a soloist with an extensive discography of his own, though he did co-produce recordings alongside Capullo de Jerez.
Legacy
Niño Jero is recognized within Jerez flamenco as one of the most solid rhythm guitarists of his generation, a direct heir to the oral tradition he absorbed in the taverns of Jerez and a transmitter of that pulse to the singers he has shared the stage with over the past decades.