Paco Cortés
Who is Paco Cortés?
Paco Cortés Urbano was born in 1957 in the Sacromonte district of Granada, into a fully flamenco family environment, and trained from childhood while working in the neighborhood’s zambras, the cradle of a very particular tradition within Andalusian flamenco. One of his first teachers was his uncle Pepe Amaya, alongside reference figures such as Ramón Montoya, Niño Ricardo and Paco de Lucía, whose styles he studied and absorbed into his own playing.
Career
At just fourteen he already began touring internationally, an early start that shaped the rest of his professional career. Throughout his career he has been a regular collaborator of Enrique Morente, with whom he recorded several albums, and of Carmen Linares, whom he has accompanied steadily over the past decade, including international tours. He has also worked alongside the choreographer Mario Maya on dance productions, and more occasionally with Rancapino, Guadiana and Manuel Lorente.
His career has taken him to perform in Spain, Europe and other continents, with notable recitals in Paris, Tangier and Rabat in 2001, performances that cemented his international profile.
Style and discography
His discography includes the solo album “Calle de Agua,” “Cruz y Luna” and “Esencias” with Enrique Morente, “La luna en el río” and “Cantaora” with Carmen Linares, and “Camelamos Naquerar” with Mario Maya, works that reflect both his role as an accompanist and his ability to sustain larger-scale projects alongside choreographers and top-tier singers.
Legacy
Internationally recognized for his career as an accompanist to some of the most important voices in contemporary flamenco, Paco Cortés represents the Granada school of the Sacromonte, forged in the neighborhood’s zambras and later projected onto stages around the world.