The event, part of the 54th edition of La Cita Folk de Jódar and corresponding to the spring program, was a resounding success, with the venue completely full. The gathering offered the large audience a journey through the most intimate and emotional dimension of instruments.
The specialist in folk music, ballads, Sephardic songs, and Andean music, presented a reflection that goes far beyond technique or history. He portrayed musical instruments as extensions of the human being, serving as bridges between what we feel and what we are capable of expressing. From the melancholic whisper of a rebec to the power of a drum, passing through the delicacy of an epinette or the potency of a hurdy-gurdy, the speaker guided attendees on a journey where each instrument became a narrator, confidant, and travel companion.
“"Musical instruments are extensions of the human being, bridges between what we feel and what we are capable of expressing."
The speaker's career exemplifies a sustained dedication to popular and oral tradition music. Trained at the Jaén School of Teaching, he worked for decades as a music specialist in Primary Education until his retirement in Linares. His connection with folk music began in his childhood in Santisteban del Puerto, where he grew up listening to stories from his grandfather, a guitarist who even performed with La Niña de la Puebla.
Over the years, he was part of influential groups such as Andaraje —the same collective that gives its name to the space in Jódar—, with whom he participated in the recording of their first two vinyl albums and countless recitals; Tiahuanaco, specializing in Andean music; Some Friends, dedicated to North American folk; and Arquitrabe and Syntagma Músicum, focused on ballads, Sephardic songs, and ancient music. Additionally, he has directed several editions of the ‘Santisteban Folk’ Festival and collaborated with prominent publications such as Joaquín Díaz's Revista de Folklore and the Diputación de Jaén's magazine ‘El toro de caña’.
The ‘La Cita Folk en el Espacio Andaraje’ events are open, participatory, and free-entry gatherings held periodically at the Andaraje group's headquarters in Jódar, with knowledge, debate, and an approach to music, literature, and oral tradition culture as their main focus. The program is made possible by funding from the Jódar City Council with the collaboration of the Unicaja Foundation, the Provincial Council of Jaén, and Radio Jódar Cadena SER.
