Grammy award winner Antonio Lizana to perform at Windmills

He is a practitioner of Flamenco Jazz and will be performing in India for first time

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Flamenco jazz is a style mixing flamenco and jazz. As flamenco artists in the 1960s and 1970s such as Paco de Lucia and Camarón de la Isla started experimenting with traditional music they had learned in childhood, a nuevo flamenco ('new flamenco') evolved.

Jazz saxophonist, flamenco singer & composer, Antonio Lizana, is one of the most celebrated representatives of new Flamenco Jazz from Southern Spain. His journey into music began at a very young age.

He says, “My father had a lot of vinyls of rock music, jazz, and flamenco. Listening to them at the age of 10 I decided that I wanted to be a musician. I trained in classical music, but also played in many local Flamenco bands. I wanted to learn how to improvise so I also picked up Jazz.” He started composing after his bachelor’s degree.

“Flamenco Jazz as a style was invented by the likes of Paco de Lucia. I try to take it a bit further from that. I’m also a jazz musician so what we do is unlike any other,” says Antonio who has collaborated with artists such as Ar turo O'Farrill and Alejandro Sanz on works that received Grammy awards.

In the last three years, he has performed more than 300 concerts in over 30 countries. On how he keeps going, he says “I love to be on stage in front of the audience. It is an experience that energizes you and it’s a lifestyle I enjoy. I wouldn’t give it up for anything else in the world.”

Lizana's live shows have been described as a "breathtaking journey from flamenco roots to contemporary jazz", all spun with his soulful lyrics which bring a message of optimism and truth. About this music, he says “My last album was called A Different Reality which invites people to look at things from a different perspective, to look past the routine and to look at life with more kindness, generosity, and passion.” He will be performing at Windmills, Whitefield on December 16 and 17. You can buy tickets on their website.