Pepe de Sevilla & Family jejejeje

Bueno, pa que veais que la historia que os conté sobre mi tio "el que canta flamenco en Las Vegas" es real (recordad que a esas alturas de la noche yo todavía no hablaba inglés, es decir, mi nivel de alcohol en sangre aún no era relevante) os copio un artículo que salió en la web http://www.artsencountersatbeninis.com/ en la que se hablaba de esta rama tan pintoresca de mi familia :P

José María Roldán, “Pepe de Sevilla” was born in Seville, Spain. Pepe was first introduced to flamenco at a very young age during his baptismal celebration in Seville where the singer “Niño de Jerez” sang among others. “Niño de Jerez” later known as “Manuel Torre” was one of the greatest flamenco singers of all time. Pepe arrived in Mexico City in 1949 where he sang at “La Gran Tasca”, “El Colmao”, “La Bodega”, “Rincón de Goya”, “Venta de los Titeres”, “Rio Rosa” and “Plaza de Toros”. He traveled throughout Mexico on tour with his Flamenco group “Los Majaretas de Triana” and in Ciudad Juarez was contracted for 4 years at the famous restaurant-bar “El Alcazar” where he was accompanied by great guitarists such as: Roberto Rojas Barrales, Manolo Parra, Gustavo Reza “El Buzo”. From 1957 to 1971 Pepe owned the famous “Bar Sevilla” in El Paso, Texas, which was the meeting place of many great intellectuals and Flamencos of the time including: Agustín Castellón “Sabicas”, Antonio Triana, Luisa Triana, Maestro Manolo Matos, Miguel Galvez “El Niño de las Cabezas”, Juan Perrín, bullfighter John Fulton Short, Nobel Prize winner Pearl Buck and Flamenco Dance Company of Jimenez-Vargas to name a few. Pepe is currently being accompanied by his son-Flamenco Guitarist José María Roldán, III. Pepe recently relocated to the Austin area with his son and family.

José María Roldán III was born in El Paso, Texas. Flamenco has been an integral part of his life since his early childhood, especially during the years he lived in Seville Spain. José María began studying the flamenco guitar during his late teens with guitarists such as the virtuoso Lionel James, Pepe Marco, and his cousin Manuel Antonio Roldán from Seville. In recent years, José María’s main focus has been the accompaniment of singers and dancers. He has worked with many great flamenco artists such as: flamenco singer José María Roldán, “Pepe de Sevilla” (his father); guitarists Lionel James, R.J. Fox, and Lewie Booth; flamenco dancers Sonia Santamaía, Coral Citron, Andrea Del Conte, Vanessa Alvarado, and Margo Torea. José María has performed in theater productions, hotel and casino venues, corporate events, and on television. Additionally, he and his group performed at the 2005 American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine, and at the famous Feria de Abril, in Seville, Spain. He was a member of the faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Dance Department as a flamenco accompanist. Besides performing and accompanying dance classes, José María also teaches flamenco guitar to a limited number of students. José María collaborated with his father and a wide array of flamenco artists to form “The Spirit of Flamenco” to present a traditional “tablao style” interpretation of pure flamenco. José María just moved to the Austin area with his family.

José María Roldán,IV “Joey” began to study flamenco dance at age three. Joey danced in many shows with The Spirit of Flamenco before deciding to retire at age six! Joey, now eleven years old, recently showed interest in the cajón, a Peruvian percussion instrument widely used in flamenco since the early 1970’s. He is now regularly performing with The Spirit of Flamenco as the groups percussionist, where he can put his understanding of flamenco rhythms to use to help drive the group’s beat.