In 2002 Carmen recorded 'Un Ramito de Locura' (A Branch of Madness) with the great guitarist Gerardo Nuñez, which was nominated for Best Flamenco Album in the Premios de la Musica and the Latin Grammys 2003. In 2000 the composer and guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar chose her to sing in his discographical project 'Locura de Brisa y Trino' (Madness of Breeze and Trill), to recover poems by Federico Garcia Lorca harmonised for modern guitar composition. 'Antología' was recorded with the guitars by Tomatito, Vicente Amigo, Moraito, Pepe Habichuela, Rafael Riqueni, etc and its one of the most famous flamenco albums. It rescues valuable items of the past to project them into the future with a contemporary musical attitude. 'Antologia de la Mujer en el Cante' (Anthology of the woman in flamenco singing, Universal 1996), is a key part of flamenco discography. Carmen Linares went on tour to great stages in Paris, Amsterdam, London, New York an Rome over 15 years. 'Canciones Populares de Lorca' (Auvidis, 1993) was a great successful album which she sang lyrics of Federico García Lorca accompanied with sextet ensemble. After these records Carmen Linares recorded an extraordinary homage to universal poet Federico García Lorca. Her first album were brilliants: 'Su Cante' (Hispavox, 1984) with Pepe and Luis Habichuela, 'Cantaora' (Dio, 1988) and 'La Luna en el río' (Auvidis, 1991) both with Paco Cortes and Pedro Sierra which won the French Academy Best Album. She has singed along 30 years with important conductors like Frühbech de Burgos, Josep Pons and Leo Brower. The New York Times described her as “a singer with incredible expressive power”. She’s been one of the first Flamenco artists who, invited by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, acted in the Lincoln Center. In 1988 Carmen Linares was the chosen voice to re-open Manuel de Falla’s original version of “El Amor Brujo” in the open of Seville Flamenco Biennial. In the 70s and 80s she worked in Madrid alongside artists such as Enrique Morente, Camarón, Carmen Mora, and the brothers Juan and Pepe Habichuela. She is recognized as flamenco lead vocal reference for young artist generation like Estrella Morente, Miguel Poveda, Pitingo, Arcangel, Marina Heredia and Rocio Marquez. She’s conquered a privileged position in the world of Flamenco music on her own merits, having become one of Flamenco music’s most critically acclaimed and international artists. She belongs to the same generation of artists like Enrique Morente, Camaron, Paco de Lucía, Pepe Habichuela, José Mercé and Tomatito and she is considered as flamenco legend.Ĭarmen Linares has carved out a place for herself in contemporary Spanish musical culture. She is known as one of the finest flamenco singers in Spain. Flamenco singer, Born in 1951 in Linares, Jaén (Andalusia). That is why I feel the need to tell more things about flamenco with other sounds and I take to the orchestra and try to get the orchestra to play siguiriyas, but take note, not for the orchestra to accompany siguiriyas and a singer, but for the orchestra to take on the feeling of the flamenco and, as if it were a sole instrument, to tell that spirit and magic sound of flamenco'.Carmen Linares is the stage name of Carmen Pacheco Rodríguez. 'Flamenco is a philosophy, the way of thinking and feeling of a whole people and its historical tradition. 'I wish the experts in universal music to understand that they may approach flamenco, so they do not consider it something tribal and topical, so they see a branch of music in flamenco that allows very profound musical analysis and has extraordinary poetic and musical quality'.ĭiscussing it further, he later declared, Several works of the greatest interest which have placed his name among the great composers of our time include: Fantasía para guitarra y orquesta, Trebujena, Medea and Soleá, showing his attempts to merge his primary focus in music, and which toured the world as a ballet Tauromagia or Aljibe. The most ambitious of his contributions to the art has been his constant striving to integrate flamenco in symphonic music. He soon began to research, aware that the guitar had infinite possibilities that had hardly been explored. His brothers also decided on the same vocation, among them Isidro.

His first teacher was his father, Isidro Sanlúcar, a baker and old-style guitarist, who frequently came home with people who were fond of cante and playing from his childhood he was exceptionally skilled to follow in his steps.

Manolo sanlucar locura de brisa y trino