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Juan Carranza was first introduced to flamenco as a teenager in New York City when
he met a gypsy musician who taught him a complex guitar technique known as rasqueado.
This chance meeting ignited Carranza's passion for flamenco and eventually prompted him
to seek the life of a traveling musician.
Returning to Costa Rica, his country of origin, Carranza lived on the beach while performing in bars and restaurants. His travels took him throughout Central America, Mexico and Europe including Germany, Holland and Spain. Along the way, Carranza learned from encounters with other flamenco players and gypsies and honed his skills as a musician. Over the years, Carranza has developed a highly percussive right hand strumming technique which reflects the influence of Latin American rhythms and his role as a soloist and improviser. THE BAND Juan Miguel Medina Flores: cajon, darbouka, djembe Originally from Mexico, Miguel studied percusion and composition at the M. Ponce Center for musical studies at the cultural institute of Aguas Calientes and with Nestor Vasquez, first percussionist of the Aguas Calientes Symphonique Orchestra. In Montreal since 2001 he has participated in concerts with Mruta Mertsi's contemporary ensemble, has worked on compositions for Lauren Deglio.s choreography's (Tangente) and works at the Jean-Pierre Perrault foundation and at the dance faculty at Concordia University. Miguel has been working with Juan Carranza since June of 2002. Paul Mattsson: fretless electric bass and upright acoustic bass Born in Montreal, raised in Argentina, Paul is currently a student of McGill's jazz faculty. He combines his knowledge of jazz, latin, and modern music, applies it to flamenco and strengthens the fusion of the different elements of the ensemble. Rae Bowhay: flamenco dance With more than ten years of learning and stage experience, Rae has worked equally on choreography and presentations in; Quebec, Alberta, and Los Angeles. It's been six years that her work has been orientated towards the development of a new style that combine qualities found in both art forms. |
