Diego El Cigala Makes Vancouver Debut at Chan Centre Tonight

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) presents the Vancouver debut of Spain's most electrifying and innovative flamenco singer - Diego El Cigala, tonight, October 25, 2014 at 8pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Passionate, profound, and intensely proud of his Gitano heritage, El Cigala has been touted as the "Sinatra of flamenco" and has transfixed audiences the world over with deeply emotional performances of cathartic song, skilfully blending flamenco, tango, Latin jazz, bolero and son.

"Vancouver possesses a thriving hotbed of flamenco culture and I am thrilled to bring one of the great voices of our century here," said Joyce Hinton, Co-Managing Director of the Chan Centre. "Diego's earthy and richly emotive voice is guaranteed to resonate strongly with audience members."

Born in the Lavapiés district of Madrid in 1968 to a family of flamenco musicians, El Cigala started his solo career in 1997 with the release of Undebel. A few short years later, he received his first Latin GRAMMY nomination for Best Flamenco Album and promptly began an extraordinary collaboration with the inimitable Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés - leading to the release of the breakthrough album, Lágrimas Negras (Black Tears) in 2003.

In addition to winning El Cigala his first Latin GRAMMY (he now has three), Lágrimas Negras - with its fusion of Roma fire and complex Cuban rhythms - became a meteoric success, selling more than a million copies worldwide and garnering rave reviews, including Album of the Year by The New York Times' notoriously exacting Ben Ratliff.

The flamenco master has continued to explore and merge the melodies of his heritage with a dazzling roster of international collaborators. To date, he has joined forces with a number of acclaimed musicians - including virtuoso guitartist Paco de Lucia, legendary Argentinean folk singer Mercedes Sosa, Latino jazz trumpeter/percussionist Jerry Gonzaléz, and master bandoneonist Néstor Marconi, to name but a few.

El Cigala's current world tour supports his recent Latin GRAMMY award-winning release, Romance de la luna Tucumana. The 2013 album offers fresh perspective on Argentinean tango and features notable contributor Diego Garcia (also known as El Twanguero) - a Mexican electric guitarist who masterfully embraces elements of cowboy, Hawaiian, and surf music.

Diego El Cigala will be joined on stage at the Chan Centre by his powerhouse band, including pianist Jaime Calabuch, guitarists Diego Moreno and Dan Ben Lior, double bassist Yelsy Heredia, and percussionist Isidro Suárez.

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