CARTAGENA (MURCIA), 20 (EUROPA PRESS)
Maestro Espada, the Murcian duo formed by brothers Alejandro and Víctor Hernández, will receive the Paco Martín award for the revelation group of global music at the thirtieth edition of the La Mar de Músicas festival, held in Cartagena, on July 25.
On the same day, the artists will perform a concert at the Paco Martín auditorium in Parque Torres. Tickets will be available for purchase when the festival presents its complete program in April.
At the proposal of the Paco Martín Cultural Association, the jury composed of journalists Amelia Castilla (El País), Ana Sánchez Moreno (TVE), Laura Piñero (SER), Lara López (RNE), producer Isabel Sánchez (Sonde 3), and former director of La Mar de Músicas, José Luis Cegarra, have chosen Maestro Espada from the proposals submitted by music promoters to the festival.
The jury recognizes the duo with the Paco Martín award for «having built their own sound universe, where the folklore of Murcia, one of the most forgotten in our country, and contemporary music coexist in an outstanding way.»
«The project, inspired by popular works, is one of the most original in the current panorama, an innovative demonstration of how to play with tradition, memories, or avant-garde with respect, creating an exciting bridge between times,» the jury points out.
In their debut album, self-titled and produced by Raül Refree, Maestro Espada «masterfully» combine diverse elements – castanets, lutes, percussion, electronics, distortions, sounds, textures, synthesizer games, acoustic instruments – and achieve a «vibrant collage.»
They bring to the present with echoes of pop, Anglo-Saxon folk, and even techno, Malagueñas, Murcian jotas, huertano songs, gatherings, or groups that highlight the collective sense of music.
The proposal has all the attributes that this award seeks to channel: «courage, beauty, elegance, and intelligence in a timeless journey that takes us from musical archeology to enjoy a new ‘sonic orchard’.»
The Paco Martín award was first given in 2021, after being suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic. It has already been received by the Cordoban singer María José Llergo, the Mexican Ed Maverick, the French November Ultra, and the Catalan Lau Noah.
Paco Martín served as the festival’s director until 2018, the year of his death. He was one of the most prominent cultural managers in the country and received, among other recognitions, the Medal of Fine Arts awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
