Flamenco On the Spot: Alfonso Cid

My name is Alfonso Cid, I'm a flamenco singer, flute player, composer, teacher and scholar. 

Many of you know how much I love flamenco, from the very traditional to the most modern expressions of this art form.  This allows me to have an open mind when it comes to the creative process an artist has to go through to be able to perform any style of music. 

Sometimes you'll see me in a traditional setting accompanying flamenco dancers, as a solo "cantaor" or as a flute player.  Some other times I'll be playing percussion, or as a teacher at Flamenco Latino Studios or as lecturer.  Others singing rock with my own project Dientes de Caramelo or Moroccan Andalusian music with Rabbi Haim Louk and conductor Tom Cohen.  Even bachata with Romeo Santos and the wonderful guitarist Tomatito, beatboxing with Kid Lucky, or performing with singer-songwriter David Broza or Caramelo Flamenco Funk.

My latest collaboration has been a really exciting fusion of Jazz and Flamenco with the wonderful pianist from Granada, Spain, Jesús Hernández and the New Bojaira. We have performed with this project at such venues as Joe's Pub, Terraza 7 Café and Drom in New York City, as well as Bab Illo and the Colegio de España in Paris, France.

I really strive to be rigorous in my performances, be true to the style of music I play and above all have a good time with my fellow musicians, dancers or students.  I really hope those qualities come through in my performances so you get to enjoy them as much as I do!! 
Above all I want to share the art form we all love so much, FLAMENCO!!! 


Alfonso biography 

Alfonso Mogaburo Cid was born on September 25th, 1969 and raised in Seville, the heartland of Flamenco music. His mother, an amateur singer from Triana, a Flamenco enclave in Seville, and his grandfather, an aficionado of Flamenco were his earliest influences.  He also had the opportunity of attending the activities of one the most significant Flamenco clubs in Andalusia, the Peña Flamenca Torres-Macarena since 1987. There he had the wonderful opportunity of attending performances by some the greatest flamenco artists of all times: José Mercé, Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera, Chocolate, Chano Lobato, Rancapino, El Pele as well as the dancer Javier Latorre and Carmen Ledesma among many others. He also was a member as flute player of the resident flamenco fusion band of the Peña Torres-Macarrena called "Al Baño María¨ which toured throughout Andalusia in venues such as "La Carbonería" and festivals in Málaga, Alcalá de Guadaira, Utrera and Lebrija.

Alfonso enrolled at the Seville Conservatory in 1990 to study flute and music theory.  For the following 5 years he received a classical training.

He also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland, in August of 1996 and 1997.

In October 1997 Alfonso moved to the United States, since then he is based in New York City.  He has made many guest appearances at important venues including Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, American Airlines Arena (Miami), Amway Center (Orlando), Staples Center (Los Angeles) and many others with the popular Latin artist Romeo Santos.  He had the honor of recording backing vocals in the song titled “Mi Santa” by Santos in which the great flamenco guitarist Tomatito was a featured guest artist. 

This artistic engagement with the King of Bachata has extended to the present and Alfonso has toured extensively throughout Latin-America, Europe and the USA. Romeo Santos broke record TV ratings at the Festival de Viña del Mar on February of 2015 with an estimated 150 million audience of TV viewers. Santos also broke record audiences with two sold-out performances at the River Plate soccer stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina as well as the Estadio Nacional in Santiago de Chile, Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru, Foro Sol in Mexico City and many other stadiums and arenas in the whole of South and Central America, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, the Nederlands and Switzerland.

Alfonso joined forces with the conductor and mandolin virtuoso Tom Cohen as part of the Festival Sefarad in November of 2011. He had the honor of sharing the stage with the great Judeo-Moroccan singer Rabbi Haim Louk and the Al-Andalus Orchestra of Montreal.
He has explored the Arabic roots of flamenco music as a member of the Arabic-Flamenco fusion band New Andalusia directed by professor and scholar Taoufiq Ben Amor. This band has performed many times at Alwan Arabic Culture Center as well as York University in Toronto, Canada.

He performed at the 92 Y with singer songwriter and peace activist David Broza; Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Town Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Sala Covarrubias in Mexico City to name a few. 

He has worked with all of the significant artists in the flamenco ambiance through out the USA, performing and touring in the Tri-State area, Washington DC, San Francisco, Portland, OR; Chicago, Detroit, Kentucky, Toronto, Ottawa, British Columbia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Spain.

He was the recipient of two scholarships at the Cristina Heeren Foundation for Flamenco Art in Sevilla, Spain. He attended two summer intensive courses on July 2007 and 2008 and studied flamenco history, vocal technique and flamenco repertoire with maestro Paco Taranto and the new talents of Rocío Márquez and Elena Morales.

This experience allowed him to start teaching flamenco “cante” (flamenco song) at Flamenco Latino Studios since February of 2008. He has given several flamenco “cante” for dance workshops at Lotus Music and Dance Studios as well as series of lecture/demonstrations in 2010, 2011 and 2012 titled “El Baile Flamenco” in which he shares the structure of flamenco singing, guitar playing and choreography with artists and aficionados alike. 

In partnership with Carlota Santana’s Flamenco Vivo Alfonso produced in 2010 “La Música Flamenca” (The Flamenco Music) for the Lincoln Center Institute.  This is a show in which different aspects of flamenco song are introduced to audiences such as school teachers in professional development programs as well as kids in school performances.  This is an ongoing show. 

He released his first CD titled “Flamenco de vuelta e ida” on 2006 with is own Flamenco fusion project “Gazpacho Andalú” with guitarist Arturo Martínez.

He has also released the debut album of his Spanish Indie Rock project “Dientes de Caramelo” titled “Pulpo” (Octopus) in March of 2012.  For more info log on www.dientesdecaramelo.com
Alfonso is a founding member of the New Bojaira Jazz/Flamenco band with pianist Jesús Hernández, bassist Tim Ferguson and drummer Mark Holen. This band has released their first album titled "Zorongo Blu" on December 1st, 2018 in which great jazz sidemen such as Randy Brecker and Peter Brainin are featured artists.

The New Bojaira, plays an original and engaging fusion, blending jazz improvisation with the excitement of flamenco rhythms, dance and singing to create a powerful combination of energy and subtlety on stage, taking audiences on a fascinating multi-cultural excursion. 

For more information please visit:

http://alfonsocid.com

http://newbojaira.com