Off Ciutat Flamenco: Mercedes Cortés, Jordi Flores, José A. Cortés and Salao

Off Ciutat Flamenco (13 October-5 November) is a part of the Festival Ciutat Flamenco de Barcelona (20-29 October), which celebrates its 2023th birthday in 30. It will be dedicated to the memory of Julián Navarro “El Califa”, guitarist necessary to understand the current flamenco in Catalonia.

This contest is dedicated to the creation, experimentation and presentation of interdisciplinary works, both classical and unorthodox. It serves as a showcase in Barcelona of the international flamenco scene.

Originally founded in 1993 under the name “Flamenco Ciutat Vella”, it underwent a transformation in 2012, giving rise to its current format and name.

Since 2019, it has gone a step further and has promoted the Congress of Flamencology and Flamenco Pedagogy within the festival’s programming. For this year, there will be a special table dedicated to Carmen Amaya on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of her death.

The “Off” space has the particularity that they are double concerts and in small rooms, but with the same quality as the rest of the programming. It is its first edition.

José Andrés Cortés y Salao, and Mercedes Cortés (pictured) and Jordi Flores make up the double concert on October 19.

The cantaor Salao, accompanied by the guitar of José Andrés Cortés, presents a show where a great variety of flamenco styles are covered to the beat and free as alegrías, tangos, fandangos, soleás and tarantos, among others.

Mercedes Cortés, with Jordi Flores to play, recover forgotten songs to give them back the space that belongs to them in the present and in the future.

On Friday, November 3, you can see Luis de la Fefa & El Tuto and Carmen Corpas & Justo Fernández; on Saturday, November 4, Victoria Romero & Juan Moreno and Flamenco Barcelona S. XXI will perform. “El Off” will conclude on Sunday, November 5 with Alba Guerrero & Manuel Castilla and Paco Heredia & Friends.