Val Ramos
Encyclopedia
Val Ramos is a native of New York City (of Puerto Rican
parents) and is considered to be one of the best Nuevo Flamenco
guitarists in the United States. Val has toured the United States
and Spain
with his ensemble which includes his brother Jose Ramon Ramos. At the early age of 14, he studied Flamenco guitar
with Spanish (Malaga) Flamenco master Adonis Puerta in New York City. In 1981, he graduated from Ezra Stiles College
at Yale University
. He made his professional debut in the Disney Channel in 1985 and has since released three independent albums under the PIRAM Records label.
He has been featured in major international music festivals in the U.S. and Spain. He holds the distinction of being the first non-Spanish guitarist to perform at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center in New York City. Flamenco Connection has described his ensemble (Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble) as "a hidden treasure of Flamenco in the Americas. Superb musicianship..." and Rootsworld.com has described his music as "the best of classical Flamenco brought to modern standards." His music is described as highly original and lyrical with a strong traditional Flamenco
foundation. Some of his musical compositions are featured in the documentaries Puerto Rican Passages (1996 Connecticut Public Television) and Nuyoricans (2001 WNET Thirteen/PBS). He has met and been inspired by some of the great legends of Flamenco guitar including Paco de Lucia
, Sabicas
, and Mario Escudero
.
He has ventured briefly into Latin and Puerto Rican music with a cameo performance (also featuring his ensemble) with the international Grammy winner and Queen of Salsa, the late- Celia Cruz
in Hartford, Connecticut in 2000, and with an opening for three-time Puerto Rican Grammy nominee Danny Rivera
at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
in New York City in June 2002. Over the past ten years he has performed and collaborated with such renowned international Flamenco artists as Domingo Alvarado, Luis Vargas, Arturo Martinez, Dionisia Garcia, Alfonso Cid, Dominico Caro, Fernando de Malaga, La Conja, and the late-Rafael Fajardo, to name just a few. In the summer of 2005, he toured in Spain with his ensemble under the auspices of the United States Embassy in Spain.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
parents) and is considered to be one of the best Nuevo Flamenco
New Flamenco
Nuevo Flamenco is synonymous with contemporary flamenco and is a modern derivative of traditional flamenco ....
guitarists in the United States. Val has toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with his ensemble which includes his brother Jose Ramon Ramos. At the early age of 14, he studied Flamenco guitar
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
with Spanish (Malaga) Flamenco master Adonis Puerta in New York City. In 1981, he graduated from Ezra Stiles College
Ezra Stiles College
Ezra Stiles College is a residential college at Yale University, built in 1961 by Eero Saarinen. Architecturally, it is known for its lack of right angles. It is adjacent to Morse College.-Origin:...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He made his professional debut in the Disney Channel in 1985 and has since released three independent albums under the PIRAM Records label.
He has been featured in major international music festivals in the U.S. and Spain. He holds the distinction of being the first non-Spanish guitarist to perform at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center in New York City. Flamenco Connection has described his ensemble (Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble) as "a hidden treasure of Flamenco in the Americas. Superb musicianship..." and Rootsworld.com has described his music as "the best of classical Flamenco brought to modern standards." His music is described as highly original and lyrical with a strong traditional Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
foundation. Some of his musical compositions are featured in the documentaries Puerto Rican Passages (1996 Connecticut Public Television) and Nuyoricans (2001 WNET Thirteen/PBS). He has met and been inspired by some of the great legends of Flamenco guitar including Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
, Sabicas
Sabicas
Sabicas was a Flamenco guitarist, of Romani origin, who was born in 1912 in Pamplona, Spain and died in 14 April 1990 in New York....
, and Mario Escudero
Mario Escudero
Mario Escudero, full name Mario Escudero Valero Jimenez Valverde, is one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who helped spread flamenco beyond their homeland when they migrated to the United States in the early 1950s...
.
He has ventured briefly into Latin and Puerto Rican music with a cameo performance (also featuring his ensemble) with the international Grammy winner and Queen of Salsa, the late- Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
in Hartford, Connecticut in 2000, and with an opening for three-time Puerto Rican Grammy nominee Danny Rivera
Danny Rivera
Danny Rivera is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who was born in San Juan whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is well-known in Puerto Rico for his political activism.-Musical career:...
at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Nuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...
in New York City in June 2002. Over the past ten years he has performed and collaborated with such renowned international Flamenco artists as Domingo Alvarado, Luis Vargas, Arturo Martinez, Dionisia Garcia, Alfonso Cid, Dominico Caro, Fernando de Malaga, La Conja, and the late-Rafael Fajardo, to name just a few. In the summer of 2005, he toured in Spain with his ensemble under the auspices of the United States Embassy in Spain.
Discography
- Por mi camino (2001 PIRAM Records)
- Boricuas Flamencos (1998 PIRAM Records)
- Olive Green Eyes (1995 PIRAM Records)