Flamenco is once again contributing for a charitable cause. Countless times, artists and other who aren’t quite artists get united to raise funds in behalf of a goal set by an organizing committee. In this occasion, it’s for a tribute festival honoring Juan Manual Carpio Heredia ‘Juanillorro’, and the goal is to pay homage to a cantaor of La Plazuela, in Jerez, who passed away in a painful and abrupt way in August 2018. No one expected it, because his 39th birthday was a few months away, and he was at his zenith, in the best moment of his professional career, just after a very successful performance in the 51th Fiesta de la Bulería honoring Manuel Moneo, with a family overflowing with happiness and two small children who ended up helpless and distraught after this terrible tragedy.

Manuela Carpio, his cousin and almost a mother to him, wanted to organize a festival to help with the finances of the family that was left behind, and which no longer has its father. Juanillorro, who was always taking part in this kind of events, such as those honoring Juan Moneo ‘El Torta’ or Manuela Méndez ‘La Chati’, and also those galas organized by his Cristo de la Expiración brotherhood, will feel on the evening of March 31 all the love of his colleagues and of his land, wherever he is now. More than one hundred artists will remember him at the Villamarta theater, a venue that witnessed the success of this cantaor numerous times, the last of these being the Zambomba of Peña La Bulería, his peña, in December 2017. Juanilloro wasn’t just a cantaor, of course, having a commanding, superb and wide-ranging voice with a Gypsy imprint, but he was also a bailaor, having inherited from his father not just his nickname but also the essence of the baile of Jerez, short, with a lot of compás.

This gala will begin at 7 PM on a Sunday that will already have the scent of incense, as Jerez’s Holy Week will get started just a few weeks later. Among the veneration of the holy statues, so traditional in Jerez and something that Juanillorro himself loved to take part in, twelve hundred people will come to the city’s leading theater to enjoy the cante, baile and toque of great flamenco stars, friends of Juanillorro, aficionados who shared unforgettable moments with him, and also poets, musicians and six presenters. Everything in style. The press conference was led by the mayor of Jerez, Doña Mámen Sánchez, who didn’t hesitate in inviting all the people of Jerez to contribute with this cause. “The men and women of Jerez should not let pass this opportunity to show Juanillorro how much his city loves him”, she stated. She was also joined by Manuela Carpio, naturally, who generously thanked all involved, making the point that those performing at the Villamarta theater “all have the same worth, there are no artists greater than others”. Among those present in the press conference were Saray Fernández, Juanillorro’s widow and the mother of his children; his brother Israel Carpio ‘El Cachorro’ (who was visibly moved), neighbours of the district an many of the artists featured in the lineup.

Cante: Aurora Vargas, Pansequito, Luis Moneo, Jesús Méndez, Vicente Soto, José Valencia, La Macanita, Antonio Reyes, Luis El Zambo, José Méndez, Juana la del Pipa, Ezequiel Benítez, Fernando Soto, María Terremoto, Ana and Coral de los Reyes, Enrique El Extremeño, Juan José Amador, Maloko, Felipa del Moreno, Anabel Valencia, Lela Soto, Mara Rey, Sandra Rincón, Rosario Heredia, Sandra Carpio, Manuel de Tañé, El Galli, Miguel Lavi, Iván de la Manuela, José Gálvez, David Carpio, Alfonso Carpio, El Berenjeno, Juan Lara, Pedro de la Fragua, Manuel de la Fragua, Juan de la Morena, Tamara de Tañé, Antonio Malena, Manuel Malena, El Tolo, José El Pañero, Eva Rubichi, Luis del Mono, Mateo Soleá, El Uño, Manuel El Borrico and Enrique Remache.

Baile: the Farruco family, María del Mar Moreno, Joaquín Grilo, Antonio Canales, Diego de la Margara, Juana Amaya, Gema Moneo, Nazaret Reyes, Soraya Clavijo, Rocío Marín, José Fernández, María José Franco, Saray García, Jessica Brea, Juan Antonio Tejero, Irene Carrasco, Fernando Jiménez, Tía Churra, Tía Yoya, El Berza, El Bo and the Carrasco Family.

Guitar: Manuel Parrilla, Diego del Morao, Domingo Rubichi, Pepe del Morao, Juan Manuel Moneo, Manuel Valencia, Fernando del Morao, Juan Diego Mateos, Antonio Higuero, Miguel Salado, Nono Jero, Jesús Rebeco, Paco León, Antonio Santiago, Alberto Franco and Antonio de Cos.

Presenters: Juan Garrido, José María Castaño, Fran Pereira, Alba del Mono, Jose and Antonio Gallardo.

There will be a special collaboration by Don Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia accompanied by the piano of Rosario ‘La Reina Gitana’.

Tickets are already on sale at https://www.tickentradas.com/eventos/homenaje-a-juanillorro-homenaje-a-juanillorro-teatro-villamarta-jerez-2019 and also at the Villamarta Theater box office, with the admission price ranging from €15 to €26.