Jaco Abel

MySpace Graphics MySpace Glitters MySpace Editor MySpace Comments Warning GeneratorGuitarist, born 1966 in Barcelona, Spain. Chameleonic musician, sensitive, innovator… His father, a flamenco guitar player/dancer, and mother, a classical Spanish dancer. From the age of 3 months to 2 years old he travelled with his family, who directed a flamenco show in a circus touring Europe.  Among his first words, (as written in a notebook by his mother) he used to say “ayaya” for “guitarra”.
Once established in Barcelona he studied violin at 8, bass and trumpet from 16 to 19, even though his main instrument was always the guitar. He also studied harmony, arranging and theory in several schools and conservatories in Terrassa, Badalona, Barcelona, Madrid, Holland, and the USA, and  later on he studied Flamenco as a favorite student of the Gipsy guitar legend Pepe Habichuela in Madrid.
From 19 years old, having exchanged the Flamenco guitar for an electric, his constant search in music and work took him travelling for more than 15 years, coming into contact with Jazz improvisation, Classical music, African music, the folklore of South America and music from the Balkans.
He has lived in Barcelona, Madrid, the USA, and Holland, where he has worked with a great variety of musicians with whom he has played, recorded and toured around the world, such as:
Thijs van Leer (Focus), Jeff Ballard (Chick Corea), Larry Harlow (Fania all Stars), Fra-Fra Sound, Lilian Viera (Zuco 103), Meddy Gerville (Isla Reunion), Randy Bernsen (Zawinul Syndicate) etc…
He has also played and recorded with: Jimmy Smith (organ), M’Shelle N’Dege O’Cello (bass/vocal), Mike Stern (Miles Davis), Alain Caron (Uzeb) Candy Dulfer (Prince), Jesse van Ruller, Tower of Power (U.S.A.), Estrella Morente, Barbería del Sur, José “el Frances”, Joaquín Cortes, Ketama, Farruquito, Pepe Habichuela, Tomatito, Ramon "el Portugues", etc…
Currently he lives in Madrid where he has just released his second solo CD "Flamenco Eléctrico", a record of Flamenco music played on electric guitar, and featuring the valuable collaborations of: Ramón “el Portugués”, Ana Salazar, Paquete, Pepe Habichuela, Jorge Pardo, Bandolero, Luki Losada, Josemi Carmona, Manuel, Bernardo and Juan Parrilla, etc...
There is also a "Live" DVD of a concert at the Barcelona International Jazz Festival with his sextet.
Jaco Abel also teaches a master-class explaining the music he plays, and a theory he has developed called “Pulse and harmony displacement in real time”. This is an innovative concept that teaches how to displace the pulse and consequently the harmony while playing, using Flamenco compás and African claves and their subdivisions.
Together with all this musical activity, Jaco started his own independent record label, “Gitano Cromático Producciones” and the online music store "www.gcproducciones.com" where he is producing, playing, and releasing a series of cds all related to the flamenco world. This company works as an artists’ cooperative.