Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company Professional Flamenco Artists - Guitarists, Dancers and Singers

His Andalucía show, with his parents, his brother in a tuba, 3 string players and percussionist. And a brilliant substitute dancer for his wife.

Totally exhilarating.

As passionate as you’d expect, but the addition of a chamber ensemble really enhanced the range and musical textures he wove. The cante jondo singing of his parents was electrifying and their palmeando (hand clapping and counter clapping) superb.

It was a brilliant set.

And I haven’t mentioned the dancing and the zapateando (foot ‘stomping’) which were first class.

Daniel’s guitar playing is at the centre of it all. If you want to get a sense of this family, this company of flamenco performers watch this brilliant BBC Scotland segment where they demonstrate their skills. If you like this you’ll LOVE seeing them live.

Saw Dani and his wonderful troupe in matiness performance at Manchester on 03/02/24. It was simply magnificent ! If you get the chance, you must see them

Daniel Martinez was at The Queen’s Hall Edinburgh tonight performing his “20th Anniversary of Flamenco” concert to an enthusiastic audience who had filled the venue pretty much to capacity. Born and raised in Cordoba, Andalucia, this performer, composer and award winning guitarist started his professional flamenco studies at the age of 7. Daniel’s flamenco journey was to take him another 14 years of study at the Royal Conservatoire, and the opportunity to perform in some of the best tablaos (venues) in Cordoba. A move to Scotland has seen Danial Martinez make Edinburgh his new home, and tonight’s performance is part of an ongoing goal in life to not only keep true to the original ethos of Flamenco, but also to develop his own music and projects whilst bringing the living and breathing spirit of this art for to new audiences.
This evening’s performance was split into two very distinct performances. The first half with Daniel Martinez performing solo on guitar and playing work from some of the great Flamenco guitarists who have influenced his own work over the years, including amongst others, Vicente Amigo, Paco de Lucía and Rafael Riqueni.
Watching and listening to Daniel Martinez play guitar is in itself a lesson in his art, as his ability to perform the many challenging techniques that flamenco guitar requires to a very high standard is obvious, but this alone is never going to be enough, and something else has to happen for the spirit of this music to really work its magic, some connection that lets the performer become almost a conduit for the music, and Daniel Martinez has that elusive connection. The final performance of the first half “Baile por Rondena” (Dance for Rondena) was composed by Daniel Martinez and highlighted the interpretive performance skills of dancer Gabriela Pouso. It was perhaps here that we, the audience, got to get a little glimpse into the true spirit of flamenco as Daniel Martinez followed in the footsteps of Gabriela on guitar, along the way improvising his performance to match hers in rhythm, volume and expression with the two performers becoming almost one at times. This performance was a taster for a new project by Daniel Martinez and the Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company, “Andalucia”, and the full show will be performed at The Usher Hall accompanied by a Chamber Orchestra on Wednesday 8 Feb 2023. With this new show, Daniel Martinez is expanding upon his award winning “Art of Believing” work.
The second half of the performance was very traditional in format featuring flamenco singing, plus of course more interpretive music and dance from Gabriela Pouso and Daniel Martinez. This show, for me, was a learning experience, a chance to find out more about how singers, dancers and guitarists individually express their own “flamenco spirit”, but also join together to create a performance that is rhythmically mesmerising whilst at the same time telling a story in performance arts.

What a show! Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company presented The Art Of Believing, and early into the show, the audience suspended their disbelief at the skill and talent each member of the Company demonstrated. The Epstein Theatre was a brilliant setting for the show, small enough for us to feel truly involved in the experience with excellent sound throughout.
Daniel Martinez’s flamenco guitar playing was breathtaking, very intense and atmospheric. He sat alone on a chair in the middle of the stage and that was it for the first couple of numbers and that was all that was needed. But then he was joined by two male and female flamenco singers and with rhythmic clapping and heartfelt vocals, if you closed your eyes, you could imagine the sun on your face, blue skies, a cold glass of wine while you surveyed the Spanish countryside.
There was also flamenco dancing. Emotional and passionate then lighter and slightly comedic as musicians from the cast joined in. The accompanying two guitarists and an exceptional violinist brought the songs to life with such energy! Daniel didn’t speak too much during the performance but he gave us a little background to the compositions and informed us that the beautiful flamenco dancer was his fiancé. It was pure flamenco at its vibrant and passionate best and I would definitely go to see this again.

There’s a local connection to this marvellous presentation of Andalusian culture. Daniel Martinez studied flamenco guitar from the age of seven in his native Cordoba and played in the city’s tablaos before moving to the UK in 2015 and establishing his guitar school in Edinburgh. His flamenco troupe has two Scottish guitarists and one of this production’s pieces expresses the happiness Martinez has found in Scotland but the music and movement are undiluted Andalusia. The venue even obliged with Andalusian temperatures, making dancer Gabriela Pouso’s intense and astonishingly precise footwork all the more admirable.
There’s music in Pouso’s feet and her close coordination with Martinez’ brilliantly nimble and massively colourful musicianship would have been worth the ticket price alone. That, though, would have robbed us of the fantastically expressive singing and the violinist's superb articulation with his bow.
The concert began quietly, with Martinez playing alone, soulfully evoking a calm before the storm. And what a storm: three guitars in intricate partnership, violin and voices soaring as the singers added typically urgent and musical hand clapping and Pouso embodying the music’s vibrant physical presence. Bravo indeed.