Concert – «José Mercé»
Concert — José Mercé at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
José Mercé (Mar Abierto Festival 2026) arrives at the Symphonic Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Mar Abierto Festival.
The flamenco singer José Mercé sings to Manuel Alejandro in the Symphonic Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Mar Abierto Festival. The Mar Abierto Festival will feature José Mercé for the first time in its history, on a very special date such as the festival's 20th anniversary. The singer has always deeply admired one of his most illustrious compatriots, Manuel Alejandro, to whom he dedicates this show, performing flamenco versions of some of his most emblematic songs and adapting them to different flamenco styles.
He will be accompanied by his usual ensemble, consisting of two flamenco guitars, three palmeros (hand-clappers) and flamenco percussion, joined by an acoustic piano and a double bass, which will bring a new sound to such well-known songs.
Doors open 45 minutes before the start of the concert. Duration 90 minutes.
With 18 albums released since his debut in 1968, José Mercé has maintained the pure essence of cante (flamenco singing) and has mixed it with flamenco versions of Manu Chao, Luis Eduardo Aute, Víctor Jara, Louis Armstrong, Pablo Milanés, the Pop Tops and Joan Manuel Serrat, positioning himself as a key artist in Spanish music, breaking boundaries and taking his music not only to the flamenco audience, but also reaching a younger, pop-loving public.
José Soto Soto (José Mercé) is the great-grandson of Paco Luz and nephew of Manuel Soto “Sordera”, patriarch of Jerez flamenco. After singing as a child in the Choir School of the Basilica of La Merced in his city (hence his stage name), he took his first artistic steps at the Flamenco Thursdays in Jerez and at the Cadiz tablao La Cueva del Pájaro Azul. At the age of 13, he arrived in Madrid (“I earned 500 pesetas a day singing in Torres Bermejas,” he says) to record his first album produced by Manuel Ríos Ruiz. He was in Antonio Gades' company, participated in Carlos Saura's film Bodas de sangre in 1981, collaborated with the National Ballet, won the National Flamenco Art Contest of Córdoba in 1986, worked again with Saura in the film Flamenco in 1995…
José Mercé debuted in 1968 with the album Cultura Jonda 14. Bandera de Andalucía. Years later, important works arrived such as Verde junco (1983) alongside Tomatito and Enrique de Melchor, Caminos reales del cante (1987), Hondas raíces (1991) and Desnudando el alma (1994). In 1998, he began his leap to popularity with the album Del amanecer, produced by guitarist Vicente Amigo, achieving unprecedented success in flamenco which continued with Aire (2000) which reached Double Platinum and Lío (2002), which Mercé himself defines as “an album made with the heart.” Later came Confí de fuá (2004), Lo que no se da (2006), a Grandes éxitos (2007) and Ruido (2010). In February 2010, Mercé received the Medal of Andalusia, an honorary distinction that recognizes the merits of the cantaor. He has recently been awarded the Diamond Disc, which certifies over 1,000,000 albums sold during his career, a milestone never before achieved by a flamenco artist.
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