Elf and Soul at the Starlite Quarry

Last night, with the punctuality of the stars and wearing a polka-dot shirt, Tomatito (José Fernández Torres, 1958, Almería) began playing the first notes on his guitar to ... a unanimously national audience. Grandson and son of guitarists, and the nephew of the legendary Niño Miguel, he grew up surrounded by the sound of flamenco in his native Almería, where flamenco was as natural to him as breathing. Over time, he not only perfected the art of the guitar but also became a disciple of Paco de Lucía and the eternal companion of Camarón de la Isla, taking the genre to stages all over the world. With five decades of career behind him, he remains the best ambassador of flamenco guitar and a master for new generations, including his own son, José del Tomate, who also attended the festival and accompanied him as on many other tours.

A flamenco ensemble, with a cajón, hand clappers, and a couple of singers dressed in strict black and leather moccasins, supported the master throughout the repertoire he selected for the Marbella night. Tangos, bulerías, rondeñas, and fandangos performed with elegance confirmed his status as a legend. Tomatito, always smiling, displayed his guitar mastery suspended between classic cadence and delicate innovation, a legacy of his connection with Paco and Camarón, whom he honored with versions of Entre dos aguas and La leyenda del tiempo.

Before ending his performance, the dancer Karime Amaya (Mexico, 1985), a great-niece of Carmen Amaya, an unquestionable legend of flamenco in terms of the art of movement, appeared on stage.

It was eleven and three minutes when the stage changed its expression and the lights revealed the cajón that would accompany the second part of the evening, welcoming Israel Fernández (1989, Corral de Almaguer, Toledo). From a young age, he was surrounded by flamenco: he listened to his mother sing and was enchanted by his grandmother Petra, an artist in the family. This heritage, combined with an endless curiosity, led him to grow up among elders, learning to listen and transform the experience into music.

In the audience, there was the respect typical of those frequenting a flamenco club: more than one flamencologist approached the quarry to enjoy the acoustic poetry provided by the rocky walls of the auditorium. As soon as he started, the man from Toledo greeted and thanked the audience for their presence at this festival, assuring that he would pour his soul into the recital. And so we felt it.

Accompanied masterfully by Diego del Morao, with a flawless ensemble of choirs, claps, and cajón, Israel unfolded alegrías, tangos, bulerías, and fandangos with his personal stamp. Most could not escape the messianic enchantment of the singer: tears in the eyes, a lump in the throat. The purists commented at the end that it lacked a certain flair and that it used to be purer, but the purity of this artist is beyond any doubt. The flair is the flair: it's not about understanding, but feeling.

His big break came with Amor (2020), recorded precisely with Diego del Morao, which opened the doors to a Latin Grammy nomination and solidified him as one of the essential names of the present. That album taught him that the most honest thing is to defend what is one's own: 'To write, you have to live it or feel it from within,' he often says. Love, for music, for the land, for silence, runs through his compositions and is what he transmits in each performance. Hence his legend.

At Starlite, Fernández not only sang: he also sat at the piano to further shake an audience silenced by his greatness. Shortly after, he was left alone with the guitar.

He confessed that it was the first time he played this instrument in front of an audience and apologized to the guitarists, but this Prince of flamenco was born with the gift of music.

His voice combines the strength of ancient singing with the pulse of the contemporary. From his beginnings to works like Pura Sangre and Por amor al cante, his technique is impeccable and his emotional commitment, constant. His singing is visceral, profound, and modern. In his blood runs Niña de los Peines, Porrina, Camarón, Morente, and all the greats. His singing is not imitation, but reincarnation. He has the fierceness of the gypsy, the sweetness of the contemporary, and a melodic intuition that connects him with the old masters and, at the same time, with today's listeners. His voice does not seek to please: it seeks to transcend. And it succeeds.

Among claps and cheers, with the audience's request for an encore, Fernández said goodbye, returning with his ensemble to perform some final steps. The concert was part of the 14th edition of the Starlite Festival, held between June and August 2025. Amidst an eclectic lineup, the presence of Israel Fernández and Tomatito represented the magic of flamenco. Among claps, cheers, and silences, it was clear that flamenco is not inherited: it is embodied.