- Val Ramos
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Val Ramos
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Val Ramos
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Born = birth date and age|1969|7|24New York City ,New York ,United States
Origin =
Genre = Flamenco,Latin pop ,
Occupation =Flamenco Guitarist,singer-songwriter ,
Years_active = 1985–present
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URL = [http://www.Valramosflamenco.com/ www.Valramosflamenco.com]Val Ramos is a native of New York City (of
Puerto Rican parents) and is considered to be one of the best Nuevo Flamenco guitarists in the United States. Val has toured theUnited States andSpain with his ensemble which includes his brotherJose Ramon Ramos . At the early age of 14, he studiedFlamenco guitar with Spanish (Malaga) Flamenco masterAdonis Puerta in New York City. In 1981, he graduated fromEzra Stiles College atYale University . He made his professional debut in the Disney Channel in 1985 and has since released three independent albums under the PIRAM Records label.He has been featured in major international music festivals in the U.S. and Spain. He holds the distinction of being the first non-Spanish guitarist to perform at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center in New York City. Flamenco Connection has described his ensemble (Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble) as "a hidden treasure of Flamenco in the Americas. Superb musicianship..." and Rootsworld.com has described his music as "the best of classical Flamenco brought to modern standards." His music is described as highly original and lyrical with a strong traditional
Flamenco foundation. Some of his musical compositions are featured in the documentaries Puerto Rican Passages (1996 Connecticut Public Television) and Nuyoricans (2001 WNET Thirteen/PBS). He has met and been inspired by some of the great legends of Flamenco guitar includingPaco de Lucia ,Sabicas , andMario Escudero .He has ventured briefly into Latin and Puerto Rican music with a cameo performance (also featuring his ensemble) with the international Grammy winner and Queen of Salsa, the late-
Celia Cruz in Hartford, Connecticut in 2000, and with an opening for three-time Puerto Rican Grammy nomineeDanny Rivera at theNuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City in June 2002. Over the past ten years he has performed and collaborated with such renowned international Flamenco artists as Domingo Alvarado, Luis Vargas, Arturo Martinez, Dionisia Garcia, Alfonso Cid, Dominico Caro, Fernando de Malaga, La Conja, and the late-Rafael Fajardo, to name just a few. In the summer of 2005, he toured in Spain with his ensemble under the auspices of the United States Embassy in Spain.Discography
# "Por mi camino " (2001 PIRAM Records)
# "Boricuas Flamencos" (1998 PIRAM Records)
# "Olive Green Eyes" (1995 PIRAM Records)External links
* [http://www.Valramosflamenco.com/ Val Ramos' official website]
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