Antonio Serrano Bio For Print and Landing Pages
“A long vibrant career granted him the MASTERS OF MEDITERRANEAN MUSIC IN JAZZ award because of his revolutionary contribution to the genre. The award was given to him in 2014 by the Berkley Mediterranean Music Institute. In addition, he received the LATINO GRAMMY in 2015 from the LATIN ACADEMY OF RECORDING ARTS & SCIENCES for his participation in the recording of ENTRE 20 AGUAS: A LA MUSICA DE PACO DE LUCIA.”
Biography
Antonio Serrano was born in Madrid in 1974. Up until age 7 he studied the harmonica (his main instrument) with his father, after which he went on to study with the great Larry Adler. Serrano’s technique on the chromatic harmonica developed quickly, and he soon found himself equipped with the skills to play a plethora of music styles, from classical music to jazz, blues, tango and flamenco.
Antonio first received international attention at the age of 13 when he performed in Paris in a duo with mentor Larry Adler. This concert marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship between the two harmonica players, one that would greatly enhance Antonio’s already promising professional career. The teacher and his pupil performed together on many occasions and in 1992, when Antonio was just 18, he performed in the Malcolm Arnold Harmonica Concerto, which was written specifically for the great master, Larry Adler.
As a young adult, having previously focused on classical music, Antonio went on to study many other genres. He spent a number of years playing blues, jazz and pop, recording hundreds of records in all styles of music, and soon became known in his home country as one of the most important and versatile improvisers of his generation.
After making a name for himself as a virtuoso, it was inevitable that one day he would receive the call from Spain’s most important instrumentalist of all time, the flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía. The 10 years he spent performing with the iconic flamenco guru, made Serrano famous for having introduced the harmonica into a genre that is almost inaccessible to musicians outside the flamenco culture.
He continued to tour the world with this living legend while also pursuing his solo career and performing as a guest artist with many other musicians. Over the years, Antonio has played and recorded with Larry Adler, Toots Thielemans, Wynton Marsalis, Jerry Gonzalez, Chano Dominguez, Lou Bennett, Jorge Pardo, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito, Armando Manzanero, Luis Salinas, Javier Colina and many many more…
His collaborations also include the symphonic orchestras of Venezuela (Simón Bolivar), Belgium, Cologne, Heidelberg, Kiel and Turkish Radio, in which he played original concertos for harmonica by H. Villalobos, Malcolm Arnold, and arrangements by Enescu, Gershwin, Piazzolla–the list goes on and on.
As a session musician, Antonio Serrano has recorded with major pop and rock artists in Spain, and he has recorded on soundtracks to numerous films by the renowned Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.
Discography
1991 – Antonio Serrano and his Romantic Harmonica.
1994 – Más que dos (Tempo Interno), with Mario Torres.
1999 – At El Central, Antonio Serrano & Joshua Edelman Trio.
2003 – El corazón al Sur, with José Reinoso.
2004 – Sesión Continua, with Federico Lechner.
2006 – Zamba Nueva, with José Reinoso.
2007 – Armonitango, Toots Thielemans, Jorge Pardo, Jerry Gonzalez, Javier Colina..
2008 – ROSA, with Leonardo Amuedo and more.
2012 – La Extraña Pareja, with Federico Lechner.
2012 – HARMONIOUS, Antonio Serrano.
2014 – MAHALO, with Albert Sanz.
Videos
With Paco de Lucía: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gjPDqrSjKo
With Il Novecento Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRulfholtfQ
Harmonious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g2rK5LjQkw
With Larry Addler at the age of 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAamKnAvnNs