Roni benise spanish guitar

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND BENISE’S 6TH FAN CRUISE!

benise Bio

Rarely is an artist capable of touching the hearts and souls of people of all ages, cultures, and diverse musical backgrounds as BENISE (pronounced Buh-nes-say).

 For Benise, music has always been a journey…from his humble beginnings as a street performer, to performing around the world. “I wanted to push the boundaries of traditional Nuevo Flamenco/Spanish guitar while combining the elements of dance and theater. This show is a celebration of Music, Love, and Life,” comments the composer, virtuoso guitarist and creative force behind 'fuego!'

Since the age of eleven (when he received his first guitar), BENISE practiced relentlessly, completely self-taught, mastering a variety of different styles that were eventually to become his own unique sound. Though unable to read a single note, he began composing original works with powerful emotional arrangements that areboth wild and refined, producing a sound that is as edgy and exotic as it is romantic and sensual.

“I’m always inspired by places I’ve traveled,” s

Roni Benise (best known as Benise), is an American self-taught and self-described "Nouveau Spanish Flamenco Guitarist". Benise left his family to move 1500 miles away to Los Angeles with a dream of pursuing a rock-type stardom. Then one day, when he was at a crossroads of his life, he had an epiphany after hearing flamenco on the radio. He tossed aside his electric guitar in favor of a classical nylon stringer.

With a lack of viable venues, he and a group of friends took the music literally to the streets as a busker, playing everything from neighborhood theaters to flea markets where he quickly established a following. Together, they came up with an act that married Latin rhythms to a near-Cirque du Soleil atmosphere. He takes world music (specifically, strongly Latin-flavored pieces such as flamenco, salsa, tango, and samba underscored by African tribal rhythms) and fuses it with rock, creating an entirely new sound that appeals widely to mainstream music fans and aficionados of world music.

The mixture caught the attention of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and

“I think we have something for everybody in this show,” Benise said. “We have Spanish flamenco, Cuban salsa, Brazilian samba, African drumming, and it’s all around Spanish guitar.

“My hope is to take the audience for two hours on a trip around the world, to an exotic little town in Spain, through multimedia. Our set design is a Spanish courtyard.”

He said the cast is international; the lead flamenco dancer studied in Spain and continues to go back every year. There is a five-piece band, with Benise on guitar, including violin, percussion, drums and bass, and there are seven dancers.

Because he grew up playing rock, he has included classic songs by Led Zeppelin, Kashmir and AC/DC, “but we twist them with Spanish guitar,” he said.

The program will also feature various styles of dance: salsa, tango, samba and waltz. And Benise will be showcasing traditional Spanish songs such as “Granada.”

“Most of it is fusion,” he said. “People love our show because we have all these different styles.”

In addi

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