Carlos Montoya

 ( 1903 Births ) 

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When World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, he was on tour in the United States, and decided to settle in New York City, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen. By the end of the war in 1945, his repertoire had broadened to include blues, jazz and folk music. He again toured internationally, and was the first flamenco guitarist to tour the world with symphonies and orchestras, and dominated the field of flamenco in the U.S.Coelho, Victor. The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar, Cambridge Univ. Press (2003) p. 22 During his career he also performed on television and recorded over forty albums, including Suite Flamenco, a concerto he performed with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1966. His performances helped popularize flamenco guitar music worldwide.Noad, Frederick M. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Guitar, Penguin (2002) p. 162

Montoya is credited with having transformed flamenco guitar music into a separate music style, beyond being a traditional dance accompaniment. He adapted flamenco to other genres of music to create his own recognizable style, becoming an international star. However, his style was not particularly appreciated by some serious flamenco students, who considered it less traditional than many others. That he was unpopular among aficionados was possibly because he abandoned the compás that had evolved within flamenco over hundreds of years. Many of his works do not even keep perfect tempo, increasing and decreasing in speed almost whimsically. He was admired for the speed of his picados and found popularity on the international stage as a result of this technically impressive pace.

• Carmen, la de Triana (1938)

• Some photos of LP covers http://library.csun.edu/SCA/Peek-in-the-Stacks/Tanno (Oviatt Library Digital Collections)
• Carlos Montoya in the WQXR Recital Studio, May 12, 1951.