From the noble flamenco dynasty of the Pavón family, tied by marriage to Manolo Caracol, Arturo Pavón was both a pioneer and number one exponent of the flamenco piano.
Son of Arturo Pavón and dancer Eloisa Albéniz, nephew of
flamenco singing giants Tomás Pavón and Niña de los
Peines, son-in-law of Manolo Caracol, husband of Luisa Ortega and father
of dancer Jordana and singer Salomé, Arturo found his own particular
vehicle for expressing flamenco the way he saw it.
During the nineteen-fifties the musician made a name for himself touring
throughout Spain, and after joining forces with Luisa Ortega, Caracol’s
daughter, he devoted most of his time to accompanying the great singer
– the immortal zambras of Manolo Caracol which so thoroughly identify
him, reside in the collective memory of an entire generation with the
sound of Arturo Pavón’s piano. In the nineteen-sixties he
was star performer at Los Canasteros, his father-in-law’s Madrid
tablao.
Other pianists such as José Romero and Felipe Campuzano took inspiration
from Arturo Pavón who left several recordings of his work.
