Flamenco fusion at its finest

GUITARIST Damian Wright traverses a diverse musical path as the bandleader for fusion ensemble Bandaluzia.

The acclaimed Sydney-based outfit blends contemporary flamenco music and dance with a range of influences from Debussy, Miles Davis, Radiohead and modern dance.

Playing guitar from the age of seven, Wright, now 45, was transformed when he first heard flamenco, and his musical path changed forever.

“I grew up in Newcastle with no connection to Spain or flamenco, and my teachers were teaching me stuff from the 1960s and ’70s – rock, classical, a little jazz, and I also played in punk bands,” he said.

“But flamenco is a music that hits you, and when I was a teenager, my parents took me to see a show at the Sydney Opera House.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – it had everything that I loved about music and the guitar, and it sent me on this obsession with flamenco.”

After completing high school, Wright moved to Spain for five years before returning to Australia.

“When I first arrived in Madrid, it was amazing. If you’re a jazz artist, you went to New York or Chicago, but Madrid was the centre of flamenco, where everybody worked and you had the greatest artists from Andalucia living all over Madrid,” he said.

“My neighbourhood was full of gypsies, and some of the idols of flamenco. It was a great vibe.”

When he encountered flamenco dancer Jessica Statham, who had also recently returned from Spain, Wright embarked on a new project which would become Bandaluzia.

“It’s evolved over 15 years, and now we’re an ensemble that is a medium for international flamenco artists, or fantastic jazz or world music artists, to collaborate with,” he said.

“I want to do something a little bit more personal, and while I keep the traditional things I’ve studied and that I still love, I add elements of who I am as a person and an artist.”

Wright said the fusion of musical elements and guest players was organic and nuanced.

“I listen to traditional flamenco almost every day – I’m immersed in it and it’s my musical base – and I’m not competing, or trying to be a Spanish person. I just love the music, and trying to do my thing,” he said.

“One of our flamenco dancers spent 15 years in Spain, but also loves indie rock, and one of her dances has a direct reference to a Radiohead song, but you’d never pick it – no-one ever has.”

For tickets, visit brunswickpicturehouse.com/bandaluzia-flamenco-12-sep