José Cortés Jiménez (8 January 1945 – 17 February 2023), known mononymously as Pansequito, was a Spanish flamenco singer.

Early life

José Cortés Jiménez was born in

La Línea de la Concepción La Línea de la Concepción (), often referred to simply as La Línea, is a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. The city lies on the sandy isthmus which is part of the eastern flank of ...

, into a family of flamenco tradition, he spent his childhood in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

and later in

El Puerto de Santa María El Puerto de Santa María (), locally known as El Puerto and historically in English as Port Saint Mary, is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. , the c ...

, which would give him the artistic surname of his beginnings and from where he would be named adoptive son in 2001.

Career

Pansequito began his professional career in the tablaos of Malaga, but in 1963, Manolo Caracol hired him to work in his Madrid tablao Los Canasteros. Pansequito was part of the company of

Antonio Gades Antonio Esteve Ródenas or Antonio Gades (14 November 1936 – 20 July 2004) was a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer. He helped to popularize the art form on the international stage. He was born in Elda, Alicante, and was the father ...

, with which he sang in countries like England, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Greece. He was then considered a flamenco renovator, obtaining in 1974 the 'Creativity Award' in the National Contest of Córdoba. Regarding this award, the Jerez-born flamencologist Juan de La Plata has said: "For sounding different and bringing a refreshing air to flamenco, he was precisely awarded the National Competition of Córdoba." In recent years, Pansequito had regularly participated in the Andalusian festival circuit and visited others abroad such as Mont de Marsan, in 2007. In 2010, he won the XXIV Compás del Cante trophy in Granada. Among his latest recordings, "A mi bahía" (2001) and "Un canto a la libertad" (2009), produced by Diego Magallanes, with the collaboration of Moraíto,

Miguel Poveda Miguel Ángel Poveda León (born 13 February 1973) is a Spanish flamenco singer. Poveda has collaborated with artists from various disciplines who were previously unknown to flamenco audiences. He often collaborates with Spanish flamenco guit ...

and

Raimundo Amador Raimundo Amador Fernández (born in Sevilla on May 26, 1959) is a Spanish gypsy guitar player. Biography He started playing the guitar for well-known flamenco artists like Fernanda de Utrera, Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía. Later he ...

, stand out. In 2010, he won the Giraldillo for Singing at the Bienal de Flamenco for "Un Canto a la Libertad". In 2018, a tribute to his figure was organized, but it had to be suspended.

Personal life

Pansequito was married to Aurora Vargas who was also a cantaora. He died on 17 February 2023, at the Hospital San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe, due to a brain tumor. The town of

Gines Gines is a municipality in the south-west Spain, in the province of Seville, Andalusia. It is part of the metropolitan area of Seville. Gines has a population of 13,529 inhabitants as of 2021 and an area of . Founded in Roman times, the land h ...

, where he had lived with his wife for more than 30 years, declared a day of official mourning for his death. He was cremated in the SE-30 funeral home in Seville, and his ashes were interred at the El Puerto de Santa María Cemetery.

References

{{Authority control 1945 births 2023 deaths People from La Línea de la Concepción Flamenco singers 20th-century Spanish singers 20th-century Spanish male singers 21st-century Spanish singers 21st-century Spanish male singers Deaths from brain cancer in Spain