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Jerónimo Maya with El Yunque (Photo: Anahí Cármody)

That recording was made some time ago. How was it done?

What I do with artists is to let them lead in with their part and afterwards the guitar begins, I mean, there aren't any incursions in the middle. Either at the beginning or at the end. That's what I wanted to do because it's what I felt.

There's also your uncle, El Yunque. What is his contribution?

He's one of my maestros in cante. So I owe him... I've had the great fortune of being able to accompany him many times. The truth is that the old-time cantaores have always called me; I don't know why since I'm so young. Chaquetón called me, and I played for him many times; I've also had the pleasure of playing for maestro Chano Lobato. I don't know, but they like my way of playing. It's a privilege for me.

What is your relationship with cante?

Cante is the mother that feeds us.

Taking the title of the soleá ‘De Montoya, Sabas a Paco’, what do those three pillars mean to you?

I'm a direct relative of Ramón Montoya on my grandfather's side and consider him to be to flamenco guitar what Bach is to classical music. He was the creator, the one who left us the notes. Next, Sabicas. And then maestro Paco. And that's to mention those three, because Niño Ricardo also deserves great respect, besides people such as Melchor de Marchena, Diego del Gastor, Morao de Jerez... who are references for me; they're the ambience that I grew up in. Besides the fact that my maestro has been my father, Felipe Maya. He's the one who has made me listen to all those people and who fed me when I was very little; when I was two or three years old I was already listening to all those musicians.

	"You should never close up; you have to be open to all kinds of music and then express what you feel"

And how has Paco de Lucía influenced you?

I think he's a source you have to draw on. You have to go there, it's a must... and more so if you're a creator. My beginnings were Ramón Montoya, a source I drew on for a very long time, Sabicas, Niño Ricardo and Paco. I went to the conservatory at the age of seven and afterwards with a classical music teacher named Nacho. You should never close up; you have to be open to all kinds of music and then express what you feel. The people who know me know that I love classical music, old jazz, musicians that aren't very well known and who make really interesting music that I also feed on. It's fundamental for a musician to always be feeding on something, to always be learning. I haven't made an album to say I'm a flamenco because that's not my attitude in life. My philosophy in life isn't to prove anything. I sit down and create and I sit down and tell a story, the one I feel, and that's it; the thing is that that's the way I tell it.

And afterwards, where do you see the creation going?

It's very easy. In my book all my colleagues are very good and we're here to enjoy ourselves. I don't feel the responsibility to take the guitar anywhere; it's about telling what you feel. Sometimes you ask yourself questions, but the feeling is the origin. I love the source, what there's been before. The feeling is enjoying, learning and being in this, which is hard; I consider the guitar to be very hard. Paco is Paco because it's him and he was born that way and you have to enjoy him and you have to learn from him. So you have a rough time of it; well of course you do. Who doesn't have a rough time of it? Everybody does. (And he explains by quoting Calderón de la Barca). We all have reasons to suffer: some in wealth, others in the slums, others because they're searching, others because they've found it... We all have problems, but that's part of life. I give thanks to God for music, which has been a gift the light has given me, has been my life's moving force. I really believe in God and I also think that all that I have isn't mine; it's a gift from above. That's why I don't grasp it selfishly, rather I grasp it to share. If we bore sharing more in mind, we'd learn a great deal.

Do you think you're going to be put to the test with this first album?

I'm already thinking about another album now; we'll see how it turns out, let's see if I do it a little better.

	"May the magic hit me when I'm working"

Are you working on new projects now?

Thanks to my God, there's no shortage of work, well, ideas. That's what a painter said, may the magic hit me when I'm working. Right now I don't have any commitments with cantaores, after the presentations of the album by Paco del Pozo. He's like part of my family because I love him a lot. Whenever we can, he comes with me and I go with him. The relationship is now... we've argued, we've fought, so much familiarity makes you sick, within the tremendous respect we have for each other. The closest thing I have now is a recital in Holland. I'm working live with different formats: with dancing, a cantaor and cantaora, percussion, Leo and me; with a cantaor, Leo and me; with percussion, Leo and me; and Leo and me alone.

You can't without Leo...

No, Leo is like my soul mate. I need him both for the guitar and for him to be there and see him. It's hard for me to talk about those who are my own, but I can say that as a person Leo is a kick-ass guy and that influences the music.

Leo de Aurora and Jerónimo (Photo: Anahí Cármody)

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