Mario Escudero - Mario Escudero Plays Classical Flamenco Music (1969/2024)

Mario Escudero (October 11, 1928 – November 19, 2004), was one of a handful of Spanish flamenco guitar virtuosos who, following on the footsteps of Ramon Montoya, helped spread flamenco beyond their Spanish homeland when they migrated to the United States in the early 1950s. Along with others such as Sabicas, Carlos Montoya and Juan Serrano, Escudero helped forge the viability of solo flamenco guitar as a concert instrument, with lauded performances at New York's Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and other venues. Invited to perform at the White House for President John F. Kennedy, Escudero was counted among the best in his era; Ramón Montoya called him "the best flamenco guitarist of this new generation."

His career as a recording artist, however, was much shorter (17 years, from 1952 - 1969), essentially beginning with his first long play record in 1952 ("El Pili Flamenco", Esoteric-2001, 1952), in which he played guitar duos with Alberto Velez and accompanied the singer "El Pili"), and ending with his last double record album with the Musical Heritage Society in 1969 ("Mario Escudero Plays Classical Flamenco Music", MHS 994/995, 1969). He did not make any more records after 1969, as a result of his long lasting dislike over what he considered to be ongoing unfair commercial practices on the use of his original recordings by some record companies. Nevertheless, during this relatively brief 17 year period, Escudero made over 30 original long play records (both as Mario Escudero and as "El Niño de Alicante").