Hacha y Machete

Diego el Cigala

Diego Ramón Jiménez Salazar (born Madrid, 27 December 1968), known as El Cigala (Spanish for 'Norway Lobster', a popular crustacean in Spain), is a famous Romani Flamenco gypsy singer. As he himself has said, the nickname was given to him by three guitar players, Los Losada, for being very thin, not by Camarón de la Isla as commonly believed.Diego El Cigala also holds Dominican citizenship.One of his great albums is the 2003 "Lágrimas Negras", a collaboration with then 85-year-old Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés. The graceful fusion of Cuban rhythms and flamenco vocals made this record an international success. Born into a family of Romani artists and intellectuals in Madrid, El Cigala started singing in flamenco peñas (enthusiasts' clubs) and tablaos, until his e… more »