Luis Martín, a new member of Juglaria, passes away.

“Luis Martín is an important reference in the study, dissemination and preservation of traditional folklore,” they noted. Founder and Director of the Segovia Folklore Festival; “He dedicated his life to popular music and the traditions of Segovia, and together with the other members of the group he became one of Segovia’s greatest cultural ambassadors.”

“A close and beloved man, Luis had folklore, tradition and music in his blood.” At each concert and performance, “he shared with the public his enthusiasm, dedication and ability to convey the essence of Segovia’s roots,” they added. His singing, his sense of humor, his on-stage toasts, and his intimacy with people were “unmistakably part of his personal identity.” One of Mester’s most representative works, “The Girl from Segovia” “will always remain with him in the collective memory of those who admired him”.

Throughout his career, he accumulated awards and honors, but he always said his greatest accomplishment was standing on stage with his colleagues, his “family,” and “sharing the music of his land with all the people who listened to it and filled the concerts wherever I went.” Among the group’s most “emblematic” works, the City Council highlighted Los Comuneros, “an album that marked an era and cemented Nuevo Mester de Fuglaria as an important standard of traditional Castilian music.” Thanks to their activities, the group regained romance, made generations dance, paid homage to Titirimundi, cherished the customs, memories and products associated with the land and “became an essential group in Spanish folk music.”

The Segovia City Council wished to express their recognition and gratitude for Luis Martín’s “extensive artistic and cultural achievements,” which they assured “will remain forever in the musical and sentimental history of the city.” “Today, Segovia bids farewell to an extraordinary musician, researcher of folklore and a Segovian who knew how to hold his land in his heart,” they concluded.