Barcons, Juan

Catalonian arranger, conductor and composer Juan Barcons, born in Barcelona, studied piano and his favorite instrument, the oboe, at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music. Some of his better known songs are “En un lugar de la Manga (1970), Entre dos amores (1972) and La mujer es un buen negocio (1977). Some of his songwriting was done under the pseudonym “Jobam.” Most of his work on orchestrations was done while he worked for Belter Records in Barcelona where he rose from arranger to musical director. A little-known group named Trigal signed with Belter in 1975 after spending a decade playing at resorts and army camps; with the help of Barcons, however, their fusion of flamenco and gypsy rumba-funk became popular. It was Barcons who collaborated with “El Turronero,” and wrote songs for the popular Spanish cantaor’s album “New Hondo” in 1980. They intended for the album to transform El Turronero’s style and modernize traditional flamenco music; it was not a success, but, ironically, in 2020 it was rediscovered and received critical recognition, becoming a sort of cult classic. Barcons has also earned fame for his work on several songs in the Eurovision song contest. In 1969 he was co-credited for the re-worked French version of the winning Spanish entry that year: “Vivo cantando.” In 1976 he conducted the orchestra with singer “Braulio” (Braulio Antonio García Bautista) for the Spanish entry “Sobran las Palabras;” in 1981, he did the same for “Y solo tú ” sung by Bacchelli (José María Bacchelli Ortega). Later he became conductor of the Barcelona Municipal Conservatory Choir; he also became professor of oboe at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music and a lecturer on the history of music. He twice directed programs of Catalan music with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.