Jarabe de Palo

The Spanish rock band Jarabe de Palo first took shape in the mid 90s in Barcelona when frontman Pau Donés joined forces with Alex Tenas (Drums), Jordi Mena (guitar), Joan Gené (Bass) and Dani Forcada (percussion). After signing with Warner, their debut album, 1996’s La Flaca went to number 1 and earned the group Best New Artist at the Spanish Ondas Awards. 1998’s Depende continued to evolve their distinctive mix of traditional Latin sounds such as flamenco along with blues and world beats. Donés developed a progressive and upbeat lyrical bent on albums such as 2003’s Bonita and 2005’s Un Metro Cuadrado 1m2. They recorded with some of the biggest names in Latin music, including Celia Cruz and Ricky Martin. Seeking more control over their own direction, they left Warner and founded the label Tronco in 2009. To break ties with the past, they changed their name to Jarabedepalo. Their first album on the new label, Orquesta Reciclando, consisted primarily of rerecorded versions of songs originally released on Warner. It captured a pair of Latin Grammy nominations. 2011’s ¿Y Ahora Qué Hacemos?, toned down the Latin influence in their work in favor of a more traditional rock sound. They would continue to release new work, and tour consistently, through the rest of the decade. On June 9, 2020, Pau Donés passed away from cancer.