Benidorm pays tribute to Pep 'El Carreró' with a CD of the three music bands in the city and Colla de Xirimiters

This Saturday, at noon, the compact disc 'De la Cala al Racó' will be presented at the Aula de Cultura of the Fundación Mediterráneo (Calle Alameda, 19-21). Music for the poems by Pep 'El Carreró', one of the most popular characters of Benidorm in the 20th century.

The Councilor for Culture, Jaime Jesús Pérez, has pointed out that Josep Zaragoza Pérez, Pep 'El Carreró' (1920-1998) is considered "the minstrel" of Benidorm, which he endorsed "with his interventions as a rhapsode in almost all of the festive acts that were organized in the town”.

'El Carreró' “demonstrated his love for Benidorm throughout his life”, born into a family of tuna fishermen, dedicated himself to the art of fishing, and was unable to complete his academic training, which he knew how to make up for “and by far” becoming “a great self-taught poet” with readings by Bécquer, Miguel Hernández or Lorca. “This helped him – the Councilor for Culture specified – to make his first compositions, most of them in Valencian, which saw the light of day at the Taula del Bon Profit.

The theme of the work of 'El Carreró' is costumbrist, Poems published in the fiestas books or local newspapers. In 1997, commissioned by the City Council, a compilation of his poems was published, the book 'De la Cala al Racó', the basis of the act that will take place on Saturday. Jaime Jesús Pérez also recalled that in 2009, Societat Musical l'Illa de Benidorm set five of those poems to music, and the same year, "one of the most central streets of Benidorm was labeled with his name".

Likewise, in 2020, coinciding with the centenary of his birth, Culture organized a composition contest, based on one of his best-known works: 'Autopoesia'.

"In this Saturday's tribute -he said- you will be able to listen to the recorded voice of Pep 'El Carreró' together with Dr. Llorca Ibi" and there will also be live performances. In a second part, documentaries with historical images of Benidorm will be screened with music from the compact disc in the background" which, he specified, has been recorded by the three bands of the city: Unión Musical, SM l'Illa de Benidorm, and SM La Nova and, in addition, by Colla de Xirimiters de la Marina Baixa.

1,000 units have been made of the disc, which they say will serve "to preserve that part of our heritage that future generations also have the right to enjoy."