• “Manolo Carrasco received the ovation and affection from his Cadiz fans, who applauded -with flamenco-inspired handclaps-, his show A tribute to García Lorca and to the charm of the South, mi beloved homeland at Gran Teatro Falla yesterday. His chamber orchestra, Los Tarantos band -featuring Juani’s guitar, Pepe Torres’s flute and Anabel, Juan and Reyes’s claps and vocals- accompanied his performance of old and new themes, which was further enhanced by Olivia and Pilar Ogalla’s seductive dancing and castanet playing. Julio Pardo’s choir -acting as the first two side vocals- sang the tanguillo-like habanera Vente conmigo, closing each of the two performances. The Cadiz-born pianist offered his hometown audience -gathered at the Falla theatre- a taste of his new show, which, as the artist claimed, is “inspired by horses, one of my great passions”, and which he will soon be presenting at different bullrings in Cadiz and around Andalusia. Two lavishly draped horses came on stage to join the celebration of music, dancing, singing, light and colour. Two large screens placed at each side of the stage displayed close-ups of the pianist’s performance, alternating with visuals alluding to the themes coming out of his keyboard, basically scenes of Cadiz, his people and traditions, as well as the Juan Sebastián Elcano vessel ploughing the waters near the Bay of Cadiz.”

Ana Rodríguez Tenorio - Diario de Cádiz, 6th December, 1997

• With only 27 years of age, Manolo Carrasco appeared before music enthusiasts and the general public as the main music referent in the south of Cadiz, almost as an elegant transfiguration of Manuel de Falla, with a breathtaking musical career that, should it be a military range, would make him a General with all honours and with a full army parade marching before his piano, which has already conquered the Americas.

José Contreras - El mundo, 31st May, 1998

• Even as a child, Manolo would come down from his Cadiz suburb with his pals and, upon reaching the Great Theatre, he would forget about his football. ‘Falla, Manuel de Falla, such a big artist’ he used to think. After a short but intense pause in front of the theatre, which day after day incited him to devote himself to music, he would continue walking. Then, just a few yards down, in the quarter of Santa María, his feet would stop again unawarely. Chano’s voice, coming out of Juan Villar’s folk club use to make him stop and think: ‘what a great talent.’ This is how, day after day, Manolo Carrasco started to give form in his heart, rather than his mind –a few words with him suffice to realise he is a passionate man– what he has now become. His whole life has revolved around the ebony and ivory of a piano keyboard because just around the corner from his home was Falla. But it also revolves around the lament and the clapping rhythm of Chano Lobato because next to him was always flamenco.

Alberto García Reyes - ABC, 29th June, 2000

• Manolo Carrasco is undoubtedly a pianist with a sound education, we could even say he is a musician that imprints vigour and a great deal of effect in all his compositions, and that his respect for flamenco is unquestionable; we can see he is capable of many great achievements in his musical universe and that says a lot about him.

Manuel Naranjo - Diario de Jerez, 4th April, 2000

• His fingers stroked each and every one of the flamenco chords, treating his audience to an array of rumbas, tarantos, seguiriyas, colombianas, bulerías… classic sounds and flamenco twists in the voices of his singers, in the shoes of the young couple that accompanied him with their dancing, and in that Al Ándalus that the musician dreamed up long ago.

Inmaculada Rincón - ABC, 4th April 2000

• “Under the ambitious title of Al Ándalus we were presented with a show that had all the ingredients of new-generation flamenco, which differs from “pure” flamenco: snare drums, violins, bass guitars and saxophones provided the acoustic support for a night that aimed to take us on a journey across the seas of flamenco. Far from implying that he failed to do so -certainly the pianist showed that he knew how to approach the complex art of flamenco-, I do feel that the excessive acoustics from the rest of the instruments probably eclipsed a pianist who, with less instruments, would have shone much brighter. He did have some brilliant moments like the opening bulerías, where he touched upon jazz, and very brilliantly indeed…”

Manuel Naranjo Loreto - Diario de Jerez, 4th April, 2000

• But, apart from being a musician and a creator of truly Gaditan music, Manolo Carrasco is a magnificent performer. We must not forget that Spanish Suite by Albéniz and those Andalusian dances by Granados that we listened to back in March; pieces from classical Andalusian authors that we remember with nostalgia and that Manolo Carrasco interpreted on his piano with exquisite and elegant mastery. Both of them are already part of Cadiz’s music history.

Antonio Llaves - Cádiz Información, 2001

• Manolo Carrasco presented his equestrian music show Al-Ándalus, where classical music, heel-tapping, dancing and singing are complemented by an exceptional guest: horses. With this combination, Carrasco aims to envelop the city in the typical atmosphere of his Andalusian homeland.

• As a true virtuoso whose talent knows no limits, Manolo Carrasco runs the risk of musical dispersion, but his talent should help him strike the right balance between discretion and constant search. He is also expected to maintain that efficient harmony between classical rhythms, his many musical quests and that grand piano that is both elegant and traditional and that should continue to offer us many great flamenco surprises sooner rather than later.

Juan José Téllez - Diario de Cádiz, 24th December, 2001