The rumbero Joan Ximénez Valentí, known artistically as El Petitet, died this Friday at the age of 62 after years of fighting against myasthenia gravisthe rare disease he suffered from. The death of this gypsy and Barcelona percussionist has saddened the small world of rumba that, precisely, was preparing a tribute to him for next October 21. With the death of Petitet, one of the last residents of Cera del Raval street who witnessed the birth of this unique musical style in the world leaves. Furthermore, El Petitet took the Rumba to the great theater of the Liceu and merged it with a symphony orchestra, a promise he made to his mother before she died. The rumbero fulfilled his mother’s last wish and the Liceu opened its doors on October 17, 2017 to the Rumba.
Rogeli Herrero is one of the members of the musical group Los Manolos. Additionally, he is the author of the book The Great Peret. Rumba for Life from the Larousse publishing house and learn about the history of El Petitet. “His father was Ramón el Huesos, one of Peret’s palmeros. That work union and living on Cera Street allowed him to participate, from a very young age, in the performances of the king of rumba,” Herrero highlights. Being a percussionist, he participated in several groups and even performed alongside Gato Pérez or Los Amaya. “Without a doubt, his great epic was bringing Rumba to the Liceu. The gypsies from Cera Street went to the Padró cinema and saw Gran Caruso’s films and for them the Liceu was something unattainable,” Herrero highlights.
El Petitet’s mother died in 2013 and, on her deathbed, Ximénez promised him that he would bring the Rumba, to which the entire family had dedicated themselves, to the long-awaited Liceu. In 2015 he united rumberos with orchestra musicians and two years later (in October 2017) he fulfilled his promise and 27 musicians from the Rumba del Raval Symphony Orchestra performed in the Barcelona temple of opera. The rumbero’s feat was recorded in a documentary by Carles Bosch titled Petitet. “Then he took the performance to the Plaza de la Catedral in Barcelona during the Mercè festivities and even took the show to Galicia,” recalls Herrero.
Throughout his life, Valentí also wanted to give visibility to the minority illness he suffered from. An illness that had left him confined to a wheelchair and with the need to use a respirator continuously. This summer he decided to gather his friends to listen to rumba again. He himself had prepared a self-tribute that was going to be held on October 21 at the Paral·lel 62 room and in which the legendary star Lita Claver (La Maña), Miliu Calabuch, Manel de la Plateri, Sicus Carbonell and Los Manolos participated. , among others.
La Maña was, this Friday, very affected by the death of her friend El Petitet. “He was one of the greats and we were very fond of each other. “I admired him and he admired me and we are from very different artistic worlds,” says the star. “The only thing I know is that all the rumberos pay homage to him and we are all very sorry,” concludes La Maña. Rogeli Herrero reports that the tribute was postponed in recent days due to El Petitet’s serious health condition but they believe that it would be, even if late, good to do it to remember the deceased rumbero.
EL PAÍS contacted Ximénez in January 2018 after the City Council installed a controversial mural dedicated to rumba in the Raval. “Cera de la Cera is the Bronx of Rumba. It all started here and they have designed a monument where the greats appear. But purists should know that rumba is not just for payos or gypsies, or for Germans or French,” stated El Petitet.
