Antonio Carmona is no rookie. He's been around -- musically speaking. Carmona was part of the Spanish band Ketama. Ketama pioneered the "nuevo flamenco sound" for two decades. And flamenco kicks off Carmona's new solo CD.

Once you get past the opening track, there's not that much flamenco on this CD.

Carmona, you see, is not more than just a flamenco player.

"No soy flamenco, flamenco, flamenco puro.... Yo siempre he sido alternativo un poco al flemnco. Siempre me ha gustado jugar con el flamenco. Se que el flamenco tiene muchos anos y muchos siglos. Y bueno, lo que trato yo con mi musica es refrescar nuestra raiz... nuestra raiz."

CARMONA: "I'm not pure flamenco. I've always seen myself on the alternative side of flamenco. What I'm trying to do with my music is to refresh our roots."

On this track, "A Tu Lado," Carmona plays with Colombian singer-songwriter Juanes.

The two recently continued their collaboration on-stage -- with joint concerts in Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles.

While Carmona was in the US, he took time out to go to New York to meet Willie Nelson.

They recorded some music together for an upcoming PBS TV series about food in Spain.

"Fue increible, que peso tiene musical, que barbaridad, que manera de tocar. Que manera de compartir. La verdad es que todo el viaje, desde que sali de Espana, ha sido una aventura, y sobre todo ha sido enriquezedor para mi en lo personal y en lo musical."

CARMONA: "It was incredible -- what a presence -- what a way to play music. In fact, this whole trip to the U-S and Latin America has been an adventure -- and a personally enriching experience."

One thing Carmona found especially moving was playing for Latino audiences in the US.

He says he has a lot of respect for what Latino immigrants went through to get here.

"Yo soy tambien gitano, de raza gitana, y se lo que es salir de tu pais tambien, y se lo que es ser nomada, salir de tu pais y ir a buscarte la vida a otro sitio. Asi que, simplemente cantarle un tema de esperanza a esta gente que se lo merecen."

CARMONA: "I am a gypsy -- that is my ethnicity. So I know what it's like to leave your home to go look for your life somewhere else. So I want to sing a song of hope for them because immigrants deserve to have hope."

Carmona sings "Don't lose hope -- you'll get there. Antonio Carmona is now back in Spain -- but he's still on tour. He says he just likes to be on the road -- like his new friend Willie Nelson.

For The World, I'm William Troop.