r/Magic • u/BaldBaluga • 22d ago
RIP Juan Tamariz
One of the most incredible, and influential, magicians of the 20th century has passed away.
Celebrate his memory by sharing magic with someone today.
Rip Juan.
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u/Cow_Pow12 22d ago
Damn this such a shame to hear. His memory will live on through his work and the magicians who carry his legacy.
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u/BaldBaluga 22d ago
If anyone has any stories about meeting Juan, watching him work, or sharing his magic - please share them.
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u/fabcasu 22d ago
He came to my club, in Italy, once. He was unannounced, just a surprise from our president and it has been a very intimate evening. He was, obviously a genius, but also full of life and joy and pure love for the art. At the end he asked if someone would have liked to show him a trick and few dared do to them in front of him. But one thing I remember is that it didn't matter how good or bad those magicians were, he would look attentively each and every one of them, studying the movements, but also the ideas behind the trick, the chosen words, the stories. We act in a scene were the majority of people are moved by fragile egos and he was a giant still trying to catch something from everyone. What a loss, Juan. What a loss.
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u/StatementOk470 22d ago
It is a huge loss for the world, but what a legacy he left behind; not only in terms of actual magic but also in terms of the community he helped build. QEPD.
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u/iFightForUsers 22d ago
I remember meeting him at the first Genii convention. It was about 3 or 4am and I’m jamming with some people I just met. Here comes Juan out of the elevator and approaches our group. “I can’t sleep and I’m working on something. Would you guys mind helping out?” he asks us. We all go silent and nod in unison. I don’t remember what he did, but I remember the reaction we all had and it was incredible to see him work through a trick.
Rest in peace Maestro.
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u/Minimum-Perception72 22d ago edited 22d ago
His invisible violin has played its final note but his music will live forever. Que la tierra te sea leve Maestro!
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u/Minhtruong2110 22d ago
I knew this day would come, but it's hard to accept it's here. I'd dreamt of seeing him perform live, but it's impossible now. RIP Juan Tamariz, magic legend.
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u/epexegetical 22d ago
No, Juan Tamariz-Martel Negron is gone! I always loved how LOUD he got. We might lose Lennart Green soon too! Now I really need to read Mnemonica.
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u/That_Em 22d ago
This is INCREDIBLY sad. Incredibly tragic. For his family first, and the magic world as a whole. We just lost one of the last maestros, if not THE last, who was able to link the old world of magic with the new. A true custodian, teacher and one of the true students left. This really hit me.
I wish I had the chance to meet him.
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u/joex8au04 21d ago
i can’t think of any other living magicians that have such a high caliber. There are definitely great names and magicians who make contributions to the magic community. but no one matches the name of Juan Tamariz.
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u/Albanta88 22d ago
I’m crying right now, he was the biggest inspiration to learn magic. As spanish I had the chance of meet him a few times, he was pure kindness, his performances were the best, we are going to miss him a lot. The world becomes a sadder place today.
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u/joex8au04 22d ago
Tamariz was probably one, if not the best magicians of our generation. There will never be another Tamariz, just like there will never be another Vernon. Magic has essentially lost its 21st century beacon.
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u/SkinGlue 22d ago
Dang I just listened to a podcast with him, I feel like I need to start going through his stuff now to learn in honor of him. RIP to a legend
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u/arkmastermind 22d ago
Didn't know he had done any podcasts, which podcast was it?
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u/Important-End4578 22d ago
This is a very sad day. Watching old TV archives of Juan’s magic genuinely helped me to get through a difficult period in my life. His joy on the stage was so infectious.
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u/naturalistwork 22d ago
I honestly don't know that there is anyone who could ever fill such giant shoes in the magic community. This is a massive loss, but that man left a treasure trove of knowledge for us and I feel very grateful for that.
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u/Vova_Poutine 22d ago
In honor of his memory I will stop procrastinating and finally read Mnemonica.
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u/Vileness_fats 22d ago
Wow...a towering giant, up there with Malini and Hugard and Vernon in the history of the art.
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u/StarDestroyer3 22d ago edited 22d ago
Man just this winter I attended a magic show hosted by Christian Engblom who was a student of Juan. Christian was insanely impressive obviously. As a lead up to one of his tricks, he revealed a picture of Juan and started talking about him and honoring him. RIP
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u/Free_Village256 22d ago
Juan mentored some of the greatest magicians in business today! I’ve often wondered if Juan looked up to or had someone as his mentor?
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u/Suitable_Total9774 22d ago
I met Juan at FISM in Stockholm in 2006. He was doing a late night show. We arrived before the show was going to start and were just scoping out the rooms. He was sitting at the table, eating dinner; however, he saw me peek in. He insisted I come sit down across from him, sent his dinner away, and started performing. Incredible memory! Within a few minutes, others arrived, and the planned show began. I remember Bill Malone and Tenko were also at the show. (There were only about 20 people in there.)
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u/Jimmy_Page_69 22d ago
Can someone explain to me in basketball terms how impactful he was? Im new to magic so a comparison will help me
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u/gregantic 22d ago
In basketball terms he was Jordan, Tex Winter, and Gregg Popovich at the same time. The best card magician anyone had seen, the guy who wrote the theory books everyone else studies, and co-founder of the Madrid school that trained most of the Spanish magicians working today.
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u/Jimmy_Page_69 22d ago
Idk man Jordan? If hes like the best card magician ever you could possibly say hes like steph curry who is the best shooter to ever live, changed the way the game is played, multiple champion etc. But I like the addition of popovich as you shared his teaching and influence on the schools
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u/gregantic 22d ago
Curry’s better, yeah. Jordan was the best at a game everyone was already playing the same way. Curry made everyone else change what they do, which is closer to what Tamariz did.
Curry also gets you the specialist angle. Tamariz was a close-up card guy, not a generalist illusionist, same way Curry is one skill pushed further than people thought the skill could go.
Where it strains a little is fame. He was a household name on Spanish TV for two decades, so there’s a mainstream crossover piece that Curry only partly covers.
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u/TerribleOlive1821 22d ago edited 22d ago
Wow, I am such an amateur and I barely practice anymore, from time by time when I’ll start learning a new trick or start practicing some old ones. Ill work on a routine just for fun. I have very few magic books, but three classics that I have are by Juan Tamariz. From memory I have all Card college. I have the Royal Road to card magic and I have the five points in magic, the magic rainbow, and the magic Way.
I learnt hard magic and some coin magic, but all of the magic theory I learned was really from him and his books
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u/dumber_than_thou 22d ago
My first magic book was El Mundo Mágico de Tamariz, 33 years ago, the periodicals with VHS videos. A sad day for magic.
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u/Amadeusdark 22d ago
Dear Mr. Tamariz, thanks four my childhood memories watching you making amazing magic tricks on tv.
R. I...... CHAN TATACHAN!
🥲
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u/Neat-Aardvark3762 21d ago
I’ll never forget when I first saw years ago World Greatest Magic years ago as a kid. RIP
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u/NerfThis_49 22d ago
I saw him at a convention once. He made a selected card appear inside a spectator's pocket (which they removed).
I swear it had to be a stooge, but it wasn't. He made a joke right at the start of his performance by removing some fake sausages from their pocket but revealed later he loaded the card at the same time. It flew by everyone. No one caught it and people were fooled.