Carmona commenced his solo recording career in 1996 with Borboreo, a tribute to Jerez de la Frontera overseen by Isidro Muñoz and released by L'Empreinte Digitale, and he also returned to his native France that year. He formed his own band, Juan Carmona Grupo, and dedicated himself to live performance, touring all over the world, from the United States to Russia. He also began seeking out a broad range of musical collaborations, teaming up with jazz and classical musicians as well as contributing scores to numerous films. His recording career in partnership with L'Empreinte Digitale continued in the wake of his solo debut: in 1997 he collaborated with Françoise Atlan on Falla Lorca, a collection of Spanish folk, and with José Mendez on Entre Dos Barrios, an album in the jerezana style; in 1998 he released the solo album Antes...; in 1999 he collaborated with Giraldillo for Cosa de Dos, a collection of sevillanas; in 2000 he released his second solo album, Caminos Nuevos, and in 2002 he released his third, Orillas.
Though he was already well established within the flamenco community, Carmona broadened his audience considerably with Orillas. Billed as a tribute to Morocco and Andalusia when the two regions were one united kingdom divided only by the Mediterranean Sea, Orillas was nominated for a 2003 Latin Grammy Award in the category of Best Flamenco Album. His next album, Sinfonia Flamenca (2006), was also nominated for a Best Flamenco Album Latin Grammy. A blend of composed and improvised music where the worlds of classical and Andalusian music collide, Sinfonia Flamenca features the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, among numerous other collaborative guests, and was released by Le Chant du Monde. The French label proceeded to reissue some of his key back catalog titles, including Orillas, the following year. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi