His artistic development shows he is a searcher, a promoter and one of the most important figures of Basque popular music.

He was from a very young age in musical circles . First playing the clarinet and the txistu and very soon taking the lead of old generations of popular music. As a “txalapartari “ he took part , together with his brother Bixente and the Artze brothers, in the Basque art school set up by Jorge Oteiza in the 60´s. He then started the new era of “txalaparta” based on the traditional “.

He has taken part in groups like the Contemporary Group of Music founded by the painter Rafael Ruiz Balerdi y and created groups like Sustraiak, Azala y Txanbela. He has also been the artistic couple of Joxan Goikoetxea. Various records stay witness of his activity.
He has also published works in the field of investigation of popular music, and the record and film Euskal Herriko Soinu Tresnak, considered as one of the most important documents on the Basque popular organography.

Since 1985, he teaches txistu, alboka, dulzaina and txapalarta in the Conservatory of Music of Hernani. Here, he has created and conducts the Txalaparta Eskola (School of Txalaparta). During the last years he has also given lectures and conferences.

Recently he has also made true one of the projects on which he has been working for many years: the opening to the public of Herri Musikaren Txokoa (Corner of Popular Music) in Oiartzun. It is a museum where all the collected material is shown: instruments, library, sound and image archive, photographys and films.
Now, Juan Mari Beltran presents ARDITURRI, his last work and the first one done on his own, though it is presented as a sextet. The record has been produced by Suso Sáiz and many artists have taken part in it: Maddi Oihenart ( voice ), Joseba Tapia (trikitixa), Miriam Atxaerandio (violin), Oihana Irastortza (tambourine) and Joxan Goikoetxea (accordion).

In ARDITURRI, Juan Mari Beltran proposes an overlook of Basque traditional music. Excellent musicians like Iñigo Monreal, Ander Barrenetxea, Jasone Cámara, Aitor Gabilondo and Miriam F. Atxaerandio join him with remarkable creativity and vivacity in this trip .

But that is not all: in 2006 we will see the continuation of the project, a new and thrilling release that will be called ORHIKO XORIA.