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Thoughts About Cante Flamenco

77K views 216 replies 15 participants last post by  SanAntone 
#1 · (Edited)
One of my loves is traditional cante flamenco, usually a singer and a guitarist sitting closely together, perhaps a small coterie of friends and relations together around a table, able to offer encouragement, rhythmic clapping, palmas, as seems best, and to express their appreciation of particularly moving expression on the part of the singer. The idea is to convey emotion, or the simulacrum of emotion, from singer to the small world immediately around her or him. The guitarist, or tocaor, provides a constant sympathetic and complementary accompaniment to the cantaor/cantaora, often looking closely into the singer's face to ensure that the rapport is tightly maintained-- it's a remarkable pairing. The guitarists, who are seemingly numberless throughout flamenco Spain, are almost stupefyingly skilled at the technical aspects of guitar play, yet this amazing virtuosity is, in the best accompanists, kept in tight check to better "romance the stone" of the singer's utterances. The singers themselves most often do not have, and are not judged upon, the quality of their voices--by the standards of Western art song or popular song, their voices, and appearances, are rough, "untrained", ragged--but rather upon their knowledge of the various forms or palos of flamenco, their mastery of many of them, and their ability to move their audience to empathy and/or admiration.

Sung flamenco, authentic cante, is an acquired taste. When I would play my flamenco albums in my room, my mother would ask when the chicken-strangling would be over. Yet the stories that revolve around the greatest singers of yesteryear--people like Manuel Torres, for example-- tell of people rending their clothing, crying uncontrollably, actually leaping through windows, while under the spell of his singing (such behavior often fueled by alcohol, to be sure). Anyway, what draws me into this world of cante flamenco is this experience of raw emotion, or often also of exquisite performance of the classical palos by both singer and guitarist, even in those cases where the emotional component is subdued, and the goal is to render a piece in a more detached manner. I just love it, and have since about the age of 15.

I have relocated this post here from another part of the Forum (some will recognize having seen it before), as it serves reasonably well as an introduction to why I have long cherished traditional cante flamenco, and it will serve as an excuse for me to post some observations about flamenco and some examples of flamenco song, and to welcome others to comment as they choose. More to come, as time and circumstances permit.
 
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#152 · (Edited)
A Few More Selections from Danzas Flamencas

I do go on about Danzas Flamencas, the wonderful LP issued by José Greco that has so much great singing and dancing, yet has never been reissued as a CD or a complete YouTube selection. But bits and pieces have lately been showing up on YouTube. Here are a few more gems:

First is a Tangos por Zambra sung by Rafael Romero...


Next, a classic Tientos sung by Rafael and danced by Greco:


And finally, Manolita de Jerez sings the best Tangos por Zambra, danced by Greco. Wonderful!
 
#153 · (Edited)
José Greco y Los Chiquitos de Algeciras

In wandering about YouTube, I came across a trove of material credited to "José Greco" that I did not recognize. Amongst this new material were several tracks whose excellence led me to speculate on just who were the artists performing with Greco. This always a puzzle because egomaniac Greco very rarely if ever identified the flamencos who performed in his company and/or recorded with him, and was at pains to reveal little or nothing of them in his autobiography or on album notes as I have noted. In his defense, though, he often chose exceptionally fine performers, but if only he had told us more...

The thought then dawned on me that, on several tours, the young guitar phenom Paco de Lucía and his cantaor brother Pepe de Lucía were part of Greco's company: was it possible that the brothers were the fine artists on these YouTube clips? I checked out the brothers on YouTube from when they were a teenage flamenco duo, Los Chiquitos de Algeciras, back in 1962, and even then known for their mastery of flamenco and the excellence of their performance. José Greco got wind of the brothers and invited them to join his troupe in 1963; this detail from Paco Sevilla's bio of Paco de Lucía. When I listened to the very young Pepe (15) singing as Pepe de Algeciras and compared it with a possible 17-year-old Pepe de Lucía singing with a slightly more mature but very similar voice on the Greco recordings, and the very skillful guitar accompaniment in both cases, it seems to me quite probable that it is the brothers we are hearing on the Greco YouTube clips. Pepe de Lucía has a wonderful voice and delivery, and even at 16 won a prize at a flamenco contest for his Malagueñas, and Donn Pohren, who evidently was at the contest, thought Pepe should have won almost all the prizes for cante.

Here are the clips: First is an exciting Solea por Bulerias, ending in a straight-up Bulerias...


Next we have Fandangos de Huelva:


Now Tangos:


And finally Malagueñas then leading into Verdiales:


I was so pleased to discover these clips. They demonstrate how good Greco's taste was in selecting flamencos to join his troupe and then to bring some of the best real flamenco, though somewhat "staged" of necessity, to the greater world outside of Andalusia. Along with Sabicas, José Greco was my passport and introduction to the world of flamenco.
 
#154 ·
Yet More About Manolita de Jerez

Here is a bit of Estela Zatania's tribute to Manolita de Jerez wherein she strengthens the supposition that the unnamed tocaor on most of the Danzas Flamencas album was Triguito....

"This is my brief but sincere tribute to one of those forgotten interpreters. I fell in love with the voice of Manuela Cauqui Benítez, "Manolita de Jerez", around 1962 when I heard her on a recording with the José Greco dance company. In the early sixties I was able to buy records of flamenco singing at a store on New York's 14th Street called Casa Moneo, which is where I discovered the José Greco recording with Manolita's haunting sound. Her vocal placement and powerful delivery were reminiscent of Paquera, but then her ability to draw the voice inwards seemed to recall La Niña de los Peines. Add to that an oriental sort of twang, the compás of Jerez, the influence of don Antonio Chacón, and it was an irresistibly flamenco recipe.

Yet so forgotten was this singer in recent times, that when I brought her name up at a roundtable discussion with experts on the flamenco singing of Jerez, they assured me there was no such artist from this city, and that certainly it had to be someone wanting to bask in the glory of assuming the sobriquet "de Jerez". Further investigation however, revealed Manolita could not have been more from Jerez, with roots in both the Santiago neighborhood, where she was born, and San Miguel, where she later lived very near Paquera's birthplace, in addition to spending her final years in the La Plata neighborhood.

Manolita's father worked in a typical Jerez "tabanco" where people gathered to drink wine and share cante. Her mother and sisters are said to have been very good singers. At the age of 15, she sang at the Villamarta theater in Jerez, and at 18, recorded several popular songs accompanied by Manuel Bonet on guitar, although in the Diccionario Enciclopédico Ilustrado del Flamenco, Juan González Núñez "Triguito" is described as "the favored guitarist of Manolita de Jerez". In these recordings you don't really detect the enormous capacity and flamenco power Manolita would deliver only a few years later, when José Greco signed her up to sing for his newly-formed company."
 
#155 ·
Rito y Geografía Documentaries

Since Brook Zern closed down his wonderful flamenco website, the master listing of all the encyclopedic Rito y Geografía documentaries that Zern compiled and published on his site was also lost. But here is the listing again, from the rtve website itself. Anyone interested in total immersion in classic flamenco will find virtually everything here that was available up through the 1970s when most of the material was assembled:

http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/...ografia-del-cante-festival-del-cante/4860998/
 
#156 ·
Fosforito

One of the most highly-esteemed and decorated cantaores of the second half of the 20th century is Antonio Fernández Díaz, "Fosforito". Fosforito, a payo from Córdoba, was born into a flamenco-loving family, and quickly became involved with cante, learning many of its more obscure palos. He was influenced by people like Antonio Mairena, Pastora and Tomás Pavón, and, curiously, by the enigmatic Enrique Montoya, about whom I have posted as a strange figure in flamenco history. While many believe cante flamenco to be primarily a gitano (gypsy) specialty, it is often the payo singers like Fosforito, José Menese, Aurelio de Cádiz, Pepe el de la Matrona, Niño de Almadén who are the most ardent preservers of traditional song, though they often lack the raw voz afillá of gitano singers like Agujetas, Manolo Caracol, or Terremoto. Fosforito is only the 5th singer to receive the coveted Golden Key award, the others being Tomás el Nitri, Manuel Vallejo, Antonio Mairena, and Camarón de la Isla.

First, we hear Fosforito in a classic Soleá, accompanied by Juan Carmona "Habichuela":


Next, Tangos Gitanos, with Paco de Lucía on guitar


Third, Cantiñas, again with Paco de Lucía.....


A fine Tientos, with Paco...


Finally a juerga-flavored gathering where Fosforito sings again Soleá, accompanied to my surprise by the modest though excellent guitar work of cantaor Enrique Montoya, whose understated yet evocative play reminds me of the elder Perico el del Lunar. Who knew he was so good?
 
#157 · (Edited)
More About Los Chiquitos de Algeciras

Here are 3 selections from an LP of Paco and Pepe de Lucía as the young duo, Los Chiquitos de Algeciras. I note Pepe sounds a bit like the cantaor Enrique Montoya, with whom Paco de Lucía made several albums--it may be that the brothers were close to Enrique Montoya, as Paco was also to Fosforito. Herewith the three selections in a row: a Soleá, Malagueñas, and Tientos.....

 
#169 ·
Here are 3 selections from an LP of Paco and Pepe de Lucía as the young duo, Los Chiquitos de Algeciras. I note Pepe sounds a bit like the cantaor Enrique Montoya, with whom Paco de Lucía made several albums--it may be that the brothers were close to Enrique Montoya, as Paco was also to Fosforito. Herewith the three selections in a row: a Soleá, Malagueñas, and Tientos.....

Here is a video of the brothers Paco and Pepe a bit older than their teen years performing bulerias in the slightly more "modern" style. There is no question that Paco de Lucia was a superb guitarist, and this clip shows the two brothers working together during the time of transition as flamenco evolved in a newer direction.....

 
#158 · (Edited)
Despite my handle here (really I took it from the name of a great, quasi-Spanish Miles Davis composition), I am pretty clueless about flamenco music. I guess that makes me a flamenco poseur. But in any case, the genre is fascinating and beautiful, so I am naturally curious.

You really seem to know your stuff. Do you have an all-time favorite flamenco CD? Or one that you would recommend to a beginner as an introduction? As a bit of background, I love all styles and eras of classical music, jazz, hip-hop, old rock music, folk, and metal, if any of that matters. And I'm a guitarist.

Great thread. I will peruse the youtube links you've provided. This Pepe y Paco de Lucia track is beautiful. The harmonic language of this genre is fascinating, as are its mysterious, melting-pot origins.
 
#159 · (Edited)
flamencosketches, glad to have you here! I had Miles' Sketches of Spain LP back when I was attempting to become familiar with jazz, so I appreciated your TC name and avatar right away. Feel free to join in anytime.

Regarding CDs, I do not have many because there were not many to have during my collecting days, and YouTube now boasts an incredible library of classic, traditional cante flamenco, which is where I usually go for my music. But here are some suggestions: CDs that deliver a goodly share of fine material...

First, there is the series of disks called Grands Cantaores du Flamenco, issued by Le Chant du Monde and edited/compiled by Mario Bois. Each is devoted to the work of a single singer. I have the disks for El Sordera, Beni de Cádiz, Terremoto, La Perla de Cádiz, La Niña de los Peines, Manolo Caracol, El Niño de Almadén, Rafael Romero, and Pepe el de la Matrona. All recommended.

The Antología del Cante Flamenco y Cante Gitano, assembled by Antonio Mairena is a 2-CD Tablao recording, 74321 878922. Has all the important palos.

Early Cante Flamenco, an Arhoolie CD-326, has many excellent examples.

Women are featured on an rtve Musica double CD, Mujeres en el Flamenco, #62095. Also many fine examples.

The classic Sabicas & Company recording, Festival Gitana, was released on CD under the title Flamenco Fiesta by Legacy, CD 428. A classic of touring, ex-pat flamenco.

If you can play LPs, look for the José Greco classic vinyl, Danzas Flamencas, on an old Decca recording.

Finally, on Nimbus Records, their CD NI 5168, Cante Gitano, is so well and cleanly recorded that you will look around you for the performers.

Hope that helps. Along with YouTube, you should have access to all the great flamenco you can absorb. If you haven't yet, I would also advise reading a good book on flamenco and becoming familiar with the different palos; once you can recognize which is which, cante becomes even more engaging. Best of luck!
 
#161 ·
Before we leave a discussion of cante flamenco CDs, something should be said about the Great Grandaddy of Them All. In 1955 or thereabouts, a French producer approached guitarist Perico el del Lunar, who knew just about everybody in flamenco, about recording an anthology of cante. This was the legendary Antología del Cante Flamenco, released as 3 LPs on the Westminster and Hispavox labels. The Antología became for many non-Spaniards their gateway into cante, and it was one of my earliest collected recordings. It has subsequently been re-released on CD several times, though I do not have it as such. The Antología offers an example of virtually every palo, though the examples are not necessarily always of the most compelling variety. But when they are good, they are fabulous--the four Saetas are the best I've ever heard, and many others stick in my mind. Plus the recordings remain one of the best places to hear the unique guitar accompaniment of Perico el del Lunar the Elder, whose playing has been regarded by many as a gold standard in cante accompaniment, due to his evocative atmospheric World-Weary 3 o'clock in the morning personal style. Once you hear Perico, you will recognize his playing forever.

Here is a link to what may be a source for the Antología in CD format. This is a different anthology from the previously mentioned anthology compiled by Antonio Mairena....

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Antología-Del-Cante-Flamenco/release/4702845
 
#162 · (Edited)
Night Thoughts

My insomnia is an old acquaintance. A recent bout had me again wide awake, seeking engagement, and I found myself drawn as so often happens to my YouTube flamenco, listening to and sometimes watching the singers and guitarists interacting as I have for close to 65 years now, on LPs, CDs, and then YT. I watched and listened to a bit of Estrella Morente, José de la Tomasa, Perrate de Utrera and Diego del Gastor, and finally Terremoto and his eternal companion Manuel Moreno "Morao". I am familiar with every note in the selections and was struck again by how comfortable and satisfying it was and is to slide smoothly into the distinctive quickly recognizable patterns and sequences of the various palos--Soleares, Malagueñas, Siguiriyas, Tientos, Fandangos, Bulerias..... Old friends, like well-worn pebbles or bits of polished wood that just feel right in one's hand. Comforting in the middle of a dark, sleepless but unworried night.

I was also struck, watching Morao accompanying Terremoto, at just how fantastically accomplished these flamenco guitarists are. The YT clips of the two often focus upon Morao's fingers as they effortlessly fly over the guitar's strings, both plucking and holding down strings to produce instantly the sounds he is searching for. Strumming, tapping the guitar body (golpe) very close to instinctively. I compare that (unfairly!) with the seemingly labored effort of classical guitarists carefully picking their way through a complex piece--the contrast gives the false but almost unavoidable impression that flamenco guitarists know exactly at all times what their instruments can produce sonically and exactly how to produce it, while classical guitarists are figuring it out as they go along. I love cante flamenco!
 
#165 ·
I was also struck, watching Morao accompanying Terremoto, at just how fantastically accomplished these flamenco guitarists are. The YT clips of the two often focus upon Morao's fingers as they effortlessly fly over the guitar's strings, both plucking and holding down strings to produce instantly the sounds he is searching for. Strumming, tapping the guitar body (golpe) very close to instinctively. I compare that (unfairly!) with the seemingly labored effort of classical guitarists carefully picking their way through a complex piece--the contrast gives the false but almost unavoidable impression that flamenco guitarists know exactly at all times what their instruments can produce sonically and exactly how to produce it, while classical guitarists are figuring it out as they go along. I love cante flamenco!
Strange,

I assume you are talking about:



A few thoughts come to mind. I'm assuming that you know that one of the main differences between a Flamenco guitar and a Spanish classical guitar is "action" - the amount of distance that the guitarist has to push the string down to create the note. The higher the action the harder it is to play the instrument. Flamenco style, with its focus on fast falseta runs, favors very low action as it makes playing those runs easier. The down side is the "string rattle" that happens when the action is set so low that the vibration of the string does not "clear" the higher frets, causing a noticeable rattle in sound. I say "down side" because as a percussive effect, especially when strumming, sting rattle is an important aspect of the "flamenco sound."

OTOH, Spanish Classical guitars have higher action to avoid that string rattle. Clean playing and tone production are paramount. Trust me, no one wants to hear a Bach invention on a guitar with string rattle. (Bach didn't write any rattles into his manuscript so you shouldn't play any.)

Another thought on playing is this: The farther down the neck of the guitar toward the tuning pegs that one goes, the wider the spaces between the frets, and the harder it is to play the instrument. By placing a capo on the second fret, Morao has in effect, eliminated the two hardest frets to cover in terms of finger stretching - making the guitar easier to play.

What I'm suggesting here, and not to take anything away from the impressive playing skills in the video, is that the fluidity in playing that you see demonstrated is aided by the set up and playing style of the Flamenco guitar. To play those same songs on a Spanish Classical would be much more difficult.
 
#163 ·
Some Welcome Pure Pleasure.....

Here is a delightful interlude in the usually macho world of flamenco. While I am not an aficionado of solo flamenco guitar, I could not help enjoying this YouTube clip of a modern female flamenco guitarist, Paola Hermosín, giving a brief lesson in impeccable Spanish on the Soleá, then playing one well-known by the longtime tocaor Paco Peña. Hermosín plays both classical and flamenco guitar, but here she is all flamenco. Enjoy the YouTube clip as I did for her self-assurance, her delightful diction, and then, after her spoken lesson, her skillful play of a classic, traditional palo, the Soleá de Alcalá.....

 
#166 · (Edited)
Guitars and Guitar Play

Room2201974, welcome to this remote corner of TC! All visitors and their thoughts are appreciated. I touched briefly on some of the points you raised in my Post #108. As you know, working flamenco guitarists, especially those accompanying singers and dancers, are seldom without their capos as the need to alter tuning varies constantly among palos--and singers. And the differences in design and construction between flamenco and classical guitars certainly reflects the different requirements of the two genres. It's curious that I chose Morao as my exemplar of flamenco technique in that I do not care generally for his playing ("too many notes") compared with so many other equally skilled tocaores--in my post on Aurelio de Cadiz, I complain about Morao's overplaying, drowning Aurelio in a sea of loud, superfluous notes. Such overplaying seems to have been a characteristic of Jerez flamenco guitar playing. But to each his own. Feel free to contribute to these thoughts of flamenco as you see fit.
 
#167 ·
JALEO Newsletter, 1977-1992

California was a hotbed of enthusiasm for all things flamenco in the pre-Internet era. I have previously posted about the American flamenco guitarist and historian/novelist Paco Sevilla in this thread--Paco's several books on flamenco are an essential part of a library of books on flamenco and its history, and he has his own place in the history of that history. Part of Paco's contribution was for years as the editor and a constant contributor to the typed flamenco fanzine/newsletter Jaleo which came out of a San Diego address for some 15 years as a shared glue binding together much of the American flamenco enthusiast scene. The back issues of Jaleo are now available online and make for interesting and often informative reading on flamenco topics as discussed both among Americans but also including input from Spanish sources as well. I invite all to browse through these past issues to get a sense of the enthusiasm among flamenco aficionados during this period when flamenco was still being enjoyed as a novel artform among devotees sharing the same enjoyment of its unique charms.

http://www.elitedynamics.com/jaleomagazine/index-jaleo_issues.htm
 
#172 ·
I thought I'd post some of the various palos, starting with Bulerías, and now Soleá

Estrella Morente - Soleá



From Wikipedia
Soleares (plural of soleá, pronounced [soleˈa]) is one of the most basic forms or palos of Flamenco music, probably originated around Cádiz or Seville in Andalusia, the most southern region of Spain. It is usually accompanied by one guitar only, in phrygian mode "por arriba" (fundamental on the 6th string); "Bulerías por soleá" is usually played "por medio" (fundamental on the 5th string). Soleares is sometimes called "mother of palos" although it is not the oldest one (e.g. siguiriyas is older than soleares) and not even related to every other palo (e.g. fandangos family is from a different origin)[
Bulerías

From Wikipedia
Bulería (Spanish pronunciation: [buleˈɾi.a(s)]; interchangeable with the plural, bulerías) is a fast flamenco rhythm made up of a 12 beat cycle with emphasis in two general forms as follows:

[12] 1 2 [3] 4 5 [6] 7 [8] 9 [10] 11
or
[12] 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 [7] [8] 9 [10] 11

This may be thought of as a measure of 6
8 followed by a measure of 3
4 (known as hemiola).

For dancers, it is commonly viewed with a compas or bar of 6 counts as opposed to 12.
 
#173 ·
Estrella Morente is superb. Do you know who is on guitar?
 
#176 ·
SanAntone, I am delighted to have you here in our small circle of flamenco aficionados! The flamenco fraternity is small but dedicated. The problem with the few remaining flamenco forums for me is that guitar enthusiasts are the most fervent posters, whereas my interest has always been in el cante. So as you look through this thread, you will find that is my main focus. But anything you choose to post will be most welcome!
 
#177 ·
I think of flamenco as a three-sided art: the guitar, the singing and the dance. Really it's an complete culture, lifestyle. I have a book that I haven't read yet, but need to - Seeking Silverio the Birth of Flamenco by Paco Sevilla.

My interest in flamenco is long-standing and strong but fleeting, it come and goes in spurts. I am happy for the existence of this thread and applaud your great and comprehensive posting. :tiphat: I plan on contributing now and then, but also plan on reading the earlier pages to see what's already been contributed, and how I might add some info here and there.

:cool:
 
#181 ·
This was the situation 3 years ago (from a post of mine here):

"Paco has a website up: www.pacosevilla.com. and in a recent exchange of emails has confirmed that these books can now be ordered directly from him. Any individual book is $10 plus $3 for shipping, or all three books as a package for $20 plus $5 for shipping. One can order from Paco Sevilla at P.O. Box 8867, Chula Vista CA 91912. In theory one could order through Paco's website; I have no trouble accessing Paco's website, but Paco is having problems with it himself, so it would be safer to order via the mailing address in case one gets no response through the website. I know Paco from working with him on a project, and can be certain of him as the prime source for his books. I'll be ordering the complete set of three as I do not have his book on Paco de Lucía, and will have extra copies of the other two books to give as presents."

You might try both the website and sending a note to Paco's address. I have not kept in touch, but he may still be active and selling his books directly.
 
#183 ·
The loneliness of Manolo Sanlúcar

31 May, 2019 | 09:00 | Manuel Bohórquez

I first heard the news of Paco de Lucía's death, on February 26th, 2014, while I was driving on the highway. I stopped and had to pull over to avoid an accident. I could not believe the news because I always imagined that Paco was immortal. The next day, I published a double-page feature in El Correo de Andalucía, the Seville newspaper where I've been working for more than thirty years, and some readers complained that I didn't make an in-depth analysis of him as a guitarist. It wasn't the right moment for that. It was a moment to mourn his passing and rush up a profile of him. Others went further, and encouraged me to compare him to Manolo Sanlúcar, the other great star of guitarra flamenca in these last fifty years, for whom I have a weak spot, and I say this loud and clear. To be sincere, as I always am, my admiration for Manolo is even higher than my admiration for Paco.
I really like the series of recordings El Flamenco es ... I don't know how many installments there are, but there are a lot. The one on Manolo Sanlucar is typical, with a variety of his best work. Several tracks from the recording highlighted in the article linked above occupy the first half of the record.

There isn't enough space here to thoroughly analyze his varied and great legacy, but one album, Tauromagia (1998), would suffice to immortalize him. This prodigious work summarizes the essence of this Andalusian composer, his creative capacity, by describing with it the whole of Andalusia, the world of bullfighting, the countryside, anguish, dawn, fear, success, pride, loneliness, art, creation.
Flamenco Es... Manolo Sanlucar

View attachment 154565

My only complaint is that he often incorporates brass or other elements that remove it from Flamenco Puro, which is by far my favorite kind of flamenco.

 
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