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Diego Carrasco, cantaor, songwriter
and guitarist. Interview
'Mi ADN flamenco', track-by-track
Silvia Calado. Madrid, April 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
Translation: Gary Cook
Like the DNA to which it refers, 'Mi ADN flamenco' carries all the information
pertaining to Diego
Carrasco, both as an artist and as a person. This disc "is flesh of my
own flesh, it reflects all my own experiences, which I acquired as a 'world citizen',
as the title of his earlier album defines him." And as such, "I dug
up and put together a selection of the tunes I like best." This new album
is like "a brand new pair of shoes I just bought", and the multi-talented
artist from Jerez is so happy with them he walks with a spring in his stride.
New compositions, cover versions and adaptations of older numbers lie side-by-side
on this CD, which variously calls for liberty, pays tribute to Camarón,
and even makes time for a 'Hello Dolly'. And it all flows effortlessly, eased
by the fact that it was recorded on home turf... and among friends. He includes
a special mention for Diego del Morao, to whom he's grateful for "having
contributed in his own special way, with so much affection, dedication and professionalism."
Diego Carrasco gives Flamenco-world.com readers a run-down of 'Mi ADN flamenco',
track-by-track.
Diego Carrasco in concert
"It's a good starting point. The theme 'Libertad' is a quite delicate
one because in general I like to keep politics away from flamenco music, I like
to keep it apolitical. We weren't taking advantage of recent sad events, but there
certainly was an undercurrent there. I wrote this song a year ago at least. In
some ways, at my age, you have to stand up and cry out... for liberty. We're not
criticizing anyone in particular, the lyrics by Juan Grande and Pedro Ribera are
beautiful, and I think it's time to make a stand for freedom, I had to do it.
Musically speaking, whenever I do a piece like that I always make room for a tangos
rhythm. 'Libertad' is set to a tangos rhythm, with music that's very much in our
style, really simple so that the listener can really enjoy it."
"A version of Las Ketchup's international summer hit 'Aserejé'...
Jerez-style. The album was made in a very special place, and with very special
people, because I wanted to be near home, to be able to walk to the studio and
not have to deal with taxis, hotels or any of the other chaos. And the truth is
that shows through on the album. You can sense that freshness, that easy-going
attitude which comes from being able to speak with friends, spending time with
your family, eating home cooking... all that gives you a different approach to
your work. And, you know, the guys are a little cheeky - they kicked off a rhythm
'por bulerías', and we stuck the tune in there. The song (written by
Queco)
is a good one, I liked it when it came out, and I still like it. The most obvious
measure of a good song is the reaction to it around the world. What we did was
to look at it from our perspective, each has his own 'Aserejé'... this
is my 'Aserejé', Jerez-style."
"This is a tribute I owed Camarón and it was previously released
on a compilation disc. And since this 'DNA' is flesh of my own flesh, I saw it
necessary to include this tribute to our beloved and much-admired José
Monje Cruz. It's a song I find very subtle, very deep, and the result is great"
'Me voy pa mi casa'
"This is a light-hearted song - 'I'm goin' home', like the title says.
I'd never done a blues number, and I think in these times it was a must. The time
was right. It's a beautiful song by El Madriles, who was born here in Madrid,
but who lives down in Jerez and is part of our barrio. He has a great talent as
a composer. He came to the studio one day, started doing his thing, and as soon
as I heard him I said, "Get inside here right now!" We took the risk,
started to play it, and that's the way it turned out, just like you hear it, because
the first take was the one we used. Curro from Navajita Plateá and Jorge
Vidal were sitting outside, and they made me step into the sound booth. Later
Tino
di Geraldo had his chance to give it the final once-over, in his own personal
style. I think what he did was to make it richer, like everything he does."
"This is a version of a song by Isaac Delgado from Cuba, it's a number
he sings himself, with a Latin flavor. What I like is the vibe it has and the
format of combining a Latin style with Caribbean rhythms and mixing it up with
flamenco - not that that was really our intention. And that's the way it is: in
music fusion comes about when you feel where it comes from and you have that warmth.
What I like about this tune is that it could be tangos, rumbas or bulerías.
It's approached from that angle. And there are moments where you don't know where
you are. I played it to some friends, to the odd cantaor, and they tell me "hey
that rumba is really good." And it's a bulería. That playing around
with rhythms is part of how I am. People have congratulated me on that track.
Even Antoñito (Antonio Carmona), from Ketama
called me the other day congratulating me on the album. And it surprised me because
they're pioneers in this approach. When you see things from another viewpoint,
it gives you a chance to add a certain richness to them. And here we're bringing
together two poles which are both pillars of strength: tangos and bulerías."
"This is a really pretty track by the pianist Pedro
Ricardo Miño (included on 'Piano con duende'). We recorded it
with Tino di Geraldo and with Tomasito. It's a very beautiful song, very rich
musically speaking. There's an odd mix of styles, which is what I like: initially
it sounds like you're up in Asturias, in the Celtic lands to the north of Spain;
and later we bring it back down south to Lebrija. And just as the last track was
a mixture between a rumba and a bulería, this is a mixture between Celtic
folk music from the north and Lebrija in the south of Spain. The lyrics are wonderful,
a tribute by the great poet Carlos Lencero to two great artists. It's about artists
and for artists: the dance of Isidro Vargas, El Mono; and the vocals and dance
of Miguel Vargas, Funi. 'Bailaores' has all the ingredients of a gourmet delight."
'No miento'
"On 'Mi ADN flamenco' I think there's a wide variety of rhythmic content.
This song - 'I'm not lying' - could be a ballad with rhythms brought from Huelva
- if you listen to the guitarists it's got a fandango rhythm. The lyrics are beautiful,
by Rafael El Nene and with music by Jose Amosa. I was blown away by it. When I
was making it, I got home at four or five in the morning, and you always sit back
and listen to what you did... I'd come home with two or three other parents, I'd
put it on and watch how one-by-one my kids and my little nephews and nieces would
get up... In the end the whole family ended up with tears in their eyes. It's
a very melancholy tune, with a large dose of romanticism".
'Ratones coloraos'
"I like it because it was a challenge to do a version of something so
many other artists have done. To me it's an immortal piece because it has lyrics
by Sabina, a real gem. And the same as with 'Aserejé' - I took hold of
it and gave it the Jerez treatment, played it 'por bulerías'. It has beautiful
lyrics and lovely music, it's really cool for what it is. I think that as with
most songs on the album, we're fortunate to have great musicians on hand and it's
very simple, very fresh-sounding, and with really lively rhythms. I mean is there
anybody out there who doesn't like a bulería? And if you add a drum, add
a little bass, and slip in some trombones and all that, I think you bring it closer
to the youth and to more international audiences."
'¿Qué tal, Dolly?'
"This one - 'How's it going Dolly' - drives me crazy... You already know
how surprised I was with people's reaction to this song (included on the album
'Territorio
Flamenco'). The truth is it's all thanks to Isidro Sanlúcar, who
we all know is a genius, a great guy who comes up with unpredictable stuff. Remember,
this is the guy who got Rancapino
doing a bolero, and Miguel Poveda doing an Argentinean tango. The first time he
saw me to draw up the plans for 'Territorio Flamenco' he told me: "I want
you to do a song for me." I asked him what mess he was going to get me mixed
up in, and he passed me an adaptation of 'Hello Dolly' by Louis Armstrong. "This
is one that's got your name on it." I'd heard it, but... At the outset he
wanted me to do something 'por bulerías', but I knew what I had to do.
It's produced by him, but it's done my way. And the reaction to the end result
surprised me: so many people were taken aback by the cover version! I think it's
something special."
"I always did like doing children's songs. You wouldn't believe how low
the average age of my audiences is... It's incredible, loads of places I go -
especially our parties - and the kids all come straight to me. This song, in a
way, has a story behind it. I was at home and my son, the youngest one, came in
from school. He's a really bad student, he just likes to goof around, and the
chemistry teacher told him, "get your dad's album and read the table of elements
there." And it made me think. The truth is in all schools and colleges they
teach music, and maybe someday, just like they told my son to listen to 'Química'
to learn his periodic table, they might give them 'Do, re, mi' to study music...
'por bulerías' of course."
magazine@flamenco-world.com
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