Dieguito el Cigala
Interview. October 2000.

Photo by Jacinta Delgado

"Entre Vareta y Canasta," his second release, is an expression of purity in the art of flamenco.

"I offer a modern interpretation of flamenco that is respectful of tradition."

Camarón sang:
"Dicen de mí que me amenaza el tiempo..." (They say that time is not on my side...)

"Entre Vareta y Canasta" can be taken as the continuation of the singing of Camarón. The author of this work is Dieguito, "El Cigala," a Madrid gitano with many points in common with Camarón. Prior to his comeback, more than one aficionado had not held great expectations for the future of this singer. His new recording marks his return to the public light after a year of silence, and he has many reasons to feel proud.

Dieguito openly shares his past with us: "It was incredible in Seville. And it had been bothering me since last year. I was going to perform in that theater the same evening as el Potito, and I couldn't even open my mouth, I was so messed up. So I broke down and cried in the dressing room. That evening got my life back on course again. I looked in the mirror and told myself that things had gone far enough." He speaks directly and clearly, and his appearance could intimidate anyone. However, in conversation, his soft voice transmits the shyness and simplicity of a gitano raised in the heart of the rastro madrileño (area around the Madrid flea market). He candidly explains how he got started: "I used to look for an opportunity to sing in the taverns of Cava Baja Street, running from the police. When I was twelve years old, I went on a talent show on television and won the prize for bulerías."

Photo by Jacinta Delgado

From that moment on, Dieguito's career would take him around the world, from the US to Australia, accompanying the best dancers. "I had a good sense of rhythm, and that's what good dancers want. And if you sing well, that's even better," explains Diego, punctuating his statements with his hands and feet.

His talent quickly got him onstage, sharing billing with names like Morente, Mercé, and Parrita. In 1998 he made his first recording, "Undebel." David Amaya (formerly of Barbería del Sur) directed the recording, which was later taken over by the producer Paco Ortega, whose commercial touch tends to connect with the public. Afterwards, he recorded with Gerardo Nuñez, Tomatito, Ketama, Vicente Amigo, and Montse Cortés; and he recently collaborated in the new recording of Elena Andújar.

Dieguito with Jerónimo Maya (Photo by Jacinta Delgado)

Now, with "Entre Vareta y Canasta", Dieguito feels that he has made the recording that he has always wanted to make, with bulerías, fandangos, cantiñas and good singing, full of spontaneity. In that regard, El Cigala's ideas are very well defined: "I don't abandon my roots, but I sound modern, like fresh flamenco. Even though the verse is old, I keep up with the times, because I believe that you can't be out of rhythm with the times."

Following his great success in Seville, he recently returned to Madrid to perform in a concert hall that is not well-suited to flamenco singing, but he quickly won over the crowd as soon as his performance began. Dieguito "se partió la camisa" (bared his soul, literally "ripped open his shirt") onstage: he is happy because, apart from being able to sing, he is a proud father. With his best smile, he motions towards Dieguito Jr., commenting, "This genius is the best part of me." The boy has already made it known that he likes flamenco dancing, and the director Fernando Trueba has included him in a video-clip about his father, the cantaor. He can not help but be aware of the shadow of Camarón hanging over him, and he emphatically states how he wants to be referred to from now on: "I want to be known as Dieguito because "Cigala" (crawfish) sounds too much like "Camarón" (shrimp). In the next recording it'll just be Dieguito, without "El Cigala." However, when speaking of the legendary Camarón, he explains, "Look, if you're talking about imitating a genius, you might as well forget about it right now... I think I've got my own personality." When asked if he feels that he is continuing with the innovations of Camarón, he says: "Look, Camarón left us with a very difficult style; you have to pay careful attention to all of the details. But nowadays, flamenco is too fast; young people are going too far. There are too many groups that use the word "flamenco," but they're really doing something else. I think that they should do real flamenco, and if not, then they should call it something else."

Fátima Yráyzoz