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Fosforito, cantaor.
Flamenco interview
“Chocolate was
a terrific cantaor who also
had what it takes to get Cante's Llave de Oro”
Silvia Calado, August 2005
Cante's Llave de Oro (Golden Key) has been awarded
five times throughout flamenco history. And never free of
controversy. First, Tomás el Nitri. Second, Manuel
Vallejo. Third, Antonio Mairena. Fourth, Camarón de
la Isla. The fifth one has been given to Fosforito.
And, so it seems, it was a unanimous decision for the first
time ever. The cantaor from Puente Genil can't manage to explain
what it feels like to be granted such a great honor, but he
does affirm that “the only thing an artist aspires to
is to have the key to fans' hearts”.
How do you feel after winning flamenco's top award?
You can't explain it. You're always fighting but not for
any prize, rather to put your heart into it. The only thing
an artist aspires to is to have the key to fans' hearts.
What merits do you see in yourself?
Firmness, seriousness, dignity... Being on the right path,
not letting myself be influenced. And as I've already said,
devoting myself entirely, putting my heart into it bit by
bit. I haven't been as good as I should've at times, but I
still have the satisfaction that I've put my heart into it.
I've also set certain ways in cante, certain styles; I've
created a school. Poet Luis Rosales used to say that the reasons
why prizes are given don't have to be explained by those receiving
them, but rather by those giving them.
Some people have spoken out, saying that as it coincided
with Chocolate's
death, the best tribute would have been to give him Cante's
Llave...
That's right. Chocolate was a person I really loved, a terrific
cantaor. I have special affection for him because I shared
the stage with him, I went on tour around America (with him)...
We'd known each other since we were kids at La Alameda de
Hércules in Seville. He had enough of what it takes
to win Cante's Llave... and other colleagues as well. But
I don't want to talk about living cantaores, because someone
always gets left out. What I can point out is that it's the
first time the Llave has been awarded by consensus. Province
councils, universities, peñas... were unanimous; it
wasn't a momentary whim. It's not a prize for a performance
like the Giraldillo, but rather the recognition of many years'
work.
What features does that ‘fosforera’ school
have?
It can be identified in cantaores who follow my ways, just
like the ‘caracolera’, ‘marchenera’,
‘mairenera’, ‘camaronera’ schools
are recognized in others... Some have even taken up the name
Fosforito, and others simply imitate my ways; they do approximations
of what I do. A beginning cantaor learns through mimicry of
his surroundings and then goes on to find his own sound. However,
others remain with their maestro's ways, as happens with those
who imitate Antonio
Chacón.
Although you haven't been active for years, you do
often work as an instructor. What do you teach in your lectures?
In the lectures we basically speak about the sound backgrounds;
that is, flamenco history. And I do so, sticking in cantes.
For example, if I talk about soleá, I try and explain
the different personality transmitted to it by Frijones, Tomás
Pavón and Antonio Mairena. We also talk about compás,
Arab poets, old vestiges even from the Roman period... And
the thing is I disagree with the writers who attribute the
birth of flamenco to romanticism, since there is enough information
to affirm that cante existed long before that. I'm the kind
of person who thinks you can't love what you don't know.
Fosforito (Frame from DVD "Rito
y geografía del cante,
DVD 19: Fosforito. Chocolate. Menese")
Are you trying to reach a general public?
Of course, because flamenco is not as well-known as other
related types of music. With all due respect, Ketama
has nothing to do with a cante through soleá, nothing
to do with cante although it's flamenco-ized. Musically, fusions
are wonderful, but everything has to be in its place.
What do you think of today's cante scene?
There are a handful of cantaores who sing everything well.
Before, there used to be figures who spent their entire lives
doing just one cante. Now the young cantaores are required
to do twenty different things and all of them well. And that's
because we've reached an incredible point of knowledge, thanks
to recordings and the fact that flamenco has reached other
forums. Though there are some impudent people who've lost
a bit of respect, others are very respectful of tradition.
Heterodoxy heals over time; it usually crops up when the cantaores
are a little green and they might get confused. I don't get
confused. And the young people are keeping the flame alive.
People are playing like never before, people are dancing very
well. Well, sometimes you might miss the presence of Pastora
Imperio, the arm movement of Pilar López, the strength
of Carmen Amaya. But that doesn't mean flamenco isn't at a
good moment in time; it's just nostalgia.
Fosforito (Frame from DVD "Rito
y geografía del cante,
DVD 19: Fosforito. Chocolate. Menese")
magazine@flamenco-world.com
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