INTERVIEW WITH GUALBERTO, MUSICIAN:

"I have never tried to do flamenco"

Silvia Calado Olivo
Translation: Joseph Kopec

He appeared in the film Woodstock as the prototype of an American hippy, met Frank Zappa in Central Park, played as a studio musician for Aretha Franklin... but was born in a courtyard in Triana. And it is perhaps due to going between these two currents that he was a key part of 'La leyenda del tiempo'. Gualberto, to be consistent with himself, has never tried to conceal either of his two faces. He neither proclaims himself a die-hard flamenco artist, nor can he stop cranking out seguiriyas, bulerías and cartageneras on the sitar, the veena and the dilruba, classical Indian instruments which serve as a medium between his inspiration and the notes. Nature has been the source of his latest works. Out of the sky came 'Constelación Flamenca', out of the land 'Caminos del Aljarafe', two works each premiering in an edition of the Bienal of Seville which have only taken shape in their respective premieres there. Composer, studio musician, doing arrangements... Gualberto prides himself on making a living on music, the precious reward for he who lives for music.

On Gualberto, music... and flamenco:
"If you want to be true to yourself, you just have to stick to your culture"

On 'Caminos del Aljarafe':
Hymn to tellurism

On 'Constelación flamenca':
The musician of the stars

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