Interview. José Antonio Rodríguez,
flamenco guitarist
“An artist is much more
than an album,
at least in flamenco”
Silvia Calado, May 2007
The flow of the Guadalquivir
River, the colors and fragrances of May, old-time jondo
sounds... Córdoba. The Córdoba-born guitarist
José
Antonio Rodríguez takes a look back and is
inspired by his experiences in that city in this composition
which he has captured live, with “all the passion
and truth” emanating from the stage. And that occurred
on July 6th, 2006 when the show premiered, inaugurating
the Guitar Festival at the Gran Teatro. Cameras and recording
devices had their “record” buttons pressed...
This time they did. And now ‘Córdoba... en
el tiempo’, both in sound and picture, reveals what
happened.
How does the ‘Córdoba...
en el tiempo’ project come about?
It was an assignment for the 2006 Córdoba
Guitar Festival, as the inaugural concert. The idea was
to do a stage design, lighting and sound design which
were up to the same level as any other of today’s
musical events, not just with attention to detail, but
using every technical element necessary for an audiovisual
show. The recording of the concert comes about little
by little. Talking to my technician, Eduardo Ruiz, we
thought about recording it, especially in order to be
able to then listen to the result. And since we were recording
the audio, why not record the picture while we were at
it? I called some other friends, José Carlos Nievas
and María Moya, and we looked at the way to do
the recording on video, the number of cameras we needed
to have the concert faithful to what the audience would
see. In the end it all brimmed over, thanks to everyone’s
excitement and professionalism; they took on this work
as their own. And on listening to the audio and seeing
the footage, we thought it was work which had to be edited.
And thanks to the passion and enthusiasm the DVD was welcomed
with by Universal Music, my record company, it’s
coming out now.
What does this work have on CD and DVD?
It’s a concert at its purest. What
we listen to and see is what happened on July 6th, 2006.
That’s what’s most important to me, besides
the fact that it’s the most updated version of my
music, as it hasn’t gone through the logical process
of an album, recordings, editing... It has all the passion
and truth of the live show.
You say that you normally add
music to pictures, but that in this concert the inspiration
comes from memories. What are the key moments in your
career which you depict in these compositions?
Here, I’ve especially let myself
go with the flow of my childhood memories. There are titles
which reflect experiences which only remind me of something.
It’s intimate work, but at the same time, I make
a participant out of whoever performs, listens or sees
the footage.
How has your music evolved since
those early days which you now recall? Where is your musical
discourse now heading for?
A lot. Like every guitarist in my generation,
we’ve composed according to patterns or styles,
to go on to reach our own identity. You leave a lot of
things behind you along the way, especially time and life.
At the same time, you acquire memory and keep what interests
you the most from the journey.
I’ve kept what fills me; music
for music’s sake. I think it’s one of many
postures within the broad range of flamenco guitar, and
which I decided to do many years ago. It might be a posture
which is elitist or a bit incomprehensible, but it’s
my commitment to flamenco that makes me go along these
lines.
You always stress how important
it is to listen to your music live. What’s the difference
between a studio album and a live album, as is the case
here?
I’ve always heard the saying: “A
work which hasn’t been recorded doesn’t exist”.
I’ve never completely agreed with that. An artist
is much more than an album, at least in flamenco. We don’t
record every year and go on tour with that album. No,
ours is a long-distance race and a constant revision of
your ability as a composer and performer.
José Antonio Rodríguez
(Photo Daniel Muñoz)
And yes, I stress listening to my music
live because as we all know, the record industry hasn’t
been at its best moment for years now, but I do go on
holding concerts and composing music. That is a reflection
and the current state of my life as a musician. An album
nowadays reflects certain aspects of the most recent stuff
you’ve been doing, but not your musical life. Because
between albums, several have stopped off along the way,
which have served as a common thread for that journey.
That’s why there are those who are surprised to
listen to my first albums and then, for example, listen
to ‘Manhattan
de la Frontera’. It has a logical evolution;
the thing is that the process hasn’t been lucky
enough to be recorded, but it has been in my live shows.
What musicians take part in the
concert? What role do they play?
Each person’s role is fundamental.
Just as I was clear on the technical layout, so was I
on whom and what instrument would be here with me.
Francisco Javier Gallardo and
Javier López, guitars. They’re the
harmony support I needed. I always base my works on guitars
and they’re two youths who are giving people a lot
to talk about, because of their feeling and musicality.
It isn’t easy at all to accompany another guitarist.
Rafael
de Utrera, cante. Rafa has the voice I need
for my music. Because of his tessitura, his brilliance,
his time …
Jon Robles, sax and flute.
Jon is one of the best saxophonists in the country. I
met him on Alejandro Sanz’s 2004 Tour and we’ve
been collaborating ever since, whether it is in my music
or my participation on his latest album, ‘I Remember
Leonard’. He’s a huge musician.
Miguel Ángel López,
keyboards, sax and samples. The same thing; he’s
a musician with exquisite taste, and above all, with very
similar work discipline to mine, which helped me to unload
and delegate to him.
Ángel Morilla, bass and
cello. A multi-instrumentalist who’s been
with me for several years. The concert wouldn’t
be the same without Ángel’s bass and cello.
José Antonio
Rodríguez and Rosario Toledo
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
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Agustín Henke and Agustín
Diassera, percussions. A great base. Two completely
different percussionists. One of them (Henke), a flamenco
from my longed-for Manuel Soler’s school; and the
other (Diassera), researching new sounds and instruments.
A real luxury to have in the back.
Rosario
Toledo, baile. Rosario is yet another musician
on this occasion. With all which that implies. She doesn’t
just dance to the music, she dances to each sketch or
note on my guitar. Moreover, she provides me with those
moments of baile and cante accompaniment so necessary
for a guitarist, for his enjoyment. Great.
Besides the musicians, this work is completed
by the technical crew, which consists of Eduardo Ruiz
as sound technician; Antonio Ruiz as monitor technician;
José María Marvizón as recording
technician, Miguel Ángel Camacho in the lighting
design; José A. Figuerola as head technician; Jesús
Mesa as lighting technician in the concert; Pedro D. López
and Stela Espejo as lighting technicians; Pedro Criado
and José Carmona as stage technicians; José
Carlos Nievas as video director, Javier Ramos as VTR director
and editor; Gustavo Pérez, José David Cruz,
Samira Ouf, Rafael Barcia, Toni Herrera and Javier Ramos
on cameras; and María Moya on still picture. This
work wouldn’t have been possible without them.
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