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Paco del Pozo, cantaor. Interview
"New musical directions are crucial to
flamenco"
Fátima Yráyzoz. Madrid, January 2004
Translation: Gary Cook
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
The fact that bullfighting and flamenco are more closely entwined every
day, and the fact that Madrid and its surroundings boast a strong following of
both artforms, are both well-known. And Paco
del Pozo, a young flamenco vocalist who confesses he's "not part of any
particular barrio, and not from the capital", gives us a clear demonstration
of these facts. Born in San Sebastián de los Reyes on the outskirts of
Madrid, a town well-known for its bullfighting traditions but with no history
of flamenco, he won the coveted Festival de La Unión Miner's Lamp award
at just twenty years of age. And now he dresses up in full bullfighter's regalia
- the 'Vestido de Luces' which gives its name to his album, a tribute to the legendary
Antonio Ordóñez and his bullfighting legacy. The album combines
the orthodoxy of cante flamenco with a daring combination of instruments. Paco
del Pozo is young but with a mature outlook.
Paco del Pozo and Jerónimo
From the initial concept to the polished final product you released, there
was a considerable evolution. Can you describe how the project developed?
'Vestido de luces' is a project which dates back to 1999, an idea inspired
by the cultural wing at the Universidad Menéndez Pelayo, dedicated followers
of the world of bullfighting. They published a book, with these same contents,
and to release it on CD they wanted a young artist from Madrid. When they heard
I won the Miner's Lamp they thought about me.
It's been a long process. A pleasant experience overall, but with many hurdles
along the way. At the outset it was a shaky idea, the idea was to record it all
in a couple of days and that's it. But I took advantage of the fact it was going
to be my first disc and that I was full of ambitions. The arena was mine, all
eyes were focused on me, and it was time to put on my "vestido de luces".
And so, slowly but surely, the project started to take shape. I wanted Jerónimo
Maya to accompany me on guitar, and I got Jorge
Pardo involved to work with me as co-producers. Maybe I made some mistakes
along the way, but I was full of enthusiasm and itching to get the project off
the ground.
When we see a project with a line-up that smacks of jazz, or of fusion,
are we to think that's the direction you're taking your flamenco in?
I'm really interested in that. I wanted to make an album my way, that's how
I came to choose six songs that are very sparsely instrumented, just guitar and
vocals. And on the other six I took a chance, developing the whole arrangement
more, bringing in other instruments like flute, sax and bass because I'm open
to new directions, I think that's actually a necessary step for flamenco. And
besides that, I think it's good to cater for all tastes.
Are you aware that, in spite of everything, both the instruments and the
way they're played have changed over the last century?
Of course, you only have to look at how the guitar was played right up until
the days of Ramón
Montoya. Two notes and that was it. Ramón brought in things from classical
styles, and introduced new scales. I guess back then it was a revolution! Look
at the amazing things guitarists do these days! I think flamenco's way better
than classical guitar, in terms of technique and richness.
Even though you've triumphed in such a grand location as La Unión,
do you think that Madrid is still the epicenter of flamenco?
I think so, that's the impression I get, but then again I am from the Madrid
region. I work here a lot. I've played the capital's best events. I took part
in the Festival de Caja Madrid, played the best theaters... So maybe the conquering
I have yet to do is farther afield. Andalucía - Seville, Cadiz... to give
you a couple of examples. So while other artists are fighting to make their name
in the capital, in my case I need to get out a little more.
I guess you're used to being rejected as neither Andalusian nor 'gitano'...
Yeah, that's a handicap for me, sure. I'm not a gypsy, I'm not from a barrio,
and on top of that I'm from a suburban town like San Sebastián de los Reyes,
worlds away from the home of flamenco. So people ask me where I sprang from -
they don't believe I could sing 'por soleá', for example. And in Andalucía
you're just a madrileño. Though I have to say it's something I don't worry
about a great deal. I could tell you an anecdote. It happened in the south of
Andalucía, in Algeciras. I went there to take part in a talent contest
that some 'peña' was organizing - I don't remember which one. I was eighteen,
I sang all the essential styles, and I even sang the 'malagueña de El Mellizo',
dear to the hearts of the locals there. But the members of the peña got
uptight about an outsider doing that - they even asked me to show them my ID to
see where I was from, they couldn't believe it. They were totally indignant!
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