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When did you start accompanying La Paquera?
Officially since December 1969, although before that I had accompanied her
occasionally. In fact there are press photos from the baptism of Rosarillo, the
daughter of Lola Flores, in 1963 in which La Paquera is singing and I am playing,
but that isn't to say that I was the only person to play with her during those
years. I have never been the exclusive player for anyone like, for example, the
twins have been for María Dolores Pradera. I have also accompanied many
other artists. For over eight years I accompanied Curro Malena. I also accompanied
Manuel Agujetas a lot, both live and in studio recordings. Since the arrival of
the Summer Festivals I have played for practically everyone from Antonio Mairena
to Chocolate, Calixto Sánchez, Naranjito de Triana, Luis de Córdoba,
La Macanita...
Macanita and Parrilla de Jerez (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
That style of accompanying La Paquera, with your foot on the chair isn't
done by anyone else anymore...
No, no, no one does it anymore. Before it was a lot more common to see it despite
the fact that singers always preferred to be seated when they sang. In many cases
they stood up to sing bulerías so that the guitar was easier to hear. But
that La Paquera style is unique and I would even say that it was a hallmark because
the day we stop playing together there will be no one left who does it.
How does Parrilla de Jerez view a flamenco guitar recital?
The flamenco guitar is an instrument that can do anything. Let me give an example.
The last time that the maestro Sabicas player at the Sevilla Biennial Festival
he played eighteen guitar solos. That is what I see as a guitar concert. Today,
however, they announce that so-and-so is going to do a concert and that person
has a guitar, percussion, bass, a wind section, a singer and a dancer. What happens
then? Well, in the end nothing more than two or three pieces are really played
solo. On the one hand that's fine because it sells better, but on the other it
is betraying the true essence of playing solo. For me a guitar concert should
be just that, a guitar concert. But of course giving a concert just with a guitar
is very difficult.
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"today's guitarists are not aficionados of the cante"
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What do you think of the state of flamenco at the moment?
From the commercial point of view flamenco is more successful than ever before
because there are more recordings, more record sales... From the artistic point
of view, maybe it is a little low. By that I don't mean to say that it is going
to disappear far from it. There always have been and always will be people who
want to retain the purity of the art, but what has happened is that everyone wants
to make money, have a Mercedes, a house on the beach. So that's why the artists
of today do modern stuff and prostitute their art to earn more money and they
really care don't about purity. Pure flamenco has always been a minority interest.
And what exactly do you mean by purity?
Phew, that's very difficult to explain. The word itself says it all. What is
purity? Not moving away from the roots, even though is may be doing something
new. And that is very difficult to achieve!
Parrilla de Jerez (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
What about guitar and dance?
Dance has advanced a lot technically. There is a sharpness in the feet and
a technique that did not exist before. Although it is also clear that from the
waist up there is a lot of room for improvement. El toque has evolved a great
deal, but today's today's guitarists are not aficionados of the cante. Playing
the cante and knowing how to give the singer their space without pushing yourself
forward, doesn't mean that the guitarist is unimportant. In fact it is the opposite,
if you take over and don't let the singer sing then you become unimportant.
How do you feel when you get up on stage?
Great, because I do it to show people the thing that can do best and that is
playing guitar. When someone goes somewhere and gives everything they have in
their heart, then they should feel good about it. It is bad when you hold back.
In art, just like love, each moment is unique and unrepeatable. That is why everything
that is kept inside ends up rotting and causing frustration. That doesn't mean
you shouldn't show respect for the rules and the public. It would be mad for me
to hide the tension that is created by the silence of a full theatre, because,
although it may not seem that way silence is something that is listened to and
it can make you shake with respect and responsibility, but never fear. If you
are confident about what you know and are capable of transmitting it to the public
there is no reason to be scared. Personality and confidence in yourself are very
important for an artist.
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"In art, just like love, each moment is unique and unrepeatable"
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How would you value your experience with La Paquera in Japan?
Very positively because Japan is a country where flamenco has had a tremendous
following for many years. When you feel loved and respected for what you do time
and place become unimportant. That is the real magic of music - communication
without worrying about language or the colour of skin. Speaking as a tourist I
didn't have enough time to get to see everything I would have liked. But I was
able to walk around and experience what I like most - people going about their
daily business and seeing the customs of country where life is lived so quickly.
It is incredible to see the pace at which everyone lives.
Parrilla is a guitarist with personality. He loves to travel, compose and even
surf the Internet. Where does he get al this energy?
That's what I ask myself (he says laughing). From the time I was very young
I have been a fan of everything related to knowledge. I love reading, listening
to music, composing, travelling and enjoying life just like everyone else. I know
that there are a lot of people who think that we flamenco artists are almost prehistoric,
anchored to tradition and old customs. That is label that has been stuck on us
and it is now difficult to get rid of. In any case it is good you asked me that
question so that those who read this can change their opinion. The Internet is
amazing, the whole world in a single box. Sometimes I spend hours surfing and
there are always new pages full of information, but the problem is that I don't
have enough time to follow it all up. I usually only manage to send a few e-mails
to my friends and to everyone who writes to me. My e-mail is parrilladejerez@hotmail.com.
Don't think I am some sort of hacker or anything like that, I just get by. I scan
things, save my documents, open them, send them.... you know.
revista@flamenco-world.com
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