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Fernando
González-Caballos Martínez
Since picking up his two Latin Grammys for "Spain"
and "Camarón, Paris, 1987", Tomatito hasn't
stopped for a second. He never would have imagined such a
thing, because as he himself says, "If Camarón
hadn't left us, I would have stayed by his side forever".
Nevertheless
life is like that, and José Fernández Torres
has had to rise above the situation and adapt to circumstances
in order to continue doing what he has been doing since the
age of 15, play the guitar. His new solo work first saw the
light of day in May, 2001. Taking advantage of the promotion
related to the release of the record, we talked about the
direction his career has taken in the last few years, in the
shadow of his "Paseo de los Castaños".
In
the documentary which was recorded on the occasion of your
appearances at the Blue Note in New York, you said something
like: "After having accompanied Camarón for 18
years, accompanying Michel Camilo isn't the most difficult
thing I've done". Could you explain those words a little
better?
As
everyone knows, I was Camarón's guitarist for the last
18 years of his life and I think, quite honestly, that there's
really nothing more difficult than playing for him. Camarón
was so unpredictable that... he always surprised you with
something new... different. Although he would sing the same
verses, he never did them the same way. So that way he had
about him has helped me a lot, having to play for a jazz pianist
like Michel. In jazz, just like in flamenco you have to be
really aware of the backup at all times, so that there's a
perfect synchronization. That's why I say that after playing
for José for so long, there's no way that dialoguing
with another instrument is more difficult.
How
did the idea of recording "Spain" come about?
Well,
although you may not believe it, it was completely spontaneous,
because when Michel first proposed it to me - I was very reluctant
to do something like this - he had to say: "We're not
going to make a flamenco record, nor a jazz record either.
It's just something to have a good time and so that we can
play a few pieces together where we can both get grooving
in a natural way". So what happened? Well, when you do
things with love and naturalness things like this happen.
That's why they gave us the Grammy and we did that world tour
where the audiences just couldn't get enough.
What
musicians are your point of reference for investigating and
searching for new paths?
The
fact is, I spend the day listening to music, not only for
my work, but because it's also my favorite hobby. I don't
care what kind of music... I just as soon buy flamenco, as
jazz, as ethnic music, as classical...
Every
time I go to New York I take advantage and buy the latest
that has come out by musicians like Chick Corea, George Benson,
Pat Metheny...
Just
recently I discovered Piazzola, thanks to a trip I made to
Argentina, and it really made an impression on me because
of the charged emotions and the cadences he incorporates in
his compositions.
In
my opinion you have to listen to everything, because you can
always discover something new where you least expect it. We
flamenco guitarists mustn't forget the great maestros like
Julián Arcas, Albéniz, Falla, Rodrigo, because
their compositions also have been very important for the history
of our music.
The
guitar and music in general have evolved a great deal in recent
years, with the incorporation of new techniques and harmonies,
despite this being a process which began a long time ago with
Ramón Montoya. This man was already listening to classical
music in his day, and that led to his being the flamenco guitar's
first innovator when he incorporated such things as tone transposition
- in the rondeña - harmonies, etc.
What
do you think about the fact that people say things like that
you're the guitarrist who plays most gypsy nowadays?
Well...
I am gypsy and... of course!... a gypsy can't help but play
gypsy. I usually distinguish between one and another guitarist
when I listen to them and I might say: "How beautiful
it sounds!", "How flamenco it sounds!", or
"How gypsy it sounds!". In each case I'm complimenting
the guitarist, although in very different ways. I don't know
if you get what I mean. It has nothing to do with playing
better or worse, it's just different.
In
any case, for me it's an honor that they should say that...because
in addition to feeling proud that I'm a gypsy - because of
my tradition and my family - that they should say that I play
real gypsy... that makes me even happier.
On
the previous record it was Michel Camilo, and on this one
George Benson. Some luxury, isn't it?
Well
yes, as a matter of fact it is, and I'm very fortunate. Bear
in mind I had no choice but to take up solo guitar, in the
sense that if Camarón hadn't left us, I never would
have had to play alone. Sometimes life is hard like that and
it stabs you in the back at critical moments... People don't
realize it, but for a time I was really bad off, because after
that, no one called me to accompany them and of course!...
you get discouraged and you back off a bit... that's when
the battle is lost. But fortunately I'm very proud and even
though I didn't know how to get on in this world of solo guitar...
little by little, playing... I got into the spirit of it seeing
how music was helping me to recover. That's when things started
happening and it's as if everything were magic after I met
George Benson in New York and a few months later we were jamming
at a fiesta in Marbella, and two or three more later at the
Blue Note - he came down from New Jersey which is pretty far
afield - and he brings a flamenco guitar which he uses to
play his heart out in the dressing-room. So that's when I
thought... "My god, this is like a dream come true!".
So
I show him a piece, no obligation - nothing about the industry
or record companies - because like everyone knows, Benson
is a very well-known guitarist throughout the world and he
can do whatever he f---ing wants - and excuse my French -
and he tells me yes, that he wants to play on my record.
What
has Tomatito learned from these musicians?
Above
all I've learned something very basic, which is that when
you go up on stage you have to have a good time. What's the
point of all the struggle and all the prejudice? There's something
which is very clear for them, which is that you have to convince
the audience by giving them authenticity. If the person who's
up there isn't enjoying himself, it's pretty unlikely that
the person down in the audience is going to have a good time.
So what happens? Well, that the flamenco world is very hermetic
and we spend all our time worrying about stupid things like:
"I play better than you" or "My picado is better
than yours", and in the end it doesn't get us anywhere.
There are things that are much more important! You have to
communicate and get the audience on its feet giving them the
real thing.
And
yet, in the last Bienal de Flamenco, you came to pick up the
two Grammys and the critics were a bit severe with that show
of yours. What have you got to say about that?
Well
nothing, what can I say?. That's how things came out and I
could hardly prepare the show with all that fuss about the
prizes and things. Sometimes things just happen that way and
you don't have time for anything. I think the critics were
fair, because nobody insulted me, they just told the truth.
If they say when I'm good, it's only fair that when I'm bad
they also say it, don't you think? What I can assure you from
the bottom of my heart is that whenever I go up on stage,
I try to give everything I've got. Tomate doesn't hide or
try to pull the wool over people's eyes. Now, it's true that
I brought a poorly-prepared show to the Bienal, in which a
lot of artists participated, when what the public was actually
expecting was to see a solo guitar concert, and when faced
with that, well... (silence)
That's
really some bulerías you scratch out to give a name
to your latest work, isn't it?
It's
always been my dream to have a nice house for my family. Fortunately,
life has treated me very well, so when I managed to make that
dream come true, I decided that I had to pay tribute to my
new house and street with bulerías. I never dreamt
I'd have a house like the one I have today. In fact it's been
like seeing a beautiful dream come true.
Although
this "Paseo de los Castaños" is a very flamenco
record, it takes time out to flirt with other kinds of music,
as in the Birömürlück Misafir. What exactly
were you trying to do?
I
simply wanted to interpret a theme of my friend Erkan Ogur
in my own way, with arrangements by Joan Albert Amargós,
although I've had to change the compás to three quarter
time so that it would sound flamenco... as for the rest, it's
exactly as this man has it recorded. The melody is exactly
the same, although it sounds flamenco.
What
differences are they between the "La Vacilona" you
recorded in Spain, and the new one?
The
changes are minimal. Subtle shading, but with an ear... there
are differences. Especially in the opening that George Benson
does, which is brilliant in my opinion. The truth is, I'm
quite pleased with the final result of this theme, because
reworking one of your own pieces is always risky.
And
what alchemy is there in the soleá?
I
tried to make it a very flamenco soleá, although I
refreshed it a little incorporating some new harmonies and
a few falsetas which I composed recently, which are nothing
more than old falsetas which I reworked with transposed notes.
In any case, those are things best appreciated by guitarists
who listen to the record.
There's
a bulerías de Jerez which includes some of the choicest
of today's singers. What's the idea you're trying to get across
to the public?
After
recording the whole record and going to such lengths to do
something that we wanted to be perfect, and every note in
its place, we got to Sanlúcar and went to a bodega
with Fernando de la Morena, Luis el Zambo, el Paquete, Chícharro,
el Bo and we said "the hell with it!" Ever since
I started playing solo, I've always been working with young
flamenco artists - Montse Cortés, el Potito, el Cigala,
Remedios Amaya - so I get there and I say "hey everyone,
this is what I feel like doing right now, so let's have some
fun!" I would describe this bulería as fresh,
spontaneous, and with a special sound of its own....
Fernando González-Caballos Martínez
Translation: Estela Zatania
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