AN ENCICLOPEDIA OF FEELING

Theater of the Alhambra in Granada
Tuesday, January 9th, 2001
Series "El Flamenco viene del Sur"
(Flamenco comes from the south)

The second part of the program at the theater of the Alhambra in Granada was about to start. The audience shouted "Maestro, maestro..." as Juanito Valderrama came timidly on stage. The performance of Diego "El Cigala" had left much to be desired, in spite of the high expectations.

"Even though I'm three or four hundred years old, I'm going to try to give it everything I've got", said Valderrama before embarking on malagueñas de Chacon, - 'A qué tanto me consientes' - with a falsetto voice. He followed that with the fandangos of Frasquito Yerbabuena, which was nothing more than a shortened version of the fandango of Juan Breva.

Clearly, this was much more than a show. Valderrama was feeling good, in spite of only having had water with lemon juice "which refreshes my throat from the dryness brought on by the lights and the nervousness". The maestro had come to give a lesson in flamenco singing, which is why he continued with the Levante cantes, his forte, singing a taranta and the cartegenera grande of Chacón.

At 84, this man is a piece of living history from the Opera Flamenca, a controversial era if ever there was one. All the same, it was this epoch that gave Valderrama the opportunity to share the footlights with the likes of Don Antonio Chacón, El Cojo de Málaga, El Niño Marchena, Guerrita, Juanito Mojama, Pastora Pavón, Manuel Vallejo, Pepe Pinto, Caracol and more recently, Chocolate, Manuel Mairena, Naranjito de Triana, or Camarón de la Isla. Two complete anthologies, and more than six hundred recordings, give testimony to one of the last century's most prodigious artists who, armed with his microphone, almost seemed unable to stop singing. "I'm going to sing por soleá a little, and afterwards the polo." He sang a variety of soleares styles, from los Puertos, to Jerez, to Triana and Alcalá.

The audience almost couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing. Someone shouted "Thank you for everything maestro!". Valderrama was on a roll and he didn't need any encouragement. "I'm singing really at ease because I feel like I'm connecting, so I'm going to sing farruca for you. A cante which was perfectly executed by La Niña de los Peines, El Mochuelo and Escacena, but which, unfortunately is disappearing nowadays."

It's nights like this that make you forget any past disappointments and which create true followers. There were even some members of the audience who were unable to contain their tears of emotion and shouted "Olé, olé y olé".

Valderrama had achieved a marvellous rapport with the audience and answered: "Don't think I'm finished yet. Now I'm going to introduce you to a son of mine who I believe is quite gifted for cante". At that point "his Juan Antonio" came on stage, to sing a guajira of Niño Marchena in a duet full of musicality. Without a doubt, the guitarrists - Calderito and Daniel Casares - were not slouchers in any way. The temperature went higher and higher as the maestro moved effortlessly from one form to another, with the self-assurance of a young encyclopedic singer.

The fandangos of Pepe Pinto, of Caracol, of Vallejo, as well as his own, served to embellish an already stellar performance. But there was still seguiriya, martinete and debla. The first of these was accompanied by Calderito, while for the toná cantes only a single note of the guitar was necessary to give the tone.

Nothing short of marvellous.

Fernando González-Caballos Martínez.
Translation: Estela Zatania.