The night that Antonio el Pipa performs is traditionally the fullest and most talked about show during the Festival of  Jerez, which on it’s second day scheduled cycles before and after this event that takes place in the Villamarta Theatre; the incoming singer for  “Veladas de Palacio” (Mysteries of the Palace) and the finishing show, “De Peña en Peña.” El Pipa makes waves in his home town with devotion and poise, and more so with a program for the occasion that should have been a peek into the new direction of his career, although what was presented was a summary of his three latest shows.  But two hours beforehand, David Lagos gave a glimpse into a future of deep music. 

David Lagos y El Bolita

With a lost expression and his head askew, David sings out the essence of the best bodega and El Bolita accompanies him with fine crystal. An evening without microphones, David reaffirms himself as perhaps the most flexible and deep, among the young singers, whose personal voice doesn’t imitate just anyone sounding Jerez. “I carry Tío Borrico with me en memory”, says one of his lyrics (he is also capable of adapting his music to the Cuban poet Cesar Vallejo) with which he finished off singing short and succulent bulerías. Beforehand, intense alegrías. And before, malagueñas with those who presented his peak moment of potency, playfulness and poise. He leaves El Bolita alone to play a fantastic rondeña: abstract guitarist, manipulates silence, he creates a formidable prologue to the soleá and wraps himself up in fandangos. During the intense moments of this David-Goliath (brother of guitarist Alfredo Lagos, husband of singer Melchora Ortega) that we enjoy with Tomás Pavón (applied imagination), he swirled between soleá and a seguiriya that with its risqué greatness pointed to the genius of Sernita. 

El Pipa

Curtain and niceties. Little by little a stampede of six women forms. In the beginning, women. Niceness in the pantheon: the dance of old fat Jerez style women who move the stampede into a corner with a table while Juana la del Pipa sings a soleá; her voice is made of hot embers of coal.  More soleá for the Gypsy dance, acted out by the Seville-based Concha Vargas. Then the main figure enters. El Pipa dances to alegrías with his careful movements of a disciplined dancer that incorporates femininity up until the flushed wave of the arms and sweet kisses between nephew and aunt.  It was “La gañanía” of the show “Vivencias,” and a melodious  taranta played out on the guitar of José Luis Montón made the segway into  “El tabanco” from “Generaciones”: which could be called  “Degenerative Flamenco” (the more you see it, the less you like it).  But when Tía Juana comes out of the corner with tonás to Terremoto, the show starts to come together.   Fernando, now seated performs his persistent malagueñas and among four singers starts up a trembling of bulerías all at once: Luis Moneo, Manuel Tañé, Juana and Fernando, who comes out with the entrance of the guitars (Pascual de Lorca and Juan Moneo); bulerías of a unique tone. He finished that song with the violence of an electric storm. End of the second part in a nutshell. From his latest work, “Puntales” came the affected farruca (note: it’s a man’s dance) and fourteen in line for bulerías; all perform with the jovial style of Antonio, the singers, the old ladies with aprons…

Third part of the day. The one with the most tradition was chosen to initiate the series “De Peña en Peña,” which jumps to ten venues all starting at midnight. It was in the Peña Los Cernícalos where Mercedes Ruiz put her body to motion with alegrías and seguiriyas among the varied public that filled the locale. Discreet backing for a dancer with light and scented movements of Eva la Yerbabuena.

By Luis Clemente
Translation: Jessica Lorber