SIXTH FESTIVAL DE JEREZ
MORAÍTO IN CONCERT. ALEJANDRO GRANADOS: 'SABOR AÑEJO'

From tasty to bland

Silvia Calado Olivo. Jerez, March 5th, 2002

FIRST PART. Moraíto: guitar. Luis el Zambo: cante. Chicharito, Gregorio Fernández, El Bo, Rafa: palmas and jaleos. Rocío Fernández, Mercedes Pantoja: chorus. SECOND PARTE. Alejandro Granados, Yolanda Heredia: dance. Antonio Malena, Luis Moneo, David Lagos, Tequila de Jerez: cante. Domingo Rubichi, Jesús Álvarez: guitar. Luis de la Tota: palmas. Teatro Villamarta. Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz),
March 5th, 2002. 9:00 p.m.

An uneven night...an adjective much given to double bills. A unifying thread? Perhaps the backward gaze. But only that, because everything that was laidback, fresh and keen about the mini-concert offered by Moraíto, went up in smoke in the second half where it was hard to detect any flavor at all except for a juicy group of singers accompanied by the dancing of Alejandro Granados.

Moraíto (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The guitarist was frolicking on home turf. This was evident from the welcoming applause and the continuous jaleo emanating from the audience throughout the performance. He opened a path for himself from within, starting with seguiriya. He then gave it form with tension and strength. Free and loose, with his pirouettes and his silences, he went into soleá por bulerías, with a little compás from behind his shoulder. Jerez flowed through the strings that his thumb made vibrate. With his head nearly resting upon the side of his instrument, the melodies flowed naturally towards bulerías.

We had already been advised. Moraíto would give his chair to neighbor Luis el Zambo who could have set the audience bristling with his pungent singing, had the sound technicians allowed him...with soleá. After his solo, he stayed there next to Morao, doing palmas as if he were another backup musician. Bulerías and tangos to close with a female chorus, palmas, jaleo, percussion. From 'Morao y oro' to 'Morao, Morao'. From here to there. It felt like too little. So much tasting to do...

Alejandro Granados (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

He had come promoting 'Sabor Añejo'. And to this end the flamenco and classical dancer from Madrid covered his back with a quintet of cante and jaleo 'from down here' made up of Antonio Malena, Luis Moneo, David Lagos, Tequila de Jerez and Luis de la Tota. They filled out the program and rounded off with some cante by Lagos, Moneo and Malena that reached the heights. The soleá 'a golpe' sitting around a table, Antonio's dry nana, David's tientos, the bulerías chorus to end, including each one's little dance... It must be said, whatever structure it was that placed and moved the quintet as if with an invisible string, it was right on. And so it was these men, the cantaores, who gave flavor to the show, turning the tables and relegating the dance to the role of mere accompaniment of the cante. Granados aspired to things past, to farrucos and 'patucas'...but he never got beyond aspirations. He was correct and clean, somewhat overlong in his solo dances of alegrías and soleá, but neither aged, nor sweet, nor savory, nor even sour.