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| DVD.
Flamenco-world.com Top 10 of 2004 |
Diego Carrasco. Jorge Pardo and
Carles Benavent
(Frame from 'Flamencos
del siglo XXI')
The rise of the DVD format hints at an about turn in audiovisual
productions related to flamenco. During the course of 2004,
a wide range of products have sold well: live instrumental
concerts, movies, study materials and archive footage. The
best-selling DVD was a new dance study method directed by
Manuel Salado, with strong sales figures for both the complete
collection and for individual chapters, especially the DVDs
covering bulerías, tangos, sevillanas, soleá
and alegrías. In second place, with resounding success,
was Vicente
Amigo's concert recorded in Córdoba, featuring
tracks from his latest album ‘Ciudad de las ideas’.
In the same vein, and equally popular with Flamenco-world.com
customers, is the concert ‘Paco de Lucía. Live
in Germany 1996’. The DVD turns back the clock to bring
us a recital by the guitarist, alongside the legendary sextet
which brought him so much success and was the source of so
much fine music. A recent entry into the top 10, but taken
seriously by flamenco lovers, is ‘21st Century Flamenco’,
a historical concert on DVD where for the first time on stage
the Jorge Pardo/Carles Benavent/Tino di Geraldo trio meet
pianist Dorantes and Diego Carrasco with his band.
This year was also the year of movie reissues. Few flamenco
titles have made it to the big screen, and those to-date have
been neglected. Fortunately, ‘Flamenco’ by Carlos
Saura has been reissued. The film that was largely responsible
for the growth and consolidation of flamenco's international
following over the last ten years is a gem that no fan should
be without. And ‘Los Tarantos’ is also back on
the shelves, a film directed by Rovira Beleta which showcases
the artistic talents of the mythical Carmen Amaya and the
magnificent farruca by the late Antonio
Gades. The great bailaor and choreographer's disappearance
also sparked renewed interest in the flamenco trilogy directed
by Carlos Saura, comprising the movies ‘Carmen’,
‘El amor brujo’ and ‘Bodas de sangre’,
flagships of flamenco which have found their way to the far
corners of the globe.
Carmen Amaya (Frame from 'Los
Tarantos')
Though ‘Mariana Pineda’ by Sara Baras and ‘Live
at the Royal Albert Hall’ by Joaquín Cortés
(both released in 2003) still hold the top sales slots, this
year saw the highly successful release of ‘Pasión
y Ley’ by Antonio el Pipa. A clear indication of the
growing international public demand for this type of products:
flamenco dance shows on DVD.
In addition to Manuel Salado's new dance course, other study
materials on DVD are also high on the list. ‘Learn cajón
flamenco’ and ‘Practice cajón flamenco’
by Guillermo
McGill, for example, is a two-part tutorial designed to
teach the basics of accompaniment with this percussion instrument
of Latin American origin. The DVD ranking is rounded off with
seventies flamenco footage from the vaults of Radio Televisión
Española brought together in the series ‘Rites
and geography of baile flamenco’, ‘Rites and geography
of cante flamenco’ and ‘Rites and geography of
flamenco guitar’. All of these audio visual products
are a testament to the flamenco scene as it was three decades
ago, an essential snapshot of flamenco history just as apt
for those studying flamenco as they are for flamenco fans
and the curious.
| Study
materials . Flamenco-world.com best-sellers of 2004 |
They aren't CDs, they aren't DVDs, but other products aimed
at furthering flamenco knowledge are still among the best-selling
items at Flamenco-world.com. For starters there's the CD+book
‘Understand flamenco’. With no prerequisites of
musical knowledge, its aim is to provide flamenco lovers with
the tools to understand the rhythms of the different flamenco
styles through text and recorded music. And also with striking
sales figures throughout 2004 we have materials designed specifically
for guitarists, such as ‘Didactic manual for flamenco
guitar’ by Manuel Granados and ‘24 studies for
flamenco guitar’ by Óscar Herrero.
A change of heart
Compared with the previous year, the best-seller lists for
2004 show we’ve turned over a new leaf. There are still
many names sadly missing from the list - the trying times
in the marketplace haven't gone away just yet - but the recording
industry has started to take some interest in their flamenco
catalog once again. The big names are back, and some promising
newcomers have emerged... and there are even some fine examples
of artists taking the reins and trying their hand at production
duties, such as Gerardo Núñez who recorded and
produced ‘Andando el tiempo’ in his own studio
for German label ACT. As for DVDs, some progress has been
made, but there are still no audio visual production companies
willing to heed the calls of audiences that want to SEE flamenco,
and at the same time make a commitment to documenting this
dynamic artform. The surge in sales of study materials is
a symptom of the burning desire of flamenco lovers all around
the world to learn... and they need their ‘instructors’
in the comfort of their own home. Let's hope 2005 will lead
us along this righteous path. And what about Vicente Amigo?
And Estrella Morente? And Duquende? And Eva Yerbabuena? And...
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