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Aziz Balouch, the reincarnation of Ziryab
Silvia Calado Olivo
Translation: Joseph Kopec
"The Indian who sings flamenco, disciple of Marchena, with his magical
instrument". With this subheading, the Price Circus announced the "surprising
debut of M. A. AZIZ" in Madrid, with a larger letter size than for Ramón
Montoya and Niño de Almadén, on its poster on November 1, 1934.
Who was that personality who appeared on that historical poster in a tailored
suit and a turban, ready to sing flamenco and presented with honors? A booklet
gone yellow rescued from a small market by a collector reveals the mystery. The
Pakistani musicologist, mystic and cantaor Aziz Balouch offered in 'Cante jondo.
Su origen y evolución' ('Cante Jondo. Its Origin and Evolution') (Ediciones
Ensayos. Madrid, 1955) -a text that went unnoticed in flamenco literature- not
only a new reading of the origins of cante flamenco, but also a harsh analysis
of the cancer which attacked cante long ago. Along the way, he tells of his adventures
in a sort of autobiography, those of the Sufi cantaor nicknamed Marchenita…
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Scarcely a year had passed since the arrival in Spain of Aziz Balouch, a young
Pakistani student of Sufi music, philosophy and mysticism who, "like all
the Mohammedan children, had heard of Córdoba's Mosque and Granada's Alhambra
and the Mohammedan kingdom of Andalusia". He was first lured by Spanish mysticism:
from Ibn-Arabi to San Juan de la Cruz, and on to Santa Teresa de Jesús.
And from mysticism to music... Some friends who knew his Hispanic passion played
some cante jondo records for him; one by Antonio Chacón and the other by
Pepe Marchena. "When I heard them I went into a sort of spiritual ecstasy,
having the impression that in my previous live I had been Spanish and a cantaor".
And then he started to put two and two together: Ziryab, the black bird,
"which brought cante jondo to Spain was from my race and my very province",
Sindh, lands which were closely linked to Al-Andalus along the Damascus route
in times of the Abbasid caliphate.
By coincidence, those friends had a house in Gibraltar and they offered it
to him. And there he went, abandoning his studies, in 1933. How he came into contact
with Pepe Marchena, after seeing him sing in a theater in La Línea, deserves
a literal transcription: "The next day, my brothers called Marchena, telling
him they had a big surprise for him, which was that they also had a flamenco cantaor,
not Spanish, but from their own country. "However - they told him - he'll
sing all the songs you sang last night for you". Pepe Marchena took it as
a joke, since he couldn't believe a foreigner was capable of singing cante jondo.
My brothers took Marchena, accompanied by Ramón Montoya, Angelillo and
others, to their store on Real Street, and called me from a corner to introduce
them to me. They asked me to sing something, and I performed 'La Rosa' por milonga.
Marchena and his friends were so surprised that they couldn't believe their ears.
Next, Pepe Marchena asked me if I wouldn't mind singing with him the next day
at the Cómico Theater, in La Línea (...). I was delighted to accept,
and when the time came to perform at the theater, I went with an instrument unique
to my country, similar to an accordion, called the harmonium. Marchena introduced
me to the audience, announcing that they were going to get a surprise, since foreigners
could also sing flamenco".
As a result of that debut, he became Marchena's disciple and was popularly
known as Marchenita, a nickname given to him by francoist General Gonzalo Queipo
de Llano. The commotion in the press at that time was immediate, as can be noted
in the articles published in the media such as 'El Anunciador' in Gibraltar, 'Pueblo'
in Madrid, the daily 'Sevilla', 'Revista' in Barcelona and 'Levante' in Valencia.
And no less immediate the incredulity before the phenomenon: "The journalists
insisted on examining my passport to convince themselves that I was an Oriental
foreigner, that I was a real Indian and not acting the fool". The request
was completely understandable, since he was soon sharing glories in the Court
of Madrid with his mentor, a city he reached hand in hand with the singer and
actress Imperio Argentina with a prior stopover in the dreamed-of Alhambra in
Granada. And not only were the shows promoted by the businessman Montserrat, but
also the invitations to sing on stations such as Radio Madrid and even to make
records in Barcelona with the Parlophon Company. He recorded fandanguillos, malagueñas,
colombianas... on this label with the name M. Aziz.
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The Pakistani, who also took advantage to take part in get-togethers on Hindu
philosophy, had no choice but to pinch himself and "stay in Spain, to learn
the language and Spanish classical music", instructed by the teacher Imperio
Argentina herself. From this training he deduced an interesting analysis of the
quality of the cante and cantaors of the time. Aziz puts his money on training:
"I don't agree with those who say only those who have it inside are capable
of singing flamenco". And, in fact, one of the sections of his book is entitled
'Preservation of the voice. General exercises and lifestyle an artist dedicated
to cante jondo must lead. As the avid reader might suspect, the text had few repercussions,
not only listing advice on breathing, hygiene of the respiratory system and food,
but also on the convenience of sexual restraint.
Continues
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