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“There are no bad guitarists; the only thing I ask of you is that whatever you do, do it well”. Sabicas uttered this wise sentence to young guitarists in a radio interview of him by José Manuel Gamboa and Juan Verdú upon his return to Spain in the eighties. A sentence which is a reflection of his human and artistic genius which both of them revealed, together with his nephew Mario Escudero, at the round-table scheduled by the 2012 Bankia Flamenco Festival about the centennial of the birth of Agustín Castellón Campos. Coming to illustrate it was Granada-born guitarist Miguel Ángel Cortés who, in his performance of Sabicas as well as of his own songs, did it not well… but wonderfully well.

Miguel Ángel Cortés (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

Flamenco has been with Sabicas for one hundred years. He was born in Pamplona in 1912. And therefore, this year the centennial of his birth is being celebrated. But not only that: there is also a celebration of flamenco history having a brilliant musician who contributed no less than concert performances from an international perspective. And that happened throughout a career which was spoken about in the round-table at La Casa Encendida split up into three stages… and one recital.

Miguel Ángel Cortés (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

The first stage, that of his early days in Madrid, was summarized by José Manuel Gamboa, author of books like ‘Una historia del flamenco’. He pointed out that he caught people’s attention right away at Villa Rosa, where he mixed with Ramón Montoya. Sabicas used to say that “where flamenco was learnt was at parties and it was at the center”. For economic reasons, he sought to leave the country when the Spanish Civil War broke out. And he managed to do so in an official car, thanks to the Minister Federica Montseny’s chauffeur, who also drove for La Niña de la Puebla. The company was able to meet up in Orán and finally in Marseilles, where they left for Buenos Aires. There, he bumped into Carmen Amaya, who signed him up as her company’s flamenco guitarist. And the contract from businessman Sol Hurok took them to New York, “where concert flamenco guitar was born”. Mario Escudero held the first concert there in 1955, when he was with Vicente Escudero. Sabicas would do so in 1959.

The destinies of both guitarists intertwined in that period in America, which was recalled at the round-table by Mario Escudero’s son and Sabicas’ nephew and godson. He spoke about how that group of expatriate flamencos lived that was formed in the Big Apple. And although he told a few anecdotes, what he stressed was his vision of flamenco: “What I value most about Sabicas is something that is missing now and it’s the importance he used to give to past flamenco. At his gatherings, he always commented respectfully about La Niña de los Peines or Tomás Pavón. He believed that music is neither modern nor old, that it evolves in a circle”. The key to his philosophy, as he explained, was to consider that flamencos “have to be open to learning, not to teaching”.

Juan Verdú, José Manuel Gamboa and Mario Escudero (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

In fact, Sabicas never taught anybody, not even his brother Diego, and they were inseparable. That was recalled by promoter Juan Verdú, who struck up a tight relationship with both of them when he hired the guitarist to take part in the Madrid Flamenco Summit (Cumbre Flamenca) in 1984. The speaker talked about the concert at the Teatro Real, about how he brought the Teatro Alcalá Palace to its feet, about how he used to make them play cards on planes because he didn’t like flying… But he emphasized something that he told him one day which marked him: “I’m not Sabicas. I’m Ramón Montoya, I’m Tárrega, I’m La Niña de los Peines… Sabicas doesn’t exist; flamenco exists, music exists. Without them, I wouldn’t be anything”.

The words ended and the music began. Miguel Ángel Cortés faced the difficult challenge of illustrating the act. And he did so, as he said, with great pride. As an introduction, he chose a farruca by Sabicas, “which is a beauty”. And he recognized that it’s a shame that today’s guitarists perform it so little. The effect on the audience, even with the shortcomings of the sound in the little auditorium, was solid proof of the validity and quality of those scores. Then he took a journey through his own music, stringing tarantas, seguiriyas, alegrías, bulerías… in a bright, impeccable route which led back to Sabicas. His nephew had already said so, that flamenco evolves in a circle. Sabicas had already said so, that he wouldn’t have existed without those who came before him. So Miguel Ángel Cortés wouldn’t exist either without Sabicas.