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‘POPULAR
Y JONDO’. CARMEN LINARES
SEVILLE'S 13th BIENAL DE FLAMENCO 2004
Maestra
Silvia Calado. Seville, October 5th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
‘Popular y jondo’. Carmen
Linares: cante. Paco Cortés, Miguel Ángel
Cortés, Miguel Ochando: guitar. Pedro Esparza: flute.
Rafael Villanueva: violin. Julio Blasco: contrabass. Inmaculada
Crespo, Antonio Coronel: percussion. Ana María González,
Javier González: clapping. Maestranza Theater. Seville,
October 5th, 2004. 9 p.m. Seville's 13th Bienal de Flamenco
2004.
Carmen Linares |
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There is a road from the popular to the jondo which Carmen
Linares travels with absolute native ease. The Jaén-born
cantaora begins the double performance by dusting off the
Andalusian folklore legacy in the first part, just as Lorca
and La Argentinita did at the beginning of the past century,
like La Niña de los Peines also used to do, like she
herself did on the album ‘Canciones populares antiguas’
('Old Popular Songs') recorded in 1994. And she concludes
with a second part now totally flamenco in which she revises
all the facets of cante. Masterful, sincere, with integrity,
with full devotion...
‘Popular’ requires her voice to be accompanied
by sounds kindred to songs such as ‘Los pelegrinitos’,
‘Morillas de Jaén’, ‘Anda jaleo’,
‘Los cuatro muleros’ and ‘La Tarara’.
Violin, contrabass, flute, percussion... and the three flamenco
guitars weave sounds sometimes of a Castilian air, sometimes
Moorish style, always with flamenco sprinkling in rhythms
and melodies. Carmen Linares appears more as a singer than
a cantaora, free of flamenco affectation, with her voice clean
and expert. She utters the lyrics, tells the romances like
a minstrel, fills her throat with nuances that her maturity
embellishes. And it makes you feel like singing those verses
with her that belong to all.
‘Jondo’ now does without nearly all of the instrumentation.
Carmen Linares, dressed in elegant velvet, barely has percussion,
clapping when it is strictly necessary and the sonanta trio
which takes turns, one by one, depending on the cante. The
cantaora, who is brimming over with wisdom, who applies herself
and does not skimp on even an ounce of energy, sang throughout
the entire second hour, without catching her breath for a
single moment, cheered on every now and again by a crowd listening
to her with nearly religious respect. Cantes abandolaos, cantes
mineros, tientos, soleares, tonás and seguiriyas, tangos,
cantiñas and bulerías. And this masterful, perfectionist,
emotional vocalist which flamenco has been lucky enough to
have on its side did it all perfectly. The audience was so
satisfied with such a big cantaor display that the ovation
was intense and they did not even call for an encore... Nothing
had been left unsaid.
revista@flamenco-world.com
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