NIÑO DE PURA. ‘MY ROAD’ / PEDRO SIERRA. ‘AMONG FRIENDS’.
SEVILLE'S 13th BIENAL DE FLAMENCO 2004

Guitar with and without

Silvia Calado. Seville, September 8th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

‘Mi camino’ (‘My Road’). Niño de Pura: solo guitar. Guest artists: Rafael de Utrera, cante and Juan de Juan, baile. Group: Jeromo Segura: cante. Juan María Real: Second guitar. Agustín Henke and Patricio Cámara: percussion. Jesús Garrido: bass. Mari Álvarez and Juan Diego: clapping. Hotel Triana. 10 p.m. / ‘Entre amigos’ (‘Among Friends’). Pedro Sierra: solo guitar. La Tobala: cante. Sala Sol Singing Café. 9 p.m. Seville, September 8th, 2004. Seville's 13th Bienal de Flamenco 2004.

At the same time at three different venues, Juan Amaya, Pedro Sierra and Niño de Pura performed on the night of September 8th. The Bienal makes it hard for the artists, audience and press. Although without a doubt, the one harmed the most was the artist who was placed in one of the so-called ‘alternative venues’: Pedro Sierra, undeservedly relegated to the Sala Sol Singing Café. Fewer than thirty people were there to listen to this guitarist, who said philosophically some days ago that “all the Bienal's stages are equally important”. And the thing is that, despite the scarce repercussion, the Barcelona-born guitarist offered a guitar performance with the same attitude that he would have had in front of the two thousand people who fit in the Maestranza Theater.

Pedro Sierra - who has already taken part in over two hundred records - began with the granaína, all nuances, all sensitivity, a virtuoso in the dose. “From the applause, I deduce that there aren't many people, so we're going to change the concert's name and we're going to call it ‘Among Friends’. You can see that soccer has a lot of supporters (Spain was playing against Bosnia)... and Lope de Vega Theater, and the Hotel Triana”. This said, he went on alone with a taranta (see online video), balancing the attack with sensitivity. The control of volumes, rests and pauses reveal know-how. Coming out to accompany him with her voice through alegrías was La Tobala, who he has just produced the album ‘Azul’ for. And he had nearly the entire company in this concert in which he advanced songs from the album he is scheduled to release in November, since he has determined “to eliminate other instruments that have helped us for some time, but are no longer going to help us. Flamenco has to move up a notch and change. There's been fusion and I've done it. We flamencos haven't managed to safeguard our art and we've adapted to those other kinds of music and not the other way around”.

This opinion does not seem to be shared by Niño de Pura, who at this point of the night, was about to get up on stage at the Hotel Triana with band and guests. He did begin alone with his lead guitar with a taranta, then with a soleá. And despite the withdrawal of both styles, it was like the cross of the previous one, more explosive, more prone to technical demonstration, more obvious than suggestive. Now surrounded by the band (with two percussions, bass, second guitar, clapping and choruses), he performed ‘Diapasón celeste’, an effusive composition through alegrías. In this journey through his musical career, he also wanted to play that role he has performed so many times, that of accompanist for cante and for baile. To that end, first getting up on stage was cantaor Rafael de Utrera who, about to leave on a tour of the United States, warmed up his throat here with a soleá, a seguiriya and alegrías. His echo from within, now contained, now unfolded, reached the crowd deep inside. He returned to the group to weave some stylized fandangos, with a vibrant climb at the end which shakes the audience. In the style are the tangos, another stylized air of a pop nature, full of staccatos and infinite scales.

The second guest was announced with a “dance to rage”. And in fact, rage is what Juan de Juan has plenty of, in the transition from Antonio Canales' outstanding pupil to budding figure. With the band and Rafael de Utrera on cante, he danced bulería through soleá. He came in furious, drilling the stage, still lacking the gift of restraint that time may provide him with. He has plenty of technical precision; it can't be more difficult... and the crowd rewards him with olés and standing applause. The group returns, this time with the guajiras ‘Pa’Pura’, followed by the bulerías ‘Cógeme’, a song, like others in the concert, taken from the album ‘Pozo y caudal’, currently unavailable. “Bring Juanito out again!”, shouts a lady from the courtyard. But you will have to wait... Other instrumented fandangos, ‘Piropeando a Huelva’, begin to announce the end of the concert: a party through bulerías starring the host and guests. Baile, cante and toque with wings. The audience loved it. Tomorrow we will give an account of what happens at the Lope de Vega Theater with Juana Amaya and her evocations of ‘La Capitana’... so it will be complicated to go, at the same time, to the Hotel Triana to take note of ‘Canta Jerez’. Oh dear.

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