2009 CAJA MADRID FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Viva Jerez!
Alejandro Escribano. Madrid, March 2nd, 2009
Paco Cepero (guitar)
with José Ignacio Franco and Miguel Salado (guitars),
Sofía Quarengui (violin) and Pedro Navarro (percussion)
/ José Mercé (cante) with
Moraíto Chico (guitar). 17th Caja Madrid Flamenco
Festival 2009. Teatro del Canal. Sala A. Madrid. March
2nd, 2009. 8:30 p.m.
Paco Cepero
(Photo archive Daniel Muñoz) |
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The last night of the Caja Madrid Flamenco
Festival was devoted entirely to Jerez de la Frontera,
with two Jerez-born artists who have developed much of
their career in Madrid: José Mercé and Paco
Cepero. And which began with the presentation of the 2009
Calle de Alcalá Flamenco Award to the Jerez-born
cantaor, a lifetime achievement award which has precisely
the aim of recognizing a flamenco artist who has developed
most of his professional career in Madrid. He received
it from the hands of poet Félix Grande, who commented
on his figure with the following words: “Mercé
is one of the maestros who give prestige to the cantes
from Jerez. There isn’t a creature that’s
truer, nor more sincere, nor more belligerently joyful,
nor more tragically flamenco than the Jerez-born cantaor”.
Mercé was wholeheartedly thankful for the award,
“it’s an honor and source of pride for any
artist”. The evening was opened, however, by Paco
Cepero, also awarded the Calle de Alcalá in 2004,
who went back over his solo discography, with special
emphasis on his latest creation, ‘Abolengo’.
In top form, he reeled off the songs which make up said
album: ‘Pueblo Blanco’, ‘Plazuela’,
‘Capricho’, ‘Vendimia’, ‘Serenata
Andaluza’ … with the addition of Sofía
Quarengui on violin, giving the whole an entirely new
atmosphere. Good taste, elegance and flavor are what Cepero
offered, with perfect use of technical resources (strummings,
staccatos and tremolos) and of the rests. He closed with
his smash hit, the rumba ‘Agua marina’, in
which he indulged in even sticking in another of his greatest
hits, ‘Esa cobardía’.
José Mercé
(Photo archive Daniel Muñoz) |
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The festival ended with José Mercé’s
recital. He opened, as is usual for him, with some impressive
tonás, at the far left of the stage and solely
with the support of a very white overhead light. He continued
with some aching malagueñas and pleased por soleá,
invoking three of the greatest Jerez-born artists of all
time: La Paquera, Terremoto and his uncle Manuel Soto
“Sordera”. He showed knowledge por seguiriyas
and confidence por alegrías. All of it with the
firm toque of Moraíto, sober in the accompaniment
and creative in the falsetas. But what up until then had
been a correct, formal recital turned into a genuine fiesta
por bulerías at that instant, in which Mercé
took advantage to do a little dance evoking La Paquera,
Caracol and his native land of Jerez: “José
is my first name / and La Mercé my banner / dawning
in my pupils / is my Jerez de la Frontera”. He closed
por fandangos, with an emotional final dedication to his
mother, Josefa Soto.
