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Equally recommendable are all the albums that
the French label Le Chant du Monde (Harmonia Mundi) has released under the title
Grandes Figuras del Flamenco ('Great Flamenco Figures'), with recordings covering
up to the sixties. Just like Sonifolk, painstaking care has been taken with the
sound quality and the presentation, so that between the cantes and what can be
read (in French, English and Spanish), enthusiasts may gain rather accurate knowledge
of the legacy of the particular cantaor or cantaora in question. The peculiar
thing about this series is that, on the one hand, the cantes in this collection's
librettos are commented on one by one; and on the other hand, that the compiled
repertoire on each album is a selection from the author's complete works throughout
his career, with examples from each of his stages. Available in the catalogue
are, among others, albums devoted to La Niña de los Peines, Rafael Romero,
Borrico de Jerez, Tía Anica la Piriñaca, Niño de Almadén,
Beni de Cádiz, Pepe Marchena...
Another option, that of the "nice-price" series, is offered by the
company DiscMedi with the collection entitled Grabaciones Discos de Pizarra ('Slate
Record Recordings'), originals from the thirties to the fifties. Each album is
devoted to an artist, of which scarce documentation is offered, barely a biography;
and the only thing specified about the compiled repertoire is the time frame that
the recordings belong to and the guitarists who perform in each song. Pepe Pinto,
Juanito Valderrama, José Cepero, Manolo
Caracol, El Niño de Marchena, El Niño de la Huerta, Carmen Amaya...
take part, among others, in this series.
Also interesting is the compilation released in 2003 by the Andalusian Flamenco
Center from its collections, entitled 'Cilindros de cera'('Wax Cylinders'). The
double CD has the first cantes recorded on wax cylinders, dating back to the early
20th century. The cantaores here included are Manuel el Sevillano, El Mochuelo,
Rafael Moreno el de Jerez, Encarnación la Rubia and Paca Aguilera, among
others.
Another two albums are highly recommendable as historical curiosities. On the
one hand, 'I Concurso de Cante Jondo' ('The 1st Cante Jondo Contest'), which has
original recordings from the private collections of Federico García Lorca
and Manuel de Falla of the cantes that could be heard at the contest organized
by the poet and the musician in Granada in 1922. This jewel makes it possible
to listen to the cantes of El Tenazas, Manuel Torre, La Niña de los Peines,
Tomás
Pavón and José Cepero. On the other hand, and following the
musical legacy of García Lorca, 'Canciones populares españolas'
('Spanish Folk Songs') is available, recorded by Lorca on piano and La Argentinita
on voice. Included in this edition is a libretto with the lyrics and additional
documentation as a complement to this reference work. This work contributed to
reviving the popular musical heritage, above all that of Andalusia (which, in
passing, contains so much information about flamenco roots); it is, in many cases,
the only testimony that has reached us. And many cantaores have echoed it up to
the present time. In fact, Carmen Linares takes it back up in 'Canciones populares
antiguas' ('Old Folk Songs'); and much of Estrella Morente's repertoire in 'Calle
del aire' ('Air Street') comes from this same source.
With these tips and the opportunity given by Flamenco-world.com to listen to
the albums first on RealAudio, the choice of one album or another is now personal.
You just need to lose your fear, really want to listen, have a bit of comprehension
- since obviously, the technology at that time was not what it is today and the
sound shows it - and some curiosity. It is worthwhile for any enthusiast, neophyte
or scholar to plunge into the legacy of the forefathers of cante flamenco which
is fortunately at our disposal and remains so alive in today's flamenco. It is
curious at the very least to personally observe the evolution of flamenco's legacy.
It goes without saying that besides the aforementioned albums, there is a very
wide range of old cante references to choose from. A usual handicap of these compilations,
whether they are by a single artist or collective, is that the enthusiast is not
always helped to distinguish between first releases and previously released work,
since - as they are rights-free - the compilation's contents and the selection
criteria are quite arbitrary. The same cante may appear on separate albums with
different titles and released by different record companies. But that is a question
for collectors.
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