Those flamenco festivals which combine cante with a foodie experience (because none achieves the level of gastronomic experience), tend to have a somewhat more family atmosphere, even the feeling of a fair. In the course of three decades Utrera's Potaje (bean soup), Morón's Gazpacho, and Lebrija's Caracolá (snails) have made up the holy trinity of this kind of festival. Nowadays the menu has expanded and there have been chestnut festivals, sardine festivals, chocolate festivals, and who-knows-what-else festivals...all in the name of cante. But the Caracolá de Lebrija continues to be one of the big ones, in fact with this XXXVIst edition, many millions of little snails, caracoles, have unselfishly made the ultimate sacrifice for art.

I remember one Caracolá of about twenty-five years ago when the deafening sound of nearly one thousand spectators simultaneously sucking the unlucky little creatures out of their shells, caused one singer to request five minutes of silence so that he could sing some tonás.

Photo: Estela Zatania

This year the lineup of artists was more substantial than in recent editions, and the overall quality high, in spite of the cold atmosphere of the athletic field where the festival was held for the first time. With an audience of about three thousand, this Caracolá was one of the best-attended festivals so far this season. The hard rock music that blasted from the loudspeakers before the festival began wasn't very encouraging, but with the first chords of the group Lebrija a Compás that opened the program, the mood quickly fell into place. The amplification was frankly poor, something for which there is no excuse in this day and age, but even so, the singer Juana Vargas was able to prove her worth with the soleá of Tío Pacote, the ones in major key that have become fashionable ever since the Zambo family's recording. She also sang bulerías, taranta, and malagueña.

The young singer from Almería, Rocío Segura, green, a little off-tune, and shouting a bit... all that, and I still liked her, for her seriousness and sincerity. It seems quite correct that amateurs and semi-professionals should participate in a cante festival. She sang tientos tangos, taranta, alegrías and granaína, with the guitar of Antonio Higuero from Jerez.

Then it was time for one of Lebrija's favorite sons, Juan Peña Fernández "El Lebrijano" accompanied by Enrique de Melchor. The audience gave him a very warm reception and Juan must have felt the weight of responsibility. In recent appearances he seemed to have lost much of his old spark and had been unable to get himself together. In this Caracolá you could see him at times struggling with diminished faculties, but amply winning the battle with his cantes por soleá, tientos, and siguiriya, with the maturity you would expect from someone like him. He ended with bulerías - when el Lebrijano is feeling good, no one sings better bulerías - and he had the numerous audience jumping out of their seats, singing along, as a single voice, the chorus of "A canela y clavo."

Photo: Estela Zatania

Jose Mercé. It hardly seems necessary to mention more than the name of this authentic superstar of flamenco. His audience goes way beyond a love of flamenco, even beyond the popularity enjoyed by Camarón in his best years. Since when in a cante festival have there been groups of young girls shouting "I love you!", "you're the most handsome one!", "I want to marry you!", some of them even crying. The guy had to enter and exit with an escort, and the security team was barely able to guard the door to the dressing-room. Oh... he also sang... with the superb guitar of Moraíto, and between the two of them there was plenty of long hair on stage...and even more art. "Pilas alcalinas"all you want, but when that very flamenco voice launched into the first line of siguiriya, "Siempre por los rincones...", José Soto Soto did honor to his noble lineage: somewhere up there Paco la Luz, El Sernita, and El Sordera smiled with pride... From the edge of the stage Luis el Zambo didn't miss one second of his cousin's performance, and he was visibly moved. Mercé also sang soleá and alegrías, both with a wide range of styles. He ended with bulerías incorporating his hit song "Aire" managing to drive the audience wild - they nearly ate him alive when he did his little bulerías dance at the end. As far as singers who dance, he's one of the best around.

The second part began with a young woman from Seville, Hiniesta Cortés, winner of the dance prize at the Festival de Cante de Las Minas, 2000. Backed up by Juan José Amador, Juanito Villar, Jr., José Luis Rodriguez, and Antonio Sousa, she danced alegrías. Traditional dance with modern touches, good handling of the shawl, and none of the footwork excesses that have lately become so common. Then the dancer El Junco came on, with a modern look, and influences of Canales. Both Hiniesta and Junco are members of Cristina Hoyos' company, and she was present in the dressing-rooms to congratulate her disciples.

After the dance segment, it was time for Miguel Peña Vargas, "El Funi", the festero specialist from Lebrija, with the guitar of Juan del Gastor. As in the Potaje, Funi began his performance with the curious potpouri that travels between bits of serrana, malagueña, soleá apolá, and other incongruous elements - a number whose main (only?) merit is the many opportunities it affords Miguel to show off his unquestionable dancer's elegance. After that he sang por soleá. Funi seated isn't as good as Funi standing, but what he may lack on the one hand, he makes up for on the other, with feeling, simplicity, purity, and lots of art. He ended, naturally, with bulerías.

The last singer before the collective fiesta ending was another man from Lebrija, Francisco Carrasco Carrasco, Curro Malena, with the guitar of Antonio Malena. Feeling right at home in his town, and with his voice in top shape, he sang an assortment of fandangos, in addition to alegrías and siguiriyas. To end up, Curro sang bulerías including, as is his custom, the delightful and original verses of Juana del Pozo of Lebrija, with a strong feeling of Cádiz.

The festival could have ended right there, but they respected the tradition of the closing fiesta with
all the artists on stage to round off an already very complete evening.

Estela Zatania