Las Carboneras. Special Feature

The cool tablao

Flamenco-world.com, December 2004
Translation: Joseph Kopec
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

Neither bull heads, nor fans, nor Andalusian pictures. Las Carboneras has opted to refresh the tablao concept... in the form, but not in the substance. It changes the decoration, it changes the cuisine, but it doesn't change the artform. The crowded club, inaugurated three years ago on the ground floor of Palacio del Conde de Miranda -a 17th-century building located near Madrid's Plaza Mayor (Main Square)- offers live flamenco cante, baile and toque daily, performed by a steady group and by guest stars who frequent the stage. Rafael Amargo, Belén Maya, Domingo Ortega, Alejandro Granados, Rocío Molina, Montse Cortés, El Falo, Canito... already make up part of a group of artists who have impregnated with their artform this stage, which is also a restaurant specializing in Spanish delicacies, an active exhibit hall and a classroom for education of the neophyte. Las Carboneras lays its stakes on versatility, dynamism and quality in order to always be in the avant-garde.

Las Carboneras originates from the idea “of recovering the old singing cafés, combining an avant-garde style and image with the best of today's flamenco”. As Ernesto Díaz, one of the founding members, explains, “we looked for an interior decorator to give the place that modern touch which was going to distinguish us, since the innovation had to come more on the hostelry side than on the art side”. The program, in fact, true to flamenco orthodoxy, feeds on a steady group -consisting of bailaoras La Tacha, Ana Romero and Manuela Vega, guitarists Paco Cruz and Fernando de la Rúa; and cantaores Ángel Gabarre and El Falo- and stars who frequently offer shows at this forum. Bailaores of the likes of Domingo Ortega, Juan Andrés Maya and Belén Fernández have already brought the crowd at this tablao to their feet as guest artists. It is therefore a good idea to always keep an eye on the agenda at www.tablaolascarboneras.com

And even leaving aside the art offered by the stage, everything from the waiters' attire to the presentation of the dishes distinguish the place with a pleasant touch of modernity. As Díaz affirms, the cuisine had to be stressed: “We brought the cook from Villa de Madrid and we hired a maître d' who has turned out to be the place's heart and soul”. And the truth is that besides good flamenco, Las Carboneras offers a high-quality menu of original dishes, based on traditional Spanish cuisine and washed down with good Spanish wines. Of course, neither sangría nor Spanish omelette has been left out.

But Las Carboneras goes still further. The place “is a living space, an idea in constant motion, always seeking the way to provide room for art”. And it does so in all its dimensions. As an exhibit hall, it always has the work of some graphic or plastic artist whose inspirational theme is flamenco. ‘Mirando los Ojos Flamencos’ (‘Looking into Flamenco Eyes’), photos by Jorge Sánchez Fontaneda; ‘Anécdotas de un deseo’ (‘Anecdotes of a Wish’), photos by Ari Alexis Patacuás; ‘Retratos’ (‘Portraits’), drawings by Diego Agudo Pinilla; ‘Flamencas’, paintings and sculptures by Candy Román... are some of the exhibits that have been put on by this ‘gallery’. It has also been the stage for diverse acts, such as presentations for the press of albums, such as the latest ones by José Mercé, and even of films.

Moreover, it also gives a privileged place among its activities to education. More and more demanded by the audience visiting the tablao is what they call ‘leisure’, “a forty-minute introductory class taught by a bailaor, a guitarist and a cantaor in several languages, since we consider it important to give people the chance to get a rough idea of what this artform is all about”. And it not only pays attention to neophytes, but also to native enthusiasts, the audience “hardest to please”. The tablao wants to reserve a place for them to delight in the best cante, a less digestible facet of flamenco for the uninitiated. And the thing is that the needs, tastes and preferences of the audience are marking the flux of this tablao, which is constantly reinventing itself for its crowd. Approximately twenty-five thousand people from all over the world now visit this central venue for live flamenco annually, many nights filled to capacity.

A night at Las Carboneras Madrid. July. Friday night. The heat has hardly let up. The city streets are filled with night owls in search of some oasis to end up at. And Las Carboneras is more than an oasis. Behind the Plaza Mayor, looking out over a cozy little square full of history, is located this tablao whose façade alone helps sense that it is different. All suspicions are confirmed upon crossing the threshold. The room is arranged as a stylish restaurant and, except for the stage, whose semicircle is looked upon by all the tables, there is little to make you suspect... flamenco. The decoration is simple and at the same time welcoming, with that modern air of places in cosmopolitan cities. Above all, what stands out is that it does without cliché ornamentation such as Andalusian decoration, bullfight posters or fans. The tables will not take long to be filled, some by Japanese, others by young people of an indefinite nationality, some by the native crowd... and the one over there presided over by an exceptional dinner guest: guitarist Pepe Habichuela. Yes, apparently it is not unusual to find top flamenco figures here in the audience. What better endorsement? While the waiters are serving the orders - a full dinner for some, a selection of tapas and wines for others -, an audiovisual show is projected upon the back of the stage with a selection of the tablao's finest moments (by the way, available on DVD: AAVV. Tablao Las Carboneras). Between dishes, it is also time to have a look at the paintings and photographs displayed on the walls. That day Candy Román's canvases were combined with Patacuás' photos. Soon those scenes would come to life upon the wooden semicircle... The lights go out and the members of the group take up their positions: Manuela Vega, Ana Romero and La Tacha on baile; El Falo and Leo Triviño on cante; Paco Cruz and Fernando de la Rúa on guitar; and, as special guest, bailaor David Paniagua, one of the outstanding disciples of Antonio Canales. There is communication, there is feeling between them... and the entire room immediately soaks up that sense of well-being. The opening number warms up the ambience with a little dance through tangos by each bailaor. The cantaores warm up their throats: El Falo with his old, delicate echo, and those forgotten lyrics which are nice to recover; Leo Triviño with his Camarón-style quejío. The climate is ripe for the solo numbers. Ana and Tacha dance deeply, without ever losing sight of the audience. Manuela Vega's soleá touches the crowd, heartfelt, reliable. And the guest puts the icing on the cake with alegrías now subtle, now explosive, which he displays with manliness and elegance. Nor to be missing is the break with jaleos sung in a chorus by the bailaoras in the old style, and the grand finale, with chances for all to shine. The senses have been satisfied. The artists have been entirely devoted, close, nearly accomplices. And satisfied faces fill the room. The lights come back on. The glasses of wine are hurried up. David Paniagua receives the approval of Pepe Habichuela. The artists, now dressed in plain clothes, celebrate the night with a toast. Outside, the streets of Madrid are now another bustling ‘tablao’, with the summer night as its backdrop.