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‘Cadiz’, from jazz to flamenco

Paco Mora (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

One such day saw the presence of Jorge Pardo, Carles Benavent and Tino di Geraldo. The Madrid-born saxophonist was charged with the duty of “coming up with an arrangement for the piece ‘Cádiz’ with the suggestion that he set it to 5:4 time. And here is a time signature that is not part of the traditional flamenco repertoire, and not even part of the traditional jazz repertoire, although there are good examples such as Dave Brubeck's ‘Take five’ or Serrat's ‘Mediterráneo’. At first it struck me as a bit of a silly attempt to modernize it, but when I looked later at how it could fit I found it really interesting, and I accepted the challenge.” As for the filming he adds that “I know all these movie people are famous for being finicky and splitting hairs, but we all hit it off right from the start.” The piece is danced to by the Aida Gómez company, with choreography by José Antonio. “I can't wait to see it because during the shoot you don't see much: the wooden floor, some panels... You might have some idea, but you don't know how it turned out, because everything's done according to what the camera sees.”

And what of the performances by Sara Baras, Antonio Canales, Manolo Sanlúcar, Gerardo Núñez, Enrique Morente, Estrella Morente, Chano Domínguez and many more, recorded earlier on this very same wooden floor, between these now familiar translucent panels that in the theater are known as ‘òpera foil’? A select offering of contemporary flamenco artists, without a doubt. And the fact is, as Paco Mora says, “‘Iberia’, even with the peculiar detail of being based around Isaac Albéniz, could be considered a second part to ‘Flamenco’”. It goes without saying the immense task Saura's 'Flamenco' has performed in spreading the flamenco gospel - even if it was deleted from catalogs for many years. And that’s not to mention the trilogy starring Antonio Gades, comprising ‘El amor brujo’, ‘Bodas de sangre’ and ‘Carmen’.

A monument

The effect ‘Iberia’ may have can already be felt. José Antonio Rodríguez sums up thus: “we can't say for sure here, but I think the movie could make a big impact as it is a high-quality, high-budget showcase of what we do, and with a worthy musical score, in this case the arrangements of Albéniz. International audiences will be exposed to a facet of the artform that they would be unlikely to ever come across otherwise.” The final verdict is supplied by Jorge Pardo. “Between all of us musicians, whether or not we took part in his work, we ought to build a monument to Carlos Saura because he's one of the few Spanish directors who have dedicated not just a fleeting glimpse but most of a lifetime's work to compiling Spanish music and taking it to the big screen.” This he says of a man who, as he himself openly confesses, is no flamenco expert, but rather a fan who “approached flamenco with great care, always treating with due respect this form of music that touches the very depths of my soul, and that at the same time is always just beyond my grasp.”

Carlos Saura (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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