RAIMUNDO WITH TOMATE
Together...but just enough
Tomatito: guitar. El Potito: Cante. Diego Amador, El Churri: bass
and mandolin. Joselito Fernández: dance. Alexis Lefevre: violin. Joselito
Carrasco: percussion. Raimundo Amador: guitar. Antonio Calero: drums. Fernando
Lupano: bass. Manolo Benítez: guitar. Álvaro Gandul: keyboard. Caballerizas
Reales. Córdoba, July 10th, 2002. 12 midnight.
Raimundo Amador and Tomatito (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
Whoever expected to find the title of the
midnight concert reflected on stage at the Caballerizas Reales, might have gone
home a little disappointed. Raimundo with Tomate was, actually, first Tomate,
then Raimundo, and in the end a bit of what was announced. Tomatito came on with
his regular group, except for violinist Bernardo Parrilla who was substituted
by Alexis Lefevre, playing his customary repertoire: taranta solo to start out,
a bulerias piece, tangos with Potito singing, soleá, 'La vacilona' from
the album 'Spain' - also repeated in 'Paseo de los castaños' - solea
por bulería with Joselito Fernández dancing... This kind of
breaking-in gives the work an integrity common to groups such as the one which
the previous night, on the same stage, was presented by the Turkish musician Omar
Faruk. A seamless recital.
When Raimundo Amador's turn came, sounds of
rock and blues barged into the monumental patio which, by the looks of it, could
hold about two thousand people. Raimundo resorted to his greatest hits, particularly
from his next to last record: Gerundina, Ay, qué gustito pa' mis orejas,
Antonia, Bolleré... All good sing-along material, and sing along they
did. There was also a nod to Pata Negra in Blues de la Frontera and in that "yo
me quedo en Sevilla hasta el final" sung by his daughter. At that point,
when Raimundo and company recalled Santana, the audience, for the most part young,
was already on its feet at the edge of the stage.
After just enough of an intermission for a
trip to the bar, now yes, it was Raimundo with Tomate. The guitarist from Almería
started out with Manantial; then his counterpart from Seville took charge
and they churned out a piece from Billy Cobham's jazz drums which, to the compás
of tangos, was danced by Joselito; a somewhat heavier version of La vacilona;
some traditional bulerías with Potito singing...and for the finale, Pata
Negra's Camarón as an alternative (and sincere) tribute to what's circulating
in the department stores on the tenth anniversary of the death of the singer from
La Isla.
Raimundo Amador (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
revista@flamenco-world.com
