SPECIAL FEATURE. FLAMENCO 2000-2010, A DECADE OF ART FOR
HUMANITY. (4) THE SHOWS
(4) The shows
Silvia Calado/ Flamenco-world.com, January 2011
Translation: Joseph Kopec
The decade 2000-2010 has transformed
the flamenco show model, or rather, it has diversified it.
Though it is true that both the traditional group format
and the large ballet-style company have survived, a new
more minimalist, contemporary, ground-breaking trend with
the established roles has marked the direction of staged
flamenco, especially with regards to baile. Guitar on stages
has followed the standard established in the previous two
decades by Paco de Lucía, now then, varying the combination
of instruments. Cante, even more resistant to change, has
also had artists capable of creating shows of magnitude,
in collaboration with other types of music and other musicians,
or with guitarists who have known how to compose from other
viewpoints for vocals. And the instrumental groups have
diversified, following those of jazz, pop, rock, hip-hop...
and in passing, have found their way into those other circuits.
4. THE SHOWS
Baile shows
The predictions were made in the very year
2000. Seville’s Bienal de Flamenco that year, number
eleven, proposed shows which were going to change courses,
for different reasons, among them, ‘La metamorfosis’
by Israel Galván and ‘5 mujeres 5’ by
Eva Yerbabuena. Sara Baras began her trilogy based on historic
female personages with ‘Juana la Loca’. Manuela
Carrasco invited Chocolate to ‘Esencias’ and
Antonio Canales sentenced with ‘Bailaor’. The
following year, while Joaquín Cortés was filling
up thousands of seats with his ‘Live’, ‘Flamenco
Republic’ by María Pagés, recently premiered
in New York, and ‘De noche’ by Joaquín
Grilo, among others, were performed at Festival de Jerez.
Seville and Jerez split the novelties in 2002: the neoclassical
show by Belén
Maya and Maite Martín ‘Mayte + Belén’,
the comical ‘Rinconete y Cortadillo’ by Javier
Latorre, the Lorcan ‘Dime’ by Javier Barón
and, as great ballets, ‘Tierra adentro’ by Cristina
Hoyos and ‘La leyenda’ by the Andalusian Dance
Company.
Eva Yerbabuena, '5 mujeres
5' (Photo Anahí Cármody) / Flamenco
Hoy by Carlos Saura (Photo Flamencohoydecarlossaura.com)
/ Isabel Bayón, 'La puerta abierta' (Photo
Daniel Muñoz) / Sara Baras, 'Juana la Loca'
(Photo Anahí Cármody) |
One year later, some of the most outstanding
ones were ‘Poeta en Nueva York’ by Rafael Amargo,
an ambitious show which triumphed on Madrid’s Gran
Vía, the subtle ‘La música del cuerpo’
by Rafaela Carrasco, the politically committed ‘Inmigración’
by Ángeles Gabaldón, whose premiere was broadcast
live online by Flamenco-world.com for the entire world and,
from Mont de Marsan, ‘Alma vieja’ by Farruquito.
The 2004 season saw shows arise of as diverse significance
as ‘Pasión y ley’ by Antonio el Pipa
in Jerez, ‘Arena’ by Israel
Galván in Seville and ‘El loco’ by
the Ballet Nacional de España (Spanish National Ballet)
in Madrid. Closing the first lustrum, Jerez synthesized
the offer of baile on stage, scheduling ‘A cuatro
voces’ by Eva
Yerbabuena, ‘Carmen, Carmela’ by Antonio
Canales, among other new shows.
The second half of the decade brought extensive
variety at the start. Appearing in 2006 throughout the flamenco
and theater circuit were shows such as ‘Romancero
gitano’ by the Andalusia Flamenco Ballet, ‘De
tablao’ by Antonio el Pipa, ‘Sevilla’
by María
Pagés, ‘Gitanas’ by La Farruca, ‘La
puerta abierta’ by Isabel Bayón, ‘Chanta
la mui’ by the collective Pericet-Flores-Doña
and ‘La francesa’ by Pastora Galván.
The showcase in 2007 was concentrated in Jerez, where ‘Almario’
was presented by Rocío Molina, ‘Meridiana’
by Javier Barón and a polished ‘Juncá’
by Mercedes Ruiz, among others. Málaga en Flamenco
2007 also promoted interesting productions like ‘Flamenco
XXI’ by Dospormedio & Cía. and ‘El
final de este estado de cosas’ by Israel Galván,
with repercussions later on. Outside of the flamenco circuit,
María Pagés created the germ of ‘Autorretrato’
at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York.
Israel Galván, 'Arena'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) / Rocío Molina,
'Oro viejo' / María Pagés, 'Flamenco
Republic' (Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
The following season, large-scale productions
with an international impact stood out like ‘¡Viva
Jerez!’, produced by Festival de Jerez, and ‘Mujeres’,
produced by Flamenco Festival. But it was also a time for
individual shows like ‘El cielo de tu boca’
by Andrés Marín, ‘Dos voces para un
baile’ by Javier Barón and ‘Oro viejo’
by Rocío Molina. Then, standing out in 2009 was ‘Lluvia’
by Eva Yerbabuena, winner of a Max Prize; ‘Homenaje
a Mario Maya’; ‘Flamenco se escribe con jota’
which gathered Miguel Ángel Berna, Úrsula
López and Rafael Campallo; and ‘De entre la
luna y los hombres’ by La Moneta which, directed by
Hansel Cereza, was staged at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in
Madrid. In the setting of the capital’s Veranos de
la Villa, the macro-show directed by Carlos Saura ‘Flamenco
Hoy’ was revealed, much focused on baile, but also
on cante and music. That same triple component had previous
productions like ‘Historias de arte’, which
brought together Chano Lobato, Matilde Coral and Juan Habichuela;
and ‘De la mar al fuego’, a journey around the
flamenco territories.
Joaquín Cortés,
'Live' |
On closing the decade, the top names certified
their respective roles, with shows such as ‘Esencia’
by Sara Baras, an anthology which she temporarily bade farewell
with in Paris, London and Madrid; ‘Calé’
by Joaquín Cortés, ‘Bailes alegres para
personas tristes’ by Belén Maya, ‘La
pasión según se mire’ by Andrés
Marín, ‘En la horma de sus zapatos’
by Isabel Bayón, ‘Dunas’ by María
Pagés with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, ‘Cuando yo
era…’ by Eva Yerbabuena and ‘Cuando las
piedras vuelen’ by Rocío Molina, plus ‘Solo’
by Israel Galván, experimenting with extreme minimalism.
Cante
shows
There have been many traditional-style
cante recitals during the decade. Seated on a rush-bottomed
chair and with the guitarist right beside them, cantaores
from several generations, origins and styles have sprinkled
stages large and small. We listened to the last recitals
by Chocolate, Chano
Lobato, La Paquera…; the mighty concerts of solid
pillars like Mercé, El Pele, Morente…; the
performances with fresh maturity by Arcángel, Poveda,
Estrella… And also the first ones by newcomers such
as Jesús Méndez, Jesús Corbacho, Rocío
Márquez… But in this balance those cante shows
conceived for theaters and the music circuit in general
are reviewed, with a designed repertoire, lineup and proposal.
Enrique Morente, 'El barbero
de Picasso' (Photo Daniel Muñoz) / Chano Lobato,
Matilde Coral and Juan Habichuela, 'Historias de arte'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
Many of them are the live shows of albums,
with tours as popular as the ones by José
Mercé (‘Aire’, ‘Lío’,
‘Confí de fuá’…) and Diego
el Cigala (‘Lágrimas negras’, ‘Cigala
& Tango’…). Discs like ‘Raíces
y alas’ by Carmen Linares and Juan Carlos Romero,
‘Mujerez’ by Juana la del Pipa, La Macanita
and Dolores Agujetas, ‘Perraterías’ by
Tomás de Perrate, ‘A mis soledades voy, de
mis soledades vengo’ by José Menese, ‘Lágrimas
de cera’ by El Lebrijano, ‘Marina’ by
Marina Heredia… also had their version on stage. In
a special way, Enrique Morente recovered the live show of
‘Omega’ in 2006, the year of the tenth anniversary
of its release. And this cantaor was one of the ones who
combined the live shows of albums (‘El pequeño
reloj’, ‘Morente sueña La Alhambra’…),
with shows created expressly for the stage, like the last
one, ‘El barbero de Picasso’.
Like him, many cantaores staged concerts
without any recorded reference. Arcángel was inspired
by Manolo Caracol to shape up his ‘Zambra 5.1’.
Fernando Terremoto marked a turning point as an artist with
‘Calendario’. Estrella Morente recreated the
historic Granada Cante Jondo Contest in ‘Pastora 1922’.
Moreover, she got together with Portuguese singer Dulce
Pontes to unite flamenco and fado in ‘Dulce Estrella’.
Marina Heredia performed ‘Cancionero del Sacromonte’
at the abbey in Granada. Segundo Falcón gathered
with Al-Andalusians and Rajasthanis in ‘Tierra de
nadie’. Esperanza Fernández, following the
touring encounter with jazz player Jean Marc Padovani, put
together shows of her own like ‘Cuatro guitarras y
una voz’. Carmen Linares did her ‘Popular y
jondo’. Vicente Soto ‘Sordera’ starred
in approaches between cante and poetry; the latest one,
‘Versos navegables’. And Miguel Poveda toured
with ‘Sin Fronteras’ and adapted ‘Historias
de viva voz’ for theaters which he used to inaugurate
Seville’s Bienal de Flamenco, besides collaborating
with musicians and singers like Martirio, who he did ‘Romance
de valentía’ with in 2005.
Carmen Linares, 'Popular y
jondo' (Photo Daniel Muñoz) / José Menese
and Enrique de Melchor, 'A mis soledades voy, de mis
soledades vengo' rehearsal (Photo Daniel Muñoz)
/ Miguel Poveda, 'Sin frontera' (Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
Music
shows
Paco de Lucía, 'Cositas buenas' (Photo
Daniel Muñoz) |
|
More than of guitar or a specific instrument,
they are music shows... flamenco music shows. Let’s
begin, of course, with the guitar ones, with their respective
groups. Between 2000 and 2010, the great guitar tour has
been the one starring Paco
de Lucía with ‘Cositas buenas’, in
different phases since the album was released in 2004. One
of the ones traveling the most is the Gerardo Núñez
Quintet, although his show with the most impact was ‘Andando
el tiempo’ at the 2004 Bienal, just with his guitar.
Vicente Amigo has taken every album he published in the
decade to big stages with his band: ‘Ciudad de las
ideas’, ‘Un momento en el sonido’ and
‘Paseo de Gracia’. Cañizares
has displayed both works just conceived for live performance,
‘Flamenco picassiano’ and ‘Origen’,
as well as his discs ‘Suite Iberia’ and the
recent ‘Cuerdas del alma’. José Antonio
Rodríguez did the concert first and then made the
album (and the DVD) ‘… en el tiempo’.
Moreover, side by side with Arcángel, he created
a hybrid guitar and cante show which they entitled ‘F2’.
Tomatito also played live with what was recorded at the
studios and vice versa, with ‘Spain’ together
with pianist Michel Camilo, ‘Sonanta Suite’
with the National Orchestra of Spain and the live shows
of his albums. Manolo
Sanlúcar opened the decade with a novel concept
captured on ‘Locura de brisa y trino’, which
he recorded and did a tour of with Carmen Linares. Afterwards,
he would compose concerts, still unrecorded, such as ‘La
voz del color’, inspired by painter Romero Ressendi.
Pepe Habichuela has crossed borders in his two most outstanding
shows (and discs) in the decade: ‘Yerbagüena’
with The Bollywood Strings and ‘Hands’ with
jazz contrabass player Dave Holland.
José Antonio Rodríguez, '... en el tiempo'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) / Gerardo Núñez,
'Andando el tiempo' (Photo Daniel Muñoz) /
Cañizares, 'Origen' (Photo Daniel Muñoz)
/ Vicente Amigo in concert (Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
Guitar in combination with other instruments
and in a group format has caught on in shows like the ones
by Son de la Frontera which, based on Diego del Gastor and
adding a Cuban tres, reached the most relevant world music
festivals. Guitarist José Luis Montón and
violinist Ara Malikian joined forces to put together two
albums which led to the concert ‘Manantial de la felicidad’.
There’s also a guitar in the middle of Ultra High
Flamenco, a group which has traveled the European jazz circuit.
Moraíto’s guitar also took charge of ‘Los
Juncales’, a collective show which was presented in
Nîmes and in Seville.
Piano has been a first-rate instrument
in the decade’s flamenco music. ‘Mira cómo
viene’ and ‘New Flamenco Sound’ by Chano
Domínguez and ‘Piano jondo’ by Diego
Amador are some examples. Pedro Ricardo Miño not
only toured the university theaters in the United States
with the repertoire of his album ‘Piano con duende’,
but he also went on a tour of India in 2006 with Ravi Shankar
and his daughter Anoushka. And Dorantes, despite only having
released ‘Sur’ in this decade, has premiered
concerts like ‘Piano’, ‘Sin muros! and
‘Resonancia’ - with Japanese drums -, besides
heading up the flamenco, jazz and classical music show ‘Convivencias’.
Jazz flamenco has gone a long way on stage,
with a more and more solid presence at international festivals.
The shows especially followed have been the ones by the
trio consisting of Jorge
Pardo, Carles Benavent and Tino di Geraldo. And also
the ones by some of them with projects of their own, like
‘Vientos flamencos’ by Pardo. Having a broad
impact was ‘New York Flamenco Reunion’ by Marc
Miralta, ‘Cruce de caminos’ which Gerardo Núñez
presented at Jazz Viene del Sur 2001 and, a few years later,
‘Flamenco Big Band’ by Perico Sambeat which
made a stop at the 2008 Madrid Jazz Festival.
But the ones who drew the largest audiences
were the flamenco pop figures. And of course, Niña
Pastori is at the top. Not just on Spain’s circuit,
which she has traveled up and down with jam-packed concerts,
but also in Latin America, where she was promoted with ‘Joyas
prestadas’. Ketama was in its death throes in the
first years, when it presented its last studio album ‘Dame
la mano’, putting the finishing touch on a successful
twenty-year career. And while some were bidding farewell,
others were being revealed. That was the case of Pitingo,
with a hybrid formula of flamenco and soul which has filled
theaters and more theaters in the second half of the decade.
Dorantes, 'Sin muros!' (Photo Daniel Muñoz)
/ José Luis Montón and Ara Malikian
with Olga Pericet, 'Manantial de la felicidad' (Photo
Daniel Muñoz) / Ojos de Brujo, 'Barí'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) / UHF at Bimhuis, Amsterdam
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
It has also been a time to seek more synchronic
mixtures. Ojos
de Brujo, with its own indisputable trademark, was a
huge success at indie music festivals in Spain and at world
music festivals abroad, with the tours of ‘Barí’
and ‘Techarí’. The same thing happened
with Chambao, an encounter between chill out and flamenco-style
pop, named “flamenco chill”. Some current music
festivals ended up installing stages for these mixtures.
It happened at Espárrago Rock 2003 which, held at
the Formula 1 Circuit in Jerez, brought together Los Delinqüentes,
Tomasito, Chambao, Kiko Veneno, Navajita Plateá,
Mártires del Compás and even Gualberto at
a specialized venue. Something similar was set up by Bienal
de Sevilla 2000 at the Olympic Stadium, with two simultaneous
stages under the motto ‘Con Fusión’,
where El Barrio (one of the most successful flamenco fusion
artists) alternated with Diego Carrasco and the most restless
one among youths (and veterans), the brilliant Enrique
Morente.
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