FLAMENCO PA’ TOS FESTIVAL 2006
GERARDO NÚÑEZ/ SARA BARAS/ ARGENTINA

Titanic flamenco

Silvia Calado. Madrid, June 21st, 2006

Online video / Photo gallery

7th Flamenco pa’ Tos Festival. Gerardo Núñez Trio / Argentina / Sara Baras. Colegio de Médicos. Madrid, June 21st, 2006. 9 p.m.

	Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

And the thing is that there was hardly enough room to condense so many emotions into so little time. Both Gerardo Núñez and Sara Baras drew shouts of excitement from the audience filling up the main lecture hall at the Colegio de Médicos (Medical Association) on the second day of the Flamenco pa’ Tos Festival 2006. He, a “guitar genius”. She, an “impressive” bailaora. The masters of ceremony, radio comics Juan Luis Cano and Guillermo Fesser, informed: “They’re especially exciting”. And even though joking is their thing, on this occasion they weren’t kidding.

Gerardo Núñez appeared alone, strolling along the composition ‘Yerma’. So much with (in appearance) so little. A musician of nuances, of landscapes, of condensed expressions. With the increase in rhythm, Pablo Martín comes in on contrabass and Cepillo on box drum. The three pieces join together completely naturally. How many times must the Jerez-born guitarist have performed this composition... and all of them encounter new courses. The Gerardo Núñez Galaxy. The soleá por bulerías is a sublime experience. It isn’t even a bit normal for an auditorium to rise to its feet in the middle of a flamenco guitar song. No, it’s not normal, but it happened here. And the thing is that Gerardo Núñez has that special something which distinguishes music giants, that knowing how to translate for all audiences from the deepest feeling to the riskiest virtuosity, from the simplest note to the most extreme staccato. And all of it with a supernatural... naturalness. So much so, that he even lets himself play around with his traveling mates and draw a smile from a participating crowd who, without knowing how, have gone from the rondeña “to God knows where”.

Argentina (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

For the second straight year, Sara Baras repeats the experience of taking a break away from her crowded tour of the world’s most sensational theaters, to adapt to this tiny, intimate setting which gives so much satisfaction to either side of the stage. From her new show ‘Sabores’, she offered a couple of excerpts: martinete and jaleos. Dressed in trousers covered with leather chaps, she introduced the first piece surrounded by the four bailaores from her company. In the back, two guitars, two cantaores, a violin and a box drum. Native land baile, with the compás in the air, striking furiously and convincingly. The Cádiz-born artist remains alone. Nothing covers her; just her impeccable footwork, her serious, beautiful countenance, her rests and her fierce dodges and looks. So much sincerity is touching. There are no tricks or disguises. The crowd burst to their feet. And in a minimum lapse of time, scarcely a few adrenaline-charged finishes by the quartet of bailaores, Sara Baras reappears in a winged dress. Jaleos. Bulerías. A few little turns with feeling, some just with arms, others with magnificent heel tapping. Her charisma dazzles as much as her courageous technique and her unquestionable beauty. The ovation shakes the foundation of the historic venue. And the bailaora, relishing her triumph in the hand-to-hand fight, places her people up front to give away a ‘bonus track’ in which even her sister came out to do a little spin, as if airing her clan, as if making a family matter out of a performance to be celebrated.

Photo gallery. Flamenco Pa' tos Click the images to enlarge
Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)	Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)	Gerardo Núñez (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)	Gerardo Núñez (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)	Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)	Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)	Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

And between both titans, a new cante talent had to fight to make a place for herself. Argentina, fresh out of Huelva and its fandangos, premiered several songs off her début album. She performed fandangos, tangos and bulerías, backed by Marcelino Fernández and Rafael Fernández on choruses, Bobote on clapping, Paquito González on percussion and Jerez-born Bolita, her producer, on guitar. And alone with the guitar, she decided on the guajira and seguiriyas, displaying qualities and the beginning of a road to travel. Therein lie the stakes laid by the festival on renewal, yet another ingredient in this manifold cause, which, don’t forget, has the aim of aiding charity projects of the Gomaespuma Foundation in places such as Nicaragua and Sri Lanka, with which you can collaborate by clicking here.

Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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