Living history

Silvia Calado Olivo. Madrid, May 4th, 2002

Guitar: Niño Josele (with Piraña, cajón). Cante: Chocolate (con Antonio Carrión on the guitar). Dance: El Güito. Colegio de Médicos. Madrid, May 4th, 2002. 9:00 p.m.

Niño Josele (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The abrupt crossover had a serene transition. A dose of youthful guitar playing lent itself to the opening and to solo flight. Niño Josele who according to Gomaespuma "plays real well in B-flat", goes into a trance to explore a soleá ending with bulerías, a form into which he would later delve with Piraña, the cajón-player in a ruffled shirt. The playing of the guitarist from Almería, regular accompanist for Diego el Cigala, takes shape, the cajón machine-guns its rhythms. Well-coordinated closings. Reminiscences of Tomatito. Cajón versus guitar. Victory of the former. Additional artists appear to lead the way home: voice and bass. After the onanistic intro of the electric instrument, band-style flamenco. Twothreethreetwo. A vocal chorus breaks through, then one of guitar, another of cajón...everyone gets a turn. Fluidity. Dynamism. All for all. The audience as well.

Without any break - it had already been announced - nor further preambles, the true about-face: Chocolate. Seventy years with the cante, synthesized in a weather-beaten, dark brown man, solid gold, wrinkled, with diminished faculties (only an alien from outer space could be any other way), put off by Antonio Carrión's playing...but alive. Fortunate was the person who managed to be present for this historic hemicycle. Taranto, soleá, seguiriya, some "fandangazos cholocateros" [Chocolate-style fandangos], dedicated to José Menese present in the audience - martinete a capella "pa' finalisá" [to wrap things up]. Heavy-duty cante, but "the thing is nothing is known any more, they ought to do something like that "triunfo" TV program, promote it, because I'm going to die, I'm a flamenco star and I'm on my way out, and no one is going to know...I'm one of the last of my kind". And right then and there, adapting knowledgeably to his time-worn voice, he gave testimony for anyone able to appreciate it...we're not talking about twenty, but seventy, and history already has a place set aside for him.

After the intermission, another memorable appearance: El Güito. There was little time for the "duck hunting" proposed by the two masters of ceremony, as he only appeared in the soleá, his soleá...the definitive soleá. Sober, serene, subtle, macho, aged, angular, curved, full of shading, measured strength... Exactly the antithesis of the cuadro which served as prologue a bit more lengthily than would have been desired: a trio of artillery (plus female dancer), with athletic ability the supreme value. Firecracker flamenco, alkaline flamenco. A show with tablao format which delighted the audience and included a round of tonás by the pair of singers, oh...and two guitarists. Maybe the thundering eco of counter-rhythms reached the ears of the children of the little Gomaespuma school in Calcutta, the children to whom flamenco has been opening its heart in the great hall of Madrid's Colegio de Médicos for the last three years.

Chocolate with Antonio Carrión (Photo Daniel Muñoz)	El Güito (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Donations for Gomaespuma's Foundation in Calcuta
Bank: Bankinter (Spain). Account number: 0128 4446 12 0100000664

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