DUTCH FLAMENCO BIENNIAL 2008. CHRONICLE 2

Knowing and blending

Silvia Calado. Amsterdam, October 27th and 28th, 2008

And when sevillanas began to sound at RASA Hall in Utrecht, four or five couples of bailadores leapt out of their seats to dance them. That’s what ‘Northern Utrera’ is like, a lovely Gothic city where once a month the local flamenco peña gathers in a ‘cave’ in the embankments of the canal. They might just as easily dance sevillanas as share what some member has learnt in his latest trip to Spain. Last summer, the one from Hanette went no less than to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, to take part in the course by Gerardo Núñez and Carmen Cortés. And he never misses Seville’s Fair. He can really dance. People like that are the ones who give meaning to the internationalization of flamenco. They don’t want to possess, but to enjoy. There is more feeling than understanding in their interest.

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José María Velázquez-Gaztelu illustrated lectures (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

And if they are lucky enough to be able to attend illustrated lectures like the one José María Velázquez-Gaztelu gave on Monday, October 27th at the hospitable headquarters of the Instituto Cervantes in Utrecht, then good for them. The Cádiz-born journalist and writer traced a route through the different flamenco styles, in relation to their early development, their places of origin, the works they are derived from... In short, as he himself explained, “each step in the history of flamenco has appeared with musical forms which are the expression of what has been lived”. The group which illustrated his words as he went along couldn’t be better quality. On cante, José Valencia and Segundo Falcón. On toque, Salvador Gutiérrez. And with them an exchange bailaora, the Dutchwoman Kika, who performed aware of the meaning of the words respect and generosity. Gaztelu told the tale of the tonás and the carceleras. And the artists there brought his story to life. In that way, martinetes, trilleras de Alosno, romances, Tío José de Paula’s seguiriya, alegrías de Cádiz, fiesta por bulerías. “Flamenco is a chronicle of life itself, but as you have been able to see, sung and danced”, the lecturer concluded before an audience delighted by how true his statement was. And on top of it, the venue - directed by Isabel Clara Lorda and located opposite the impressive Domtoren, a tower which is first cousin to La Giralda - gave away a bottle of wine to each of them. Not bad at all.

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Johny Cortés and José Luis Montón in Utrecht (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

The experience was repeated the following evening at the Conservatory of Rotterdam, where the degree of flamenco guitar is studied. And that happened just while at the RASA in Utrecht - a venue devoted exclusively to world music - the festival offered an encounter between kathak music and flamenco. The double slip-up was wanting to invent from the office and putting experts together with amateurs. But true musicians can always find one another. And that happened, albeit in bits and pieces, between guitarist José Luis Montón and tabla player Niti Ranjan. The fluent, melodic music by the flamenco musician (with incursions into the very beautiful ‘Manantial’) came across exquisite arrangements by the Hindu artist. Without forgetting the appearances of cantaor Johnny Cortés, especially in the warm, tight feeling he applied to the aires de levante.

And it wasn’t mine cantes but rather abandolaos which maestro José Valencia had been trying to explain to his students that morning. About fifteen pupils have been surrounding the Lebrija-born cantaor these days in a hall at the Hotel Lloyd in Amsterdam, a place where anything can happen. The previous morning, he focused on tangos. By about four o’clock in the afternoon, they were singing “dulce como el caramelo, me saben tus besos, prima” like a chorus. And it’s not a question of magic, but of patient work to split each stage into syllables and notes in order to overcome the language barrier. The result, as their teacher made them see, isn’t a question of magic, but of mathematics. But also of air and water.

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José Valencia's cante lessons, Amsterdam (Photo Daniel Muñoz)