2005 JEREZ FESTIVAL. JOSÉ MERCÉ: ‘CONFÍ DE FUÁ’

Superstar

Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 3rd, 2005

‘Confí de fuá’. José Mercé: cante. Moraíto Chico, Juan Diego, Diego de Morao: guitar. Popo: bass. José María Cortina: keyboards. Israel Mera, Luis de Periquín: percussion. Desiré Soto, Marcelino Fernández: choruses. Villamarta Theater. Jerez (Cádiz, Spain), March 3rd, 2005. 9 p.m.

	José Mercé (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

José Mercé was coming home to sing. And that was plain to see in the atmosphere, the huge local crowd, the hustle and bustle amidst the seats, the warm applause that welcomed him. The first toná brought about silence. He sang it standing up under a beaming spotlight. “A mí me llaman el loco”. Triana. Forge. He announced that Jerez was a responsibility, but that he would work more from his heart than his head. And so it was. Moraíto Chico was greeted with another ovation. Guitar and organ to shape up the malagueña. His voice came down dense, mellow. The sonanta breathing air into him. The seguiriya sounded old, deep. The responsibility, guiding, doubling back up on the effort. How Moraíto Chico played the lead-in of the soleá, only his guitar knows. It came down as if from heaven. And the cante caught it in mid-air, going very slowly, gradually step by step, only seeking out the quejío at the end. And it was said. José Mercé is a cantaor, connoisseur and jondo. But he doesn't stop there; oh no. As he confessed the previous day at Bodega de San Ginés, “the thing is that singing the same thing all your life, you get tired, bored...”.

He made that other José Mercé wait; the one with the "flamencoized" songs that catch on and sell. An interlude with young Jerez-born guitarists: first, Juan Diego, who spruced up one of the great tunes from ‘Luminaria’; afterwards, Diego de Morao, with tangos inserting some of his latest collaborations, among them, that of the new album by Niña Pastori. Having said this, José Mercé came back out on stage in a bright pink shirt with the rest of the band. Though he sings while seated, he could easily have performed this entire new repertoire standing up, rock-style, since his show has nothing to envy any rock group as far as catching on, audience participation, strength. He kicked off with ‘Confí de fuá’, uttering the lyrics unhurriedly over a lively bulería base provided for him by the band. Next came the ballad-tanguillo ‘Líbreme el hombre’, for which he called for the crowd to accompany on clapping, amidst smoke and flashing lights, as if in a stadium. The applause intensifies. And the thing is that if he's a good cantaor, he's also a great singer. He leaves Moraíto Chico there doing one of the brilliant tracks from his discography. Something supernatural.

Back again, José Mercé is requested a Santiago bulería and he pleases those insisting with one included on his latest album; that of the vegetarian gypsy. The crowd goes crazy. The entire theater marks the beat. Without leaving the rhythmic tapping behind, he sang the version of ‘Clandestino’ by Manu Chao, finishing off his review of ‘Confí de fuá’ with the tangos ‘Juana’ and the rumba ‘Saliva curativa’. Now it's time for his greatest hits. “¡Aire!”. The whole theater marks the beat once more; something unbelievable, something Jerez. And the thing is that José Mercé has popularized the popular once over. Of course, an encore is called for. He lets them choose between ‘Al alba’ and a grand finale... but he has to do both. The version of Aute's song was sung in a chorus from beginning to end, sparking a huge final ovation. And then came the grand finale to turn the Villamarta Theater upside down. He sang powerfully with no amplifiers, complete devotion, nationalist lyrics of surefire success. And the theater answered him with the largest olé ever heard at this festival. Moraíto is asked to dance... and Moraíto ends up dancing. He closed his footwork with Mercé, who with his guitar slung over his shoulder, brought out his troupe on stage and let them carry him on their shoulders.

Moraíto (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

A lesson in wisdom Matilde Coral, Chano Lobato, Eva Yerbabuena and Juan Ogalla took part in an interesting dialogue at the festival's seventh round-table. Besides presenting their respective shows, the artists expressed their opinions about the current scene of flamenco dancing, dotted with hilarious art stories about the Cádiz-born cantaor. To be noted is the participation of maestra Matilde Coral. The Sevillian bailaora upheld the new generation's artistic freedom: “I go along with time. They have the right to do what they want nowadays and to do it well. The new people have their minds set; it's up to the law of supply and demand. And I don't give up hope that they all have respect and do something new. I don't care if they stand on their heads on stage, since they have to keep on investigating”. She added that, as was seen a few days ago in the show by María Pagés, “the mother of all sounds is flamenco; it's neutral, it takes in everything: pop, jazz...”. And she understands that “flamenco dancing is going through a more awkward decade, though with very good people”. She pointed out Juan Ogalla for laying his stakes on traditional baile and regarding Eva Yerbabuena and her latest show ‘A cuatro voces’, she affirmed that “what she's done is very nice, but I'm still waiting for her to come out dancing a soleá all withdrawn, slight... for tears to stream down my face”. She answered someone in the room trying to get her to support a radical speech against young bailores with a resounding verdict: “People dance better now than ever before”.

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