MIGUEL ÁNGEL CORTÉS, FLAMENCO GUITARIST
PREMIERE OF THE CD ‘BORDÓN DE TRAPO’ IN GRANADA

Golden strings

G. Cappa. Granada, April 19th, 2006

‘Bordón de trapo’. Miguel Ángel Cortés: guitar. Daniel Méndez: second guitar. Esperanza Fernández and Arcángel (cante). Joselito Carrasco and Pepe Peña: percussion. Teatro Isabel la Católica. Granada, April 19th, 2006

Miguel Ángel Cortés showed up at the Teatro Isabel la Católica with two guitars. One in his hand and the other in the shape of a gold earring hanging from his ear. And both of them shone in a performance which was the presentation of the new album ‘Bordón de trapo’ and which enjoyed the unconditional friendship and voices of Arcángel and Esperanza Fernández, both of whom are present on the record together with Carmen Linares.

Years ago, Cortés moved from Granada to Seville. He was a promising guitarist, of the kind who in his native land usually languish in the zambras playing with a sad, lost regard. But he has returned to become one of the references in guitar, a creator. “We’re going to smother you”, could be heard from the seats when the guitarist finished his first song, a granaína which is the album’s title cut, ‘Bordón de trapo’. The explanation and justice came with the footnote. “With kisses”. By then, he already had the crowd eating out of his hand, an audience in which local artists were missing. In their place, a great many foreigners proved once again that, as far as flamenco is concerned, they’re the ones who most appreciate the feeling, flamenco’s truth.

Miguel Ángel Cortés with Arcángel (Photo: Pepe Torres)

And Miguel Ángel Cortés showed that, besides having great technique, with endless arzapúas and staccatos in which you could catch a glimpse of Paco de Lucía ­“Saint Paco”-, he masters the area of feelings, the space of creation, “the great truth of music, how to be born and die in life”, according to the artist himself. It was a compact, well-rounded concert with the unique display of talent by Miguel Ángel Cortés, who alternated rhythm and dynamism in such a way that hadn’t been seen in Granada for some time. With every arpeggio, with every detail, Miguel Ángel Cortés grew on stage before the attentive regard of a bewitched, astonished gray-haired German couple.

Next, guitarist Daniel Méndez came out on stage. “To my left is my right hand”, Cortés explained before tackling in his company ‘De Graná pa Sevilla’, a guajira which doesn’t appear as such in the album’s credits “so as not to bother the purists”. The reason? “It doesn’t even have a guajira’s rhythm, but the flourishes are those of a guajira”, says Miguel Ángel Cortés. “The flourishes aren’t flourishes like in the past, which used to be done twice and then their finish. Now it’s another piece of the music that’s lengthened or shortened but without such a closed structure because the flourishes were really monotonous”. Then came ‘Viento del Sur’, original alegrías; ‘Abadía’, Sacromonte-style tangos; and ‘Salaílla’, tanguillos. Just then, Arcángel appeared on stage. He was presented by Miguel Ángel Cortés as “one of those people who make me dream up on stage”. Both of them rocked flamenco and took a journey evoking Valderrama and Toronjo. Arcángel himself recognized that on occasion, he has postponed concerts because Miguel Ángel Cortés couldn’t accompany him. A wise decision. The unique tessitura of Arcángel’s voice finds a perfect lap in Miguel Ángel Cortés to dream up flamenco together.

Arcángel left the stage before a surrendered crowd and Cortés tackled a solo bulería. Concentrating on a staccato, clapping could be heard from the back. It was Arcángel, who had managed to sneak back out on stage. A smile of complicity between the two and back to the magic of six strings and hands which know how to play them. The end of the evening came with the flamenco voice of Esperanza Fernández, who displayed her good work and the affection she feels for her “friend”, Miguel Ángel Cortés. She did her own version of the beautiful seguiriya Carmen Linares sings on the album, ‘Media vida’, and she left her life up on stage to sing without a microphone ‘A tu vera’, which Cortés recorded on the album through bulerías. You could see Esperanza’s role in ‘Café Chinitas’ which she performs with the Spanish National Ballet, and she wandered majestically around the stage. As a highlight, Arcángel took Miguel Ángel Cortés’s guitar to have the guitarist get up and do a ‘little kick’ through bulerías; perhaps ‘the worst’ but the most charming. Miguel Ángel Cortés is now a figure, a reference. Humankind also triumphs. That’s well known by a gray-haired German couple who’ll be able to say straight out in Munich that they’ve gotten to know flamenco’s truth first hand.

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