2007 MONT DE MARSAN FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
DIEGO AMADOR/ ÁNGELES GABALDÓN
From the jondo to shore
S.C. Mont de Marsan, July 3rd, 2007
Las 24. Marco Vargas &
Chloé Dauphin. Review, photos and video
First part. ‘Piano jondo’.
Diego Amador: piano. Antonio Coronel:
drums. Chechu: contrabass. Bobote, Torombo: compás/
Second part. ‘Volantes de jondura’. Ángeles
Gabaldón: baile. Juan de los Reyes: baile.
Juan Reina, Miguel Rosendo: cante. Rafael Rodríguez:
guitar. 19th Mont de Marsan Flamenco Festival. Singing
Café at Place Saint Roch. Mont de Marsan (France),
July 3rd, 2007. 7:30 p.m.
Diego Amador (Photo
Daniel Muñoz) |
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The Singing Café innovates. Until
now, its offer had been classic: binomials of cante, baile
or toque in traditional format. However, in the first
show in this nineteenth edition, it opens its doors to
piano and on top of it, as a trio, jazz style. Diego
Amador, who was on this very stage last year but surrounded
by his brothers and cousins, shared the repertoire of
his album ‘Piano jondo’ with Chechu on contrabass,
Antonio Coronel on drums, “the art” of Bobote
and Torombo... and with an audience completely open to
change. But the curious thing is that it’s hard
to find so much jondura even in a usual flamenco group.
Diego Amador found the philosopher’s
stone years ago: the way to strum with the piano, the
way to transfer all the essence of toque to the ebony
and ivory. And he doesn’t need to imitate; rather,
he moreover expresses himself through direct, intimate
scores of his own which are very rich in rhythm and feeling.
And the trio only augments it. The replacement of the
limited box drum with the drums contributes extent, consistency
and diversity of timbre to the accompaniment. The contrabass
condenses the background just enough for the melodies
to be comfortably sketched out. Added to which is the
contribution of the compás of the clapping by Bobote
and Torombo when the bulería makes its call. Without
forgetting, of course, the cantaor... who is also the
pianist hidden behind that shiny long hair and has the
wonderful ability to accompany his own quejíos,
nailing them two-fold. Sometimes Camarón
appears, others Tomatito, perhaps some old jazz maestro,
the spirit of latin release, that of abstract music...
but always, that indefinable thing in flamenco which is
known as jondura.
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Ángeles Gabaldón
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
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A play on contrasts. Following the energetic
shake-up of ‘Piano jondo’, the waters calmed
down. Ángeles
Gabaldón relied on references from the Sevillian
school to offer a baile performance in which moderation
and flight from shrillness were the keys. That’s
as far as her part goes, since the dance partner accompanying
her, Juan de los Reyes, decided on the opposite extreme.
The bailaora, both in the taranto and the guajira with
a fan, and above all, in the cantiñas with a bata
de cola, played with her arm movement, hands and the picture,
all woven together delicately, calmly, unhurriedly. The
adornment, the esthetics... what is comfort, what isn’t
spirit. The group behind them was kept to a minimum with
two cantaores and the very old-time guitar of Rafael Rodríguez,
who carried all the musical weight of the performance.
Perhaps too little for the show to throb. The palpitation
was nearly reserved for the final fiesta por bulerías,
in which the guitarist had the crowd eating out of his
hand... Even the enthusiasts who were outside in what
has come to be called a ‘Singing Video’, a
tent where the concert is shown on a giant screen for
the reasonable price of three euros. Now then, they have
direct access to the buffet and its Spanish delicacies.
Gazpacho, sangría, manzanilla... Now that’s
passion.
Street show: ‘Las
24. Cuando uno quiere y el otro no’
Marcos Vargas & Chloé Brule Dauphin.
Place Saint Roch (6:30 p.m.)
Dozens of fans who were patiently
waiting for the doors of the Singing Café
to open were surprised by the street show
‘Las 24. Cuando uno quiere y el otro
no’. Daylight, a public area, nearly
physical proximity to the audience. Bailaores
Marco Vargas and Chloé Brule Dauphin,
with minimum equipment (table-tablao, two
chairs, tablao and a sound system for the
recorded music), avoid the floweriness of
the theater to take their artistic performance
right to the street. In this case, to the
wooden deck which is a fruit and vegetable
market every morning. And what they manage
to get across, making use of rigorous dance
work, is the universal storm of feelings running
through every couple’s relationship.
The expression by both bailaores - professionally
trained in companies such as Seville’s
La Cuadra or the Javier Latorre Company -
flawlessly blends the flamenco with the contemporary,
managing to draw out of their complex choreographic
design all of the liveliness and energy necessary
to be communicated. Take note, because they’re
repeating tomorrow and the next day.
Las 24 (Photo
Daniel Muñoz)
Further information
www.bookingflamenco.com
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