2003 MONT DE MARSAN FLAMENCO ART FESTIVAL

The Univocal

Candela Olivo. Mont de Marsan (France), July 1st, 2003
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

Esperanza Fernández with Miguel Ángel Cortés on guitar; and Miguel Vargas and Luis Peña on rhythm. Juana Amaya with Enrique el Extremeño, Juan José Amador, José Valencia and María Vizárraga on cante; Rafael Campallo on baile; Ramón Porrina on box drum; and Paco Fernández and Miguel Iglesias on guitar. Singing Café of Place Saint Roch. Mont de Marsan (France), July 1st, 2003. 7:30 p.m.

	Esperanza Fernández
	Juana Amaya

It is not an afternoon of bullfighting. The area surrounding the bullring is silent, awaiting the upcoming Magdalene Festival... since Mont de Marsan is more of a bullfighting than flamenco town. The calm is only broken by the collective tacatatá coming out of the classrooms at the School of Music and Dance, which welcomes the baile courses of La China, Joaquín Grilo, Ángeles Gabaldón and Felipe Mato. Scarcely having finished teaching their respective classes, another of the festival's parallel activities is going to take place at the conservatory's small auditorium. Anthropologist Fernando González-Caballos gives a lecture, illustrated by Daniel Méndez, on Moron's toque, based on the study found in the book 'Guitarras de Cal' ('Solid Guitars'). And he states that, in effect, a series of features in the way of playing such as "the generous use of the thumb", differentiates "a local way of understanding flamenco which has become a trademark". Although he emphasizes the importance of Diego del Gastor - who, despite his technical limitations "is included in the group of great personal creators together with Sabicas and Niño Ricardo"-, he situates the school's origins in Paco de Lucena, "three generations earlier". González-Caballos stresses the vitality of a toque which has influenced flamenco as well as non-flamenco musicians, and which has been developed with guitarists such as Paco del Gastor, "who has gone up a rung on the ladder by contributing contemporary technique to what his uncle taught him". Encouraged by the challenge of "putting Morón's toque at the same level as contemporary flamenco guitar", a new generation is taking over. As a display, his accompanist, who after illustrating the toque of his predecessors through soleares, bulerías y seguiriyas, performs a malagueña in which the evolution is shown.

The day would return to Morón some hours later, but first it made a stop between Triana and Lebrija. The guitar of Miguel Ángel Cortés prefaced Esperanza Fernández, precious with an old gold shawl embroidered with roses, who introduces herself with one of the songs from her début album, 'La blanca fuente' ('The White Fountain'). "I'm really delighted to be back here once more", the Sevillian cantaora took a seat for the soleá. Showing all the vocal wisdom she possesses, she sang poised, sweet at times, torrential at times. A shiver. And the guitar parallel, also receiving an ovation. She went on with some cantiñas by Pinini, so eager and energetic. Upon the consistency of Cortés' toque, she sang with aje (color), with force, with liveliness... saying an extremely varied repertoire of verses, which the sonanta was also able to embellish. "I'm going to change the stage and I'm going to sing through seguiriyas". The guitar becomes solid, with depth, weighty. "Por los siete dolores" (Through the seven pains)... She magnifies the lamenting, wounding, as withdrawn into herself as outwardly surrendering, making gaps for the guitar to fly without ever losing command. With the support of clapping, she attacks through tientos tangos, a style very much her own. "I was stone and I lost my core...". She, brown sugar. He, brilliant in the take-offs. Utrera, Lebrija. With her kid, Miguelito, third on clapping, she leaves her seat for the bulería... chewed slowly, as is done in those lands. 'A tu vera' ('By Your Side') through bulerías, Santa Justa and Rufina, el pollito... and a kick and another and the dress grasped forcefully and the flurry and... the singing café on its feet.

Rafael Campallo

After supplying itself with Andalusian snacks at the bar - therefore, with gazpachos, omelettes, paellas and small ham sandwiches -, the crowded "café" got ready for the hurricane coming from, as we said, Morón de la Frontera. Provided with an exceptional background, Juana Amaya burst in through seguiriyas. Loud, temperamental, sensational. Creating tension even in that magical moment in which the storm which is her baile gets stronger. The instrumental interlude through tangos is conducted by María Vizárraga, a Sevillian whose voice is close to that of Remedios Amaya. But she hasn't calmed down. Juana Amaya returns, now in trousers and a vest, through alegrías. She comes in and stands firm on the edge of the stage. She waits and... explodes. Wild, then. The cantes Enrique el Extremeño and Juan José Amador offer her are to be felt... and in fact, she stops to do so. The interlude continues the bulería. And Rafael Campallo arrives to also dance through alegrías... a rule broken, an ugly mistake there repeating a style. Although that in no way tarnished the composure with which the Sevillian bailaor, elegant and balanced throughout, performed his number. With refined Sevillianism, with technical neatness... he provided the counterpoint to the telluric of his hostess. And the crowd were thankful for it, even rising from their seats. The cantaores also did so to receive the bailaora, now dressed in red. Soleá through bulerías. She hushes time to mark and withdraw within herself, she speeds up to the point of exhaustion in her flurries, in her displays of virtuosity from the waist down. You can cut the tension with a knife. "Eje!". And she stops there. The requested encore concentrates on El Extremeño's kick. Perfect. Nor is Morón done in the second one. Juan José Amador, guided by extreme cante, closes a day on which the disputes between genres were banished.

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