ESTAMPAS DE FIESTA. 2004 FESTIVAL DE MONT DE MARSAN

A welcome colonization

Silvia Calado. Mont de Marsan, 10th July 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

‘Estampas de fiesta’. Vocals: Samara Carrasco, Jesule de la Tomasa, José Caraoscura, Manuel Amaya, Manuel Tañé, Toni Rey. Dance: Manuela Vargas, Soraya Clavijo, Sandra Guerrero. Guitar: Eugenio Iglesias, Rafael Rodríguez, Antonio Rey. Percussion: Juan Grande. Hall de Nahuques. Mont de Marsan (France), 10th July 2004. 10pm.

Samara Carrasco

Sixteen festivals. Mont de Marsan, a town in the region of the Landes with fewer than forty thousand inhabitants, has brought to completion its sixteenth encounter with flamenco. So why here? That's the question... Over here the politicians call it a “welcome colonization”. And the fact is the town is like a mistake on the map. The supermarkets proudly stock ‘chorizo espagnol’ and ‘jambon serrano’. The bullring is warming up for the 'Fiestas de la Magdalena' with top Spanish toreros including El Juli, Javier Conde and Enrique Ponce on the bill. Car stereos all over town blare out bulerías. The windows of bookshops display works on bullfighting and flamenco. Everyone can speak a little Spanish, some better than others. And bear in mind that the border is more than two hours away. Some say the town's love of the bullfight led to its love of flamenco... Whatever the reason, practically the whole festival was sold out, whether the venue seated four hundred like the Café Cantante on Place St. Roch, or more than two thousand like the Espace François Mitterrand. And that's something unprecedented in towns of this size... there’s nothing like it anywhere in Spain, not even in Andalucía.

To the outsider it's difficult to comprehend that, even on the last day, a thousand two hundred people filled the hangar-like construction that is the Hall de Nahuques so as not to miss out on the closing dinner, nor the Gran Finale where the floodgates opened and everyone could take part. This year it took the format of a succession of tangos, bulerías and rumbas, each one performed by a different artist, mostly newcomers with a leaning towards up-tempo 'festera' rhythms. The evening didn't reveal spectacular talent, although there was an impressive performance from Samara Carrasco, daughter of Manuela Carrasco and Joaquín Amador. She combined a matured singing voice, magnificent displays of dancing, and striking beauty, ingredients which suggest she's destined for greater things. The bailaoras Manuela Vargas, who danced por soleá, and Soraya Clavijo, who performed alegrías, were also both worthy of mention. And for his originality, José Caraoscura whose flamenco rap was a pleasant surprise. In addition, the almost three hour-long fiesta featured Jesule de la Tomasa, who smacked of Diego Carrasco, Manuel Amaya, who smacked of Bambino, and Antonio Rey, who returned to the Festival with an furious burst of bulerías.

A thousand two hundred people... The size of the following says that this artform is going places. In fact, at La Peña - an after hours meeting place for artists and 'aficionados' - French guitarist Frasco de Marsella left even Moraíto Chico open-mouthed one night with his cocktail of soleá and seguiriyas time signatures, and the music he's composed to accompany this merger of rhythms. “You have to come all the way to Mont de Marsan to see stuff like this,” was the guitarist from Jerez's verdict. And he's right.

Ah, and as always, 10 out of 10 to the organizers. An impeccable display of organization - other flamenco festivals which consider themselves more important could learn much from this event.

revista@flamenco-world.com