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2012 NÎMES FLAMENCO FESTIVAL. MARÍA TOLEDO · NIÑO JOSELE
Guitar, up close
Silvia Calado. Nîmes, January 18th, 2012
1st part. María Toledo: piano, cante. Jesús del Rosario: guitar. Lucky Losada: percussion. David Moreira: violin. Yelsy Heredia: contrabass/ 2nd part. Niño Josele: guitar. Alain Pérez: bass. Sabú Suárez: percussion. David de Jacoba and Cristo Heredia: cante. Juan de Juan: baile. Théâtre. Nîmes (France), January 18th, 2012. 8 p.m.
The 2012 Nîmes Flamenco Festival is zeroing in on flamenco guitar. As a tribute to Moraíto, a guitarist who had strong ties to this event, the program has emphasized the recitals of the jondo instrument par excellence. And following performances by Tomatito and by Juan Ramón Caro, it was Niño Josele’s turn. At the practically full Théâtre in the French city, the Almería-born artist presented a journey through his music, in which he intertwines traditional references, reflections of maestros such as Paco de Lucía and Tomatito, and his own trademark.
He displayed the prologue solo, tracing freely, calmly and spaciously. And the dizzy close announced the character which, from that moment forward, the concert would take on. The bass by Alain Pérez, percussion by Sabú Suárez, vocals and clapping by David de Jacoba and Cristo Heredia, and the dazzling touches of baile by Juan de Juan joined the guitar as it plunged into diverse styles of rhythm, from the seguiriya to the soleá, with the bulería always in between and being led up to. The guitarist, so reliable in his live shows, flaunted top form in his hands and in his expression, which covered a wide range of tonalities. But perhaps the fact that he hardly tackled closed songs – except some bright sample from 'Española' – and preferred to set up sketches, might have opened up the options too much... If he is brilliant weaving together short bits, he is even more so when he specifies and defines pieces. And he will surely demonstrate that once again with his upcoming album which, as he announced to us after the concert, will come out in the next few weeks.
María Toledo, cante and piano
Another outstanding guitar from the same generation was heard in the first part of the night; that of Jesús del Rosario. But on this occasion, the artist from Cañorroto wasn’t solo. Rather, he came as part of the group accompanying María Toledo. With his guitar, the warm contrabass of Yelsy Heredia, violin by David Moreira and percussion by Lucky Losada, the artist displayed her particular offer on the stage of the Nîmes Théâtre, combining flamenco cantes and flamenco-style songs, sprinkled with piano arrangements which, at the same time, she does for herself. Silhouetted in red satin and very aware of the stage, she performed her way everything from tangos to cantiñas, with seguiriyas and bulerías in between, among other styles. But the way she really made the audience fall in love with her was by winking and looking straight at the local crowd, singing to them in French and por bulerías a song which appealed to Bohemianism.
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