2006 NÎMES FLAMENCO FESTIVAL. LOS JUNCALES
Diego Carrasco. Moraíto. Manuel Molina. Tomasito

Epic warriors

Silvia Calado. Nîmes, January 27th, 2006

‘Los Juncales’ (‘The Rushes’). Diego Carrasco: guitar and cante. Tomasito: cante and baile. Moraíto: guitar. Manuel Molina: guitar and cante. Bo, Maloko, Juan Grande: rhythm. Théâtre de Nîmes. ‘Juan Diego en concierto’. Juan Diego: guitar. Marcelino Fernández: cante. Dr. Kelly: percussion. Hôtel Atria. Nîmes (France), January 27th, 2006

The flamenco peña from the Jerez neighborhood of Santiago moves to Nîmes. For one night. For a little while. And for the occasion, Los Juncales has selected a never-before gathering of epic jondo warriors. It isn't usual either for Moraíto Chico to play the guitar for Tomasito or for Diego Carrasco to do the rhythm for Manuel Molina. It's not that it isn't usual... it's that it had never happened before. It was no surprise that the gala offered moments of immense flavor, the four artists in question moreover being among the most personal and creative.

Diego Carrasco (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Tomasito (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Tomasito appears. A burst of congeniality in baile, remarks to the beat, and jokes. The magic leaves, but the bulería remains. Moraíto brandishes the guitar. He gets a resounding sound out of the instrument with naturalness. Passages of different tacts, from Jerez tradition to personal idiosyncrasy, summarized in great compositions such as ‘Rocayisa’ from the album ‘Morao, morao’. Another burst by Tomasito makes the transition. Diego Carrasco appears. The guitar flying. Ode to bullfighting for a taurine following. “Silence and gold. Guess which came first: the pigtail, the bull or the matador?” Hardly a touch. He bumps into another flamenco troubadour. Cante, guitar and verse. Manuel Molina takes up the seat at center stage to wail to the heavens. His throat isn't at its best, but the trembling is the same. Reminiscence of the mythical ‘Nuevo día’. Lole Montoya isn't there, but she's there. A jondo poet who passes judgment: “You have to sing truly... neither well, nor badly”.

(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Taking over is Diego Carrasco, equipped with Tate's guitar and an exquisite selection of his songs. El Cachorro told me... Under the lettuce leaf... Glass of black light... He dreams of the bird's flight... His voice raspy, deep. The rhythm up front. Just the right chords. And then another ‘juncal’ comes in. Moraíto joins the party. Through Lebrija. The music grows. And the troubadour can fly freely around the stage. Ssssssshhhhh. “Above all, I prefer silence”. Tomasito comes in now to stay. He gives away a few of his songs in acoustic. From ‘Soleá punk’ to ‘Torrotrón’. The performance of the ‘boy robot’ has a magical effect on the crowd. The ambience now calls on the grand finale. The chemistry between the four ‘juncales’ converges. The one who plays, dances. The one who dances, plays. The warriors, all for one: for flamenco. And Santiago in Nîmes.

Juan Diego, music for the soul

	Juan Diego (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The Nîmes Flamenco Festival tested a new format. It chose the auditorium of the Hôtel Atria to schedule its first midnight concert. And Juan Diego opened the stage. The Jerez-born guitarist took advantage of the occasion to premiere some of the new songs live that he's recording in the United States for what will be his second album. Those pieces sounded calm, with dimension. His music defines itself more and more as a balm for the soul. The harmony work unhurriedly developed by this flamenco artist, together with Musiquita, is bearing as its fruit compositions of great scope and innovation within today's toque scene. It's a long wait till the release of his album. The novelties are inserted between the repertoire of ‘Luminaria’, pure clay he models smoothly which slips between his fingers and escapes with a life of its own. Accompanying him was Córdoba-born cantaor Marcelino Fernández, settled in Jerez with a sugary quejío. With the minimum elements, at least apparently, he wove together a concert which shied away from exhibition at every step, requiring an effort of complicity with an audience seeking something beyond the easy, the shallow. An emotional, well-rounded, intimate, expressive performance that places Juan Diego one step beyond flamenco guitar.

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