SONIQUETE, FLAMENCO GROUP. SPECIAL FEATURE
Passing… and with a good
grade
Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 2010
Translation: Joseph Kopec
Math, Spanish, Earth Science…
and Flamenco. Yes, that’s the extra subject which
some kids from Jerez have studied, now turned into the group
Soniquete. But instead of in a classroom, they had class
at the Peña Terremoto. About five years ago, a workshop
started to be taught there which was enrolled in by boys
and girls who were moreover the children, nephews and nieces
and grandchildren of outstanding local artists, of the Moraos,
Jeros, Sorderas and Parrillas. And amidst the commotion
of the playground, with a lot of self-confidence, Reyes
goes and says that at first, what they went there for was
“snack time!”. But right away the rest, amidst
laughter, add that “instead of going to play ball
or the girls with Barbies, we went to play flamenco”.
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Soniquete,
Festival de Ferez 2010 / Teresa Moreno, Soniquete
/ Manuela Fernández, Soniquete / Ángeles
Cortés 'Junquerita', Soniquete
(Photos Daniel
Muñoz)
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While they were playing, hardly realizing
it, they were studying, taking invisible exams to the bulería
beat and passing their ‘Asignatura flamenca’
(‘Flamenco Course’). And all of them, with a
good grade. So much so, that that’s how they’ve
named their début album. For these very young artists,
all of whom were born in the ’90s, having their album
in their hands is a dream. But, a priori, none of them thought
that he was going to be an artist, be at a recording studio,
join a group, have a disc and already be on stages. Dolores
says so, that “nobody believed in us, not even we
ourselves believed that we were going to come along as far
as we have, but, well, we’re getting there little
by little”. But as Tere emphasizes, they know that
“we still have a lot to learn”.
Manuel de la Chochete
and Fernando Romero, 'Soniquete'
(Photo Daniel
Muñoz) |
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-And what can you listen to on
the album?
-Jesús: There’s
a little pure flamenco from Jerez on the album and a little
flamenco that’s there in the street, the kind that
people our age like.
-Manuel: There’s
a fandango, a soleá…
-Dolores: A rumba…
-Tere: There are bulerías…
-Junquerita: And tangos…
there’s a bit of everything.
-Dolores: It’s an
album for people our age.
-Manuela: But everyone
can buy it; it isn’t just for young people. Everyone
can buy it and listen to it.
-Fernando: Buy it, buy
it, no downloads.
And the truth is that on the album there
might just as easily be straight-out cante as soleá
as fandangos by Manuel de la Chochete, a die-hard fan of
Terremoto, El Serna and Tío Borrico, as really catchy
flamenco pop songs por tangos, rumbas, bulerías,
as a rap with Tomasito-style compás. And the thing
is that these kids like to listen to a bit of everything.
If Dolores is crazy about Remedios Amaya and Alba Molina,
the rest die for Alejandro Sanz and Niña Pastori.
And of course, Jesús and Fernando, the two guitarists,
idolize, among others, “Paco de Lucía, Diego
del Morao, Josemi, Paquete, Niño Jero…
we like them all”. And they especially mention Juan
Diego, who lent them more than help in the recording; as
well as Moraíto, who is the project’s sponsor
and exercised as such when the disc was presented
live at Festival de Jerez 2010.
But the tutor who’s always been on
the job since the first day of the course is Carlos González
Pantoja, who started up the workshop, and at the same time,
the Alendoy Project, committed to spreading flamenco and
gypsy-Andalusian culture amidst young people. And it now
turns out that Tere, Dolores, Junquerita, Fernando, Manuel,
Manuela, Reyes and Jesús are going to be the ‘teachers’
of the new students who want to swap their balls for bulerías,
their Barbies for rumbas, and start to play flamenco.
Jesús,
Ángeles and Fernando, 'Soniquete'
(Photo Daniel
Muñoz) |
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