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Tablao, flamenco which evolves
Silvia Calado Olivo
The key to understanding flamenco as an art in constant evolution is kept
at Tablao. The new label devoted to flamenco is guardian of the legacy salvaged
by BMG of the unique Spanish record company Columbia/Alhambra and at the same
time, a musical anagram which from its outset has sought to be a jumping-off point
for new productions. The bridges between historical voices such as those of Manolo
Caracol or Antonio Mairena, and current voices such as those of Diego El Cigala
and Esperanza Fernández, have already been constructed. And the doors to
the future are open...
Historic perspective
'Momentos Cumbre' [high points]
"Antología del cante flamenco y cante
gitano"
Sixth edition of Córdoba's Concurso Nacional
de Arte Flamenco
Betting on the present...and the future: Esperanza
Fernández, Diego El Cigala and El Sorbo
Historic perspective
With the re-release of the 'Antología del Cante Flamenco y Cante Gitano'
which under of the direction of Antonio Mairena came out in 1965, of the Sixth
edition of Córdoba's Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco, thirty years after
it was held, and the collection 'Momentos Cumbre', Tablao signs its commitment
to the past. This line of work feeds on the unparalleled sound library inherited
not only from Columbia/Alhambra, but also RCA, Vergara, Zafiro and Ariola, whose
catalogs are currently incorporated into the sphere of BMG.
The list, where quality and quantity are not at odds, begins with Manolo Caracol,
Antonio Mairena, Antonio El Bailarín, Niño Ricardo and Sabicas,
not to mention Niña de la Puebla, Fosforito, Fernanda y Bernarda, Melchor
de Marchena, La Perla de Cádiz, Diego del Gastor, El Lebrijano, Terremoto,
Paco de Lucía, José Menese, Sordera, Serranito, Chano Lobato y Manolo
Sanlúcar, and branches out into innovators such as Camarón de la
Isla, Diego Carrasco and Raimundo Amador. And that's only from the Columbia source.
From the RCA collection the musical testimony of Caracol, up to Menese's most
intense moments and Diego Carrasco's first stirrings of 'new flamenco' are worthwhile.
From the Zafiro company, included on labels such as Montilla and Iberofón,
there are major works by Sabicas and Mario Escudero, Perla de Cádiz, Perrate
de Utrera, La Sayago and Enrique Morente. Agujetas' echo appears on the Raíces
label and CFE. Ariola, under the direction of the writer José Manuel Caballero
Bonald, has a representative sampling of the seventies in a catalog which is both
retrospective and timely where names such as Turronero, Manuel Genera or Diego
Clavel stand out. From Vergara, thanks to intensive investigative efforts also
coordinated by Caballero Bonald, emerge echoes of the past represented by Diego
del Gastor, Manolito de María, Joselero de Morón and El Borrico.
High points
From an initial sampling of this grab bag chosen by José Manuel Gamboa,
we get 'Momentos cumbre de los grandes maestros del cante flamenco', [high points
of the great maestros of cante flamenco], a collection of three records where
"there is no criteria other than to offer the listener a sampler of the voices
and guitars of supreme quality that make up the richest existing catalog of flamenco
music on record". Among these remastered pieces there are jewels to be found
such as the first soleá recorded by Fernanda de Utrera, the bulería
which was her sister Bernarda's debut, the original version of campanilleros which
brought fame to La Niña de la Puebla, the well-known fandangos of Pepe
Aznalcóllar, the last recordings of Manolo Caracol and Manuel Vallejo,
key recordings of La Repompa, Rancapino, Enrique Morente or Manolo Sanlúcar,
the bambera Naranjito de Triana recorded with Paco de Lucía, Porrinas de
Badajoz' and Niño Ricardo's version of Ojos Verdes, the voices of La Negra,
Chano Lobato, Bambino... And on and on, to make sixty.
'Antología del cante flamenco y cante gitano'
As letter of presentation to this historic anthology, Antonio Mairena's controversial
work with which in 1965 he sought to illustrate his simplistic black and white
theory of the bad non-gypsy and the good gypsy will also see the light. Conflicts
aside, the anthology is today considered "one of the treasures of flamenco
recording to which we owe the revelation of artists such as La Periñaca,
Tío José de Paula, Rosalía de Triana, Aurelio Sellés
and Juan Talega". These artists recorded between 1958 and 1965, under the
direction of Antonio Mairena who "was in charge of selecting the cantes and
singers, as well as the eventual selection of recordings". As a curiosity,
in the re-release José Manuel Gamboa and Pedro Calvo emphasize that "all
the artists recorded with no rehearsal because Mairena wanted it that way".
And they concluded, "listening to the magnificent results, he doesn't seem
to have been off-base."
'VI Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba'
Coinciding with its thirtieth anniversary Tablao also presents the recording
of the Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba which captures the
artists who won the main prizes in 1971, the year in which the sixth edition was
held and the Premio Silverio was set up to be awarded to the most complete singer
to participate in the contest. Beni de Cádiz was the artist honored and
is one of the individuals who gives shape to this discographic compendium along
with Diego Camacho, Pedro Lavado, Naranjito de Triana, Calixto Sánchez,
Jesús Heredia, Alfredo Arrebola, Serranito, Curro Fernández, Curro
Malena, Paquera de Jerez and Ricardo Miño.
Betting on the present...and the future: Esperanza Fernández,
Diego El Cigala and El Sorbo
In the firm conviction that they are "a product of the times and must
bet on the present", Tablao has accepted the challenge of picking out "the
most notable talents of today's flamenco destined to make history". In that
direction, for the moment, the label's contemporary character is based on two
pillars: Esperanza Fernández and Diego El Cigala.
'Esperanza Fernández' is a product of the Seville singer's debut in
the recording studios. Far from being synonymous with lack of experience, this
reflects the rock-solid career of this artist who was broken in with live performances,
not only in the most traditional jondo venues, but also in numerous tangential
experiments with other musical genres such as jazz, classical or contemporary
music.
For Diego El Cigala however, 'Corren tiempos de alegría' [the good times
are flowing] is already his third recording. And on it "that sort of Prince
of the Flea Market" portrayed on the cover, offers a varied and clean-cut
work with a type of flamenco, part sedate, part festive, colored with the Latin
flavors of Jerry González and Bebo Valdés.
The triumvirate is completed with 'El Sorbo', a project of Javier Limón
and Niño Josele "which explores other sounds, backed up by young stars
of contrasting backgrounds". In addition to the pair of cantaores which the
label has made its symbols, El Potito, Montse Cortés, Bernardo Parrilla,
José El Francés, El Paquete, Piraña and Chaleco participate
in this "flamenco vision of the tonal harmonic system". And that's just
a preview. The future of Tablao is yet to come.
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