 |
|
|
|
TOP 10 FLAMENCO-WORLD.COM 2010: CD • DVD •
BOOKS
A new balance
Flamenco-world.com, December 2010
Translation: Joseph Kopec
If last year flamenco suffered
the various crises affecting the record industry, consumption,
public coffers and life in general, in 2010 it has had to
adapt to the new rules of the game. Prudence and continence
have been the prevailing notes this year, as far as records
are concerned. Artists of proven success like José
Mercé, Diego el Cigala and Tomatito were true to
the predictions, leading Flamenco-world.com’s TOP
10 sales chart. But a new artist “cut in” amongst
them; guitarist Diego del Morao with his début album
‘Orate’. Enrique
Morente, Cañizares, Marina Heredia, Juan Carlos
Romero, Camarón’s last concert and ‘Hands’
by Habichuela and Holland complete the list. Educational
editions prevail both on DVD and in books, with some exceptions
in live audiovisuals and informational texts. The conclusion
is that the dissemination and recording of today’s
flamenco is indeed declining. Between all of us - including
UNESCO - will we be able to bring about its recovery?
| CD. Top 10 Flamenco-world.com
2010 |
José Mercé, 'Ruido' (Photo EMI
Music) |
|
Let the notice be posted up front that both the number of
flamenco albums released and that of copies sold continue
to decline. You know, the unpunished illegal downloads and
the crisis of the crisis. Even so, there are artists who,
with outside record companies or even their own labels,
manage to release new albums as well as a blessed audience
who loves them and buys them. Adding it all up, the ten
most loved and most purchased ones at Flamenco-world.com’s
online store in 2010 were above all by acclaimed artists,
with guitar carrying much of the weight and a couple of
positions for young flamenco.
Heading the list is José
Mercé with ‘Ruido’, an album which,
despite the several delays in its release date, was patiently
awaited by the public. The Jerez-born cantaor once again
combined classical cante with flamenco-style songs, including
a version of ‘Nana de la cebolla’ by Miguel
Hernández. Second place is occupied by Tomatito with
‘Sonanta
suite’, an album which won the 2010 Flamenco Latin
Grammy. And it’s an encounter which, after coming
about live, the Almería-born guitarist recorded with
the National Orchestra of Spain revolving around his songs
and his usual repertoire. The year’s revelation “cuts
in” at third place. Diego
del Morao, who so many had their sights set on, débuts
with ‘Orate’, a record released by Cigala Music.
And it is precisely his mentor who is in fourth place with
the disc ‘Cigala
y tango’, turning up a notch the formula of ‘Lágrimas
negras’, but replacing bolero with Argentine tango.
Cañizares, 'Cuerdas
del alma'
(Photo © Amancio Guillén) |
Enrique Morente, 'Morente Flamenco'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
The fifth slot goes to another guitar record,
the long-awaited new flamenco album by Cañizares,
‘Cuerdas
del alma’, after delving into the classical work
of Isaac Albéniz. The following is the now classic
recovery of Camarón, this time, the live recording
of his last concert. It took place on January 25th, 1992
at the auditorium of Colegio Mayor San Juan Evangelista
in Madrid. Seventh on the list is Enrique
Morente with ‘Morente flamenco’, the first
of two records he came out with in the past year with previously
unreleased cante recorded live throughout his career. Now
that he is no longer here, they’re jewels.
Marina Heredia, 'Marina'
(Photo Marinaheredia.com) |
|
The other representative of young flamenco
is Marina
Heredia, who reached eighth place with ‘Marina’,
an album with classical cante and song-style flamenco with
a strong Granada accent. The fourth guitar title situated
in the TOP 10 is ‘Agua encendida’ by Huelva-born
Juan
Carlos Romero, a disc with sophisticated scores for
solo guitar, sprinkled with collaborations such as those
of Mercé and La Susi. And the list is closed by Granada-born
maestro Pepe
Habichuela, also on guitar, in the dialogue with jazz
player Dave Holland which they have called ‘Hands’.
More albums
As ‘Española’
by Niño Josele was released in late 2009, it has
been during this year when it made its way to fans, reaching
figures which would have put it on the list. Among the next
ten best-selling albums of 2010 at Flamenco-world.com’s
online store, there are several anthologies. Some of them
are new, like the ‘Vivencias’ box set with all
of Vicente
Amigo, and others just don a new format, like the new
comprehensive collections of Camarón and Paco
de Lucía. And there are also generalist compilations
like ‘Los 100 mejores cantes’, selected from
Universal’s archives by Faustino Núñez.
An educational title has caught fans’
attention: ‘Técnicas de guitarra’ (‘Guitar
Techniques’) by Pedro Sierra. Of the young artists,
remaining just off the list although they had considerable
success with the public, were discs like ‘Las minas
de Egipto’ by Argentina and ‘A tiempo’
by Rosario la Tremendita. On guitar, ‘Respira!’
by Juan Diego stands out. And there is also a title which,
due to its posthumous nature, remains here: ‘Terremoto’
by Fernando
Terremoto. With him performing it in this world, who
knows if it wouldn’t have been the number one in the
TOP 10, a well-rounded album. And the same thing as what
happened to ‘Española’ on this occasion
will surely occur next time with some of the most recently
released discs, most probably with ‘Olé y amén’
by Pitingo and ‘Piano Ibérico’ by Chano
Domínguez.
| DVD.
Top 10 Flamenco-world.com 2010 |
The TOP 10 DVDs are split between educational titles and
those of live flamenco. The former include the best-selling
one, ‘La guitarra flamenca de Miguel
Ángel Corté’, a new title in the
Encuentro series which in previous seasons devoted its
workshops on video to other guitarists such as Moraíto,
Gerardo Núñez and Tomatito. Along the same
lines, second place on the list is occupied by ‘Estudios
progresivos para guitarra flamenca’ (‘Progressive
Studies for Flamenco Guitar’) by Iranian guitarist
Mehdi Mohagheghi. Regarding baile, the most demanded title
was ‘Cómo aprender la técnica del
zapateado’ (‘How to Learn Heel Tapping Technique’)
by Mara Martínez, a DVD released in Japan which
is in seventh place. And closing the list is the educational
audiovisual ‘Palmas por palos’ (‘Clapping
by Style’) by Jerónimo Utrilla.
Israel Galván
(Frame from DVD 'Una llama viva') |
Antonio Canales, 'Torero'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
Live flamenco is the second type of audiovisual prevailing
on the list of the year’s best-selling DVDs. Third
on the list is ‘Todo
Pitingo’ which, besides his first three CDs,
contains a DVD with the entire concert he offered at the
2009 San Sebastián Jazz Festival. In fourth place
is the first installment of the television program ‘Una
llama viva’, which Canal Sur Televisión
broadcast at the beginning of the decade, directed by
José Luis Ortiz Nuevo. On those four DVDs there
are seguiriyas by Terremoto, fandangos by Arcángel
and tangos by Potito, among other performances. The re-release
of ‘Torero’ by Antonio Canales is in the middle
of the list, the DVD of a now classic flamenco dancing
show.
In the sixth slot, although it was already part of a
compilation box set, is ‘Reencuentro.
Camarón en imágenes’, which gathers
on a single DVD a selection of eleven of the cantaor’s
videos coming from the archives of Spanish public television.
Appearing in eighth place is ‘Coplas del querer.
En directo desde el Liceu de Barcelona’ by Miguel
Poveda which contains the audiovisual of that special
concert presenting the album on which he revises the history
of Spanish song, as well as music videos and other contents.
And one slot behind is the audiovisual version of ‘Cigala
& Tango’, recorded at the Gran Rex in Buenos
Aires. The novelty of this ninth product in the TOP 10,
which includes the concert plus a documentary, is that
it is the first one of the flamenco genre which has been
released on Blu-ray. More discs are scheduled to come
out in this format in 2011 and even in 3D.
| Books.
Top 10 Flamenco-world.com 2010 |
Educational titles are clearly a big hit
in the TOP 10 best-selling books in 2010 at Flamenco-world.com.
And more specifically, those methods and scores aimed at
guitar students. The top five best-sellers are shared between
instructors Paul Martínez and David
Leiva with different tools for study and improvement.
Some of them are specific, like ‘Acordes
flamencos 500 diagramas’ and ‘Rasgueado
flamenco power training’. And others are generalist,
like ‘Método de la guitarra flamenca desde
el compás’, ‘Guía de la guitarra
flamenca’ and, in seventh place on the list, ‘Tratado
académico de la guitarra flamenca’ by Manuel
Granados. The second slot, however, is occupied by a book
for students in the three categories, ‘Método
de cante y baile flamenco y su acompañamiento’,
which includes basic melodic lines of cante and structures
of traditional baile in scores. Also highly demanded during
the season was ‘Estudio de estilo’ by Niño
Ricardo, which delves into the scores of the Sevillian
toque maestro. With a view to tocaores, achieving good success,
reaching eighth place, is the sheet music book ‘Calle
del flamenco. Seguiriyas’, which includes a hundred
falsetas by twenty different guitarists in that style.
Borrico (Photo Libro-CD '100 años de
Tío Gregorio el Borrico') |
|
As is becoming usual, reading books are
diminishing year after year on the list of best-sellers.
With the incentive of a CD with previously unreleased cantes,
the book paying tribute ‘Cien años de Tío
Gregorio El Borrico’ reaches the ninth slot. And last
on the list is the book-catalogue of the photo exhibit ‘Prohibido
el cante’, a deluxe edition with a canvas cover, with
a selection of pictures signed by international authors
throughout the 20th century and which has been exhibited
at museums like the Andalusian Contemporary Art Center in
Seville. Outside of the TOP 10, worthy of mention is a book
which should have received more attention from enthusiasts,
‘Rafael
Romero. ¡Cantes de época!’ de José
Manuel Gamboa, with the extra of a double alphabetical
anthology on CD of the centenarian cante maestro. And as
a curiosity, highly demanded as a gift this Christmas, the
recipe book in which flamencos have become chefs, ‘Cante
y baile en la cocina’ by Aurora San José in
a limited edition illustrated by Jordi Rollán.
Wishes for 2011
While this TOP 10 closes, Spanish politicians
are redesigning a law which regulates the downloads of cultural
contents on the Internet. If it ends up being passed and
finally puts an end to the unpunished plundering which is
so deeply hurting music like flamenco, it is likely that
the next sales chart we put together at Flamenco-world.com
will again reflect multiplications and not divisions, as
it did early in the decade. May artists once again have
the chance to record, may the record companies see releasing
flamenco as feasible, may the public once again value music
as a product, like the prized good that it always was, and
may flamenco’s historical catalogue not end up being
lost; these are our wishes for 2011.
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
 |
CD. José Mercé,
'Ruido'
More
information, audio, orders
|
|
 |
| |
 |
CD. Tomatito,
'Sonanta suite'
More
information, audio, orders |
|
|
|
 |
CD. Diego del Morao,
'Orate'
More
information, audio, orders |
|
|
|
 |
CD. Tomatito, 'Sonanta
suite'
More
information, audio, orders |
|
|
|
 |
CD. Cañizares,
'Cuerdas del alma'
More
information, audio, orders |
|
|
|
|
|
José Mercé
Biography, discography, audio and readers'
comments
|
|
|
|
