TRIANA AND THE MONTOYA FAMILY
Fernando González-Caballos

Thursday, July 5th, 2001
Mont de Marsan. France
Montoya Family

Like last year in Seville's Bienal de Arte Flamenco, the Montoya family shared the bill in Mont-de-Marsan with today's most dynamic female singers from Jerez.

Antonia la Negra opened the night with alegrías, while the rest of the family backed her up in the choruses. La Negra went on with bulerías "pa' escuchar" (for listening) and included several verses of Spanish popular music.

© J.M. TINARRAGE/CG40

The recital took a detour to Granada with tangos in which the whole family participated. The verses came and went while the chorus of voices decaffeinated the cantes. Angelita Montoya thanked the audience and the organizers for the vote of confidence with a speech delivered in French. After that she went into bulerias, in 'la' on five, inserting a fandango into the 12-beat compás.

Then came Carmelilla's dance por soleá. Eugenio Iglesias and El Fiti marked the way for Angelita with their guitars so she could lead her cousin to the Triana hangout, leaving her alone for a heelwork solo which is becoming a classic.

Fortunately, La Negra came up again with some short form bulerías putting things in order. The audience showed its gratitude although the best was yet to come.

OLE MONT-DE-MARSAN AND LONG LIVE JEREZ!
Fernando González-Caballos

Thursday, July 5th, 2001
Mont de Marsan, France
La Paquera and La Macanita

Compás, presence, and a well-aged quality is the best way to describe an art which is not common in just any part of the world, but in Jerez de la Frontera, yes. Which is why, when Francisca Méndez Garrido, La Paquera de Jerez, appeared on the stage of Mont-de-Marsan's Café Cantante, the temperature rose several degrees. Her fellow countrywoman la Macanita, had just offered an anthological recital in which she sang tonás, soleá - on seven in 'la' - tangos, malagueñas - those of la Trini and el Mellizo, ending with jaberas - and bulerías of Santiago, with its classic verse "duérmete Curro mío de mis entrañas, que eres lo más bonito que hay en España" [go to sleep little Curro of my heart, you're the most beautiful thing there is in Spain].

© J.M. TINARRAGE/CG40

Gregorio, Chicharrito, and El Méndez were entrusted with bringing the mini-environment of San Miguel to the south of France, so that La Paquera could warm up with soleá in her accustomed way - standing up, clutching a chair which looked as though it was going to fall apart at any moment. "The tientos-tangos I'm going to sing now, I would like to dedicate to some friends of mine who came all the way from San Sebastián just to hear me". With seguiriya she got down to the nitty-gritty of Jerez' cradle of cante evoking Curro Durse, El Marrurro and - in the closing verse - Juanichi el Manijero. The audience could hardly believe its eyes and ears, as Francisca got going with some fandangos, working the spectators into a frenzy. Incredible! How can anyone possibly sing like that at her age? "Let's go down to Jerez Parrilla". The maestro's strumming por bulerías gave the foundation for the singer to belt out her trademark "ali, ali, ali, andaaa, ole, arsa y tomaa", getting the more than 600 members of the audience to their feet. Paquera de Jerez is the model for a kind of cante that we won't be able to enjoy when she's gone. Which is why many of us would be capable of going to the ends of the earth in order to be taken to the brink as we were last night.

© J.M. TINARRAGE/CG40

In the closing fiesta she asked Macano's daughter to come up, explaining "Santiago and San Miguel are two neighborhoods in Jerez where they sing like nowhere else on earth. So my niece la Macanita is going to sing cante from Santiago, and me, from San Miguel, for everyone. Ole Mont-de-Marsan and long live Jerez!" The women from Jerez took turns singing and ended up with a little bulerías dance exiting while the audience was completely overcome by so much art all in one place.

Translation: Estela Zatania