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Sunday,
August 13th.
XV Festival de Cante de Las Minas. La Union.
Dark yet enlightened flamenco
Agujetas and El Cabrero opened the gala serving as tribute
to Juanito Valderrama
Agujetas
First full house at the ancient modernist market for the gala at the equator
of the XL Festival de Las Minas, dedicated to its initial promoter Juan Valderrama.
After a session in which the protagonists had all recently turned 30 (Terremoto,
Dorantes and El Pipa), came another of flamenco of undetermined age. It was a
night with a full moon which started with two strange creatures of the flamenco
scene, with indubitable and different forms of art and mastership.
Agujetas
"No creerse que yo soy gitano ni na, esto es del sol, yo soy americano"
( Not to believe that I am a gypsy, that's from taking too much sun; I mean,
yeah right, I'm an American )
Agujetas
Agujetas is quite funny, but when he opens his mouth to sing, then he is something
else; he is visceral and full of surprises and wild. He said what's written above
after his "seguiriyas lacherneras", in which he threw out his only echo: "I am
a bit ugly, but I sing well" and he then announced some "bulerias pa escucha"
(bulerias to be listened to). In this way, he repeated "por solea", and also "por
fandangos", and he also left a couple of "seguiriyas on the way", five "cantes"
in total with Antonio Soto accompanying him as best as he could with his guitar.
El Cabrero
El Cabrero
El Cabrero wasn't referring to Agujetas when he appeared on stage with these
powerful maxims: "If there are dollars, there will be food, and if there aren't,
then no food". And he followed this up with: "With respect to the cante, I will
begin "por seguiriyas"", which were difficult and fast, with Manuel de Palma struggling
to keep the pace in the background. El Cabrero also came out with a great desire
to sing, "like a pregnant animal wanting to let it out", and also to speak. He
performed four "fandangos", "because the way a car runs best is on four wheels";
you could tell that it's impossible for him to leave out metaphors and comparisons,
which sometimes lead him to be extreme: "When you people say I am the best is
like when people call the duquesa (duchess) de Alba (for those that don't know
her, she is a very ugly woman) pretty". This was followed by two long "soleares"
(with endings performed with great effort, in this case of Utrera) and some "malagueñas"
which were presented by: "Memory is as twisted as a hook". He rises from his chair
and dedicates some "martinetes" to another "cabrero", Miguel Hernandez. As a relief
before the interlude came the young local bailaora (flamenco dancer) -born in
Murcia, but living in Alicante- Nadia Marquez, with the "sarabaresque" freshness
that her 18 years of age give her.
Nadia Márquez
Juanito Valderrama
Juanito Valderrama
A few more years are the ones that Juanito Valderrama has lived. He will come
out of the festival that pays tribute to him with a book published and an album
recorded, as well as with the emotion of the heartfelt meeting with his old friends.
The anthological review of his career which he presented in a bit over an hour,
threaded by his always cordial comments (after saying that he has 62 types of
"fandangos" that have been recorded, he asked for permission to sing four of them),
will soon be released. Accompanied by his loyal followers Luis Calderito and the
young pearl form Estepona Daniel Casares, he did not forget the review of all
the "cantes levantinos", and the principal moment came with the "seguiriya de
cambio" of Manuel Molina, a suffocating one, which Juan performed so well at the
age of 84 and with the eyes of a child.
Juanito Valderrama
Luis Clemente
Translation: Pekka Odriozola
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