From the caves of tomorrow

Silvia Calado Olivo. Madrid, November, 2002

Maybe twenty million people will never say 'I was there' as in the French spring of 1968. But the metaphor of Gran Wyoming (multitalented Spanish personality who is not only a showman, musician and actor and one of the '18 wiseguys' , but also knows how to do palmas for bulerías), serves the purpose of underlining the relevance of 'Diego el Cigala con Niño Josele', the Madrid singer's live recording made at the capital's Teatro Real.

With a straight face the master of ceremonies presented a work which "precisely captures last July's performance, with no gimmicks of any kind, that historic event" as "flamenco puro". Such an undertaking was not without risk. Javier Limón who produced the record explains that "we put all our bets on a single card, when the usual procedure is to record direct throughout an entire concert tour: it could have been a piece of shit, or even no record at all. With something so simple as Niño Josele having lowered the second string, it would all have been worthless. We were blessed".

Inspiration? Serenity? Self-assurance? According to Diego el Cigala these were the three factors that made possible the recording despite the fact that "the Teatro Real is rather daunting". Both the singer and the guitarist were "happy, focused, feeling good", which combined with the mutual comprehension shared by the two made for an easy job even though there was little preparation. El Cigala recounts "we spent a couple of days holed up to pick out themes from the last three records and adapt them to live performance. I'm not one of these people who spends hours rehearsing. And me and José know each other so well I can't start rehearsing a bulerías with him". The outcome was that "in a half hour we prepared the record. We mentalized ourselves that we had to go out and do it, I let myself be carried away by the inspiration, the serenity and the self-assurance". As Wyoming adds: "This is the only record that lasts longer than its preparation".

Niño Josele maintains that the secret behind that special communication is in the eye contact: "For a guitarist, to accompany Diego is a challenge because when this man sings he's very influenced by his state of mind. Sometimes he might be sad, other times happier, other times nervous... He never does the verses the same, he changes them around, suddenly does a new turn of the melody, ends ahead of time... And since he takes so many risks, you really have to be on top of the situation to know where he's going. You can't relax or fall asleep. And what I really like is when he's singing, to look into his eyes to take the cue. It's a kind of trust or faith in the other person, since the look says everything, that's where he expresses what he wants to say. That can only happen when you really like the singer a lot and you feel at ease with him. Diego has those qualities, that beautiful vocal timbre and that thing that really touches your soul. When he lets out an 'ay' and it comes from his heart, I have to reciprocate. That chord has to stab people's souls the same time he does".

Photo: Daniel Muñoz

The success of this first experience foretells of future projects. Javier Limón believes that "all flamenco records should be recorded live, even if they're in a studio". Nevertheless, he realizes that "the studio affords some very nice creative possibilities". Diego el Cigala and his producer agree on the method: "Make studio productions, and every third recording more or less - in this case you've got 'Undebel', 'Entre vareta y canasta' and 'Corren tiempos de alegría' - do a live recording to show how that's presented to the general public. You can't make all recordings live because there wouldn't be enough material, you have to gather material, compositions and repertoire to record live".

Modern art

This dynamic manifestation confirms the theories put forth by Gran Wyoming in the course of the record's presentation in one of the Teatro Real's stately rooms. 'Diego el Cigala con Niño Josele' is "a very instructive record, because it shows real flamenco without having to go to the museum". And it shows that "flamenco isn't a relic but a sort of music done by contemporary artists we can go out and have a beer with, but with the same attitude as in the caves of Altamira" (the place where, according to the speaker, the genre originated). And he pointed out the importance of the event - not without first criticizing the lack of interest ordinary Spaniards have in this art, and by contrast, praising the interest shown by great artists from other countries such as Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz or Alicia Keys - imploring those present to appreciate what they have: "Let's enjoy it, let's rise above the mediocrity!".

And to make it all easy, Diego el Cigala and Niño Josele came down from the stage to offer a taste of what is contained in the record: flamenco with no additives...which doesn't imply any sort of limitation. Javier Limón remembers how "one week earlier he was singing in the Salamanca bull-ring with Giovanni Hidalgo, Paquito D'Ribera, Bebo Valdés... The best band of Latin jazz! Twenty musicians without a single guitar. And the following week he was singing in the Teatro Real with only a guitar. Not many artists have that kind of versatility, because you have to be very gypsy and very pure and very flamenco, and at the same time, be a very good musician". Yes yes, but never before sunset. He sang a little soleá, he sang fandangos, he sang bulerías...but "what a drag so early in the day!".

revista@flamenco-world.com