Antón Jiménez, Vicente Cortés, Juan Antonio Suárez, José Manuel León
and Jesús de Rosario all take part in the project

Flamenco-world.com

Gerardo Núñez presents the alternative to flamenco guitar's 'usual suspects'. The guitarist from Jerez, all too aware of the pitfalls surrounding the recording industry, has produced an album featuring five young newcomers, to be released in January 2003 on the German label ACT Company. Antón Jiménez, Vicente Cortés, Juan Antonio Suárez, José Manuel León and Jesús de Rosario all offer fine demonstrations of their personal visions of flamenco guitar on 'Gerardo Núñez presenta: La nueva escuela de la guitarra flamenca' (Gerardo Núñez presents: The new school of flamenco guitar). The project has been hatched with a tour in mind, and with the aim of establishing an ongoing commitment.

José Manuel León with Carmen Linares and Gerardo Núñez Trío
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

"What led me to take on this project -The new school of flamenco guitar- is a personal need as a guitarist and musician to present the work of these young guitarists. They're individuals who are faced with grave difficulties in getting their work heard, but who nonetheless continue to study and practice fervently. Given this situation I feel an obligation to give them the break they need to show the world their creations and dreams, simply because our generation never had that backing." With these words, Gerardo Núñez presents the raison d'être of 'Gerardo Núñez presenta: La nueva escuela de la guitarra flamenca'. The guitarist, who features only on the closing seguiriyas 'Rosa de los vientos', produces a quintet of guitarists united in their work but distinct in their approaches.

José Manuel León opens the album. The guitarist who played alongside Carmen Linares and Gerardo Núñez Trío at the presentation of 'Un ramito de locura' at Madrid's Teatro Real, plays the fandangos entitled 'Algáida', the tanguillos 'Kabul' and the soleá 'Bajadilla'. On the first two tracks he's accompanied on electric bass by Martín García.

Next up is Antón Jiménez. The madrileño guitarist plays the soleá por bulerías entitled 'Chiquitita', the bulerías 'Homenaje a mi padre' and the rondeña 'Su remancharengue'. The artist, who has accompanied performances by the likes of Joaquín Cortés, Diego el Cigala, Potito and Remedios Amaya, chooses a daring multi-instrumental approach on the bulería, accompanied among others by Piraña on cajón, Tom Auffarth on electric bass, Cortina on keyboards and Fernando Fabier on percussion.

Canito with Falo (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Juan Antonio Suárez, Cano, contributes three songs to the disc: 'Rumba do nilo', 'Arboreá a mi hermano' and 'Luna', accompanied only by his guitar. The tocaor from Barcelona oozes the savoir-faire which has been his passport to playing alongside leading figures such as Merche Esmeralda and Belén Maya. And his talent as a songwriter has already been amply demonstrated in shows like 'El almaire de los gitanos', 'Trilogía' and 'Orestes en Lisboa'.

Also from Madrid, Jesús de Rosario, who composed the score for Sara Baras's 'Juana la Loca: Vivir por amor', contributes two songs. On the bulerías entitled 'Rajira' his guitar is enriched by zapateado from the heels of Juan de Juan, and on the rondeña 'Blanca' it's sweetened by Raúl Márquez's violin. Last but by no means least, Vicente Cortés from Barcelona contributes the rumba 'Lya', accompanied on bass by Pablo Martín, one of the members of the Gerardo Núñez Trio.

Two other artists make a noteworthy contribution to the album. Firstly Cepillo, who not only plays percussion on most tracks, but is also the co-producer. And secondly bailaora Carmen Cortés, whose handclaps can be heard here and there, but who also takes on the role of production assistant on this project - a project whose second volume is already in the pipeline, and which will form the basis of a forthcoming tour.

magazine@flamenco-world.com