José Antonio Rodríguez plans a new recording

The Córdoba guitarist collaborates in the latest CAD production "La Leyenda"

Silvia Calado Olivo

Towards the end of August, José Antonio Rodríguez will be back in the studio, but with little hope of the recording being commercially distributed. The Córdoba guitarist is preparing a new release to follow up "Callejón de las flores" and "Manhattan de la frontera". He also recently finished his arrangement and composition of the music for "La Leyenda", which the Compañía Andaluza de Danza (CAD) will present in the Bienal de Flamenco in Seville in 2002. There are plans to release a recording of the music that accompanies the production.

José Antonio Rodríguez reacts with skepticism when talking about the possibility of commercially recording the compositions he is working on. The guitarist -awarded in the contests of Córdoba, Jerez and La Unión- explains, "I'm going to record a concert for guitar and orchestra that I did last year at the Córdoba contest. It's about Picasso's blue period".

José Antonio Rodríguez

He doubts that it will ever be distributed, because "at this time, record companies aren't interested in anything that we don't already know about". Rodríguez states that it is not a matter of apprehension: "That's how it used to be, when your last resort was to do all the work for them. Now it's different. It's a question of... Let's just call it luck." He goes on to say, "These companies want to make money, and flamenco doesn't make money". In his opinion, one of the factors contributing to this situation is that "unfortunately, two or three recordings have sold very well, and they've buried the few labels that were dedicated to flamenco". He concludes, saying that "quality and curriculum aren't enough to get recorded".

If this recording is issued, it will be the third by this artist, along with "Callejón de las flores" (Pasarela, 1989) and "Manhattan de la frontera" (Discos Arte/BMG, 1999). His first effort "Calahorra", from 1985, was produced by the Córdoba savings bank CajaSur, but was never released.

As a composer for dance arrangements, he has collaborated in productions like "Tiempo, amor y muerte" by the Granada dancer Mario Maya. Between January and June of 2002, José Antonio Rodríguez worked on the music for the latest production of the Compañía Andaluza de Danza. His collaboration in the past with the company includes "Requiem" and "El Jaleo". This most recent production, "La leyenda", will premiere on September 10, 2002 in the Seville Teatro de la Maestranza, as part of the XII Bienal de Flamenco. He modestly acknowledges that "the music might be issued on CD".

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