| Martín
Guijarro, December 2006
People go away, but art goes on. And sometimes there are still
mementos concealed in the drawers. Chocolate
passed away over a year ago, but his skilled art
went down in flamenco history. And his posthumous
work was hidden in Ricardo Pachón’s
archives. With the title ‘Cobre viejo’,
the producer has recovered ten cantes the cantaor
recorded at Sound Production Studios in Seville
in 1999, two years before the release of his last
album, ‘Mis 70 años con el cante’.
'Cobre
viejo'. Excerpt from booklet
The album is recorded old-style
– just with Diego Amaya on guitar –
in the course of a session in which, luckily,
the cantaor’s comments haven’t been
edited about each cante, flamenco, maestros and
other jokes. And that enriches a record already
valuable in itself. With his voice at the top
of its form, on this album Chocolate performs
the repertoire which he cultivated over decades
devoted to cante. From his early days in the rooms
of La Alameda in Seville until his farewell, receiving
tributes at the best festivals, always guided
by the legacy of maestros such as Los Caganchos
and Tomás
Pavón.
Of the cantes from the forge,
he performs the debla, and the seguiriya twice.
Also, a couple of soleares and his personal fandangos
loaded with folk philosophy, some malagueñas
and a taranto. And to finish, a bloodcurdling
recitative in which he announces its end. All
of this indispensable, wise, deep music sees the
light in a well-wrought edition accompanied by
a booklet illustrated with black-and-white photos;
with texts by Carlos Lencero and Manuel Barrios
in Spanish, English and French; and the lyrics
of all the cantes. ‘Cobre viejo’ pays
a well-deserved tribute to one of the greats of
flamenco cante... who has to live on.
'Cobre
viejo'. Excerpt from booklet
Contents
Antonio
Núñez Montoya ‘Chocolate’
dies in Seville
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