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Martín Guijarro
Translation: Gary Cook
The guitar
of Gerardo
Núñez seeks and finds, is nourished
and grows. It's been a while since the musician
from Jerez visited the recording studio to extend
his own discography. He has been busy composing,
though, and he hasn't stopped giving live performances
for a minute. ‘Andando el tiempo’
- Time passing - is a collection of all those
songs that have sprung up since the release of
‘Calima’, songs so often played but
as yet unrecorded. Impregnated by the language
of jazz but never loosening his grip on the spirit
of flamenco, Gerardo Núñez presents
one of the sturdiest offerings the contemporary
flamenco guitar scene has seen. With a spectacular
track record, oozing maturity, modesty and ingenuity,
a true virtuoso of his instrument... and with
a deep-rooted, 'jondo' approach. Rounded.
The album has two strands: on
the one hand, the introverted, intimate guitarist,
and on the other, the communicative guitarist
who converses with other musicians, with other
instruments - sometimes limiting himself to his
trio, and at others joining forces with the album's
guest artists (Paolo Fresu on trumpet, Perico
Sambeat on sax and Mariano Díaz on piano).
On several pieces it's just Gerardo
Núñez, alone with his six strings.
‘Trasgo’ (Imp) is a brooding interlude,
an invitation for reflection. Solo guitar, melancholy,
truly flamenco. ‘Nocturno’ is a journey
within, a withdrawn piece which essentially is
the track ‘In pace’ from ‘Un
ramito de locura’, the album he wrote for
cantaora Carmen Linares. Here, though, the voice
is supplied by a wind instrument, sketching out
harmonies over a flamenco background. ‘Soleá
de la luna coja’ (Soleá of the crooked
moon), has a vintage guitar base, smattered with
silences, delicately played and enriched with
the music. With careful attention to the aesthetics
of the music, the moods, the climates, the colors.
And, as an epilog, there's ‘Ímpetu’
(Impulse) by Mario Escudero, the only borrowed
composition in this collection. A truly flamenco
number, with an old-time flavor, the work of one
of those responsible for the change in direction
the flamenco guitar has seen. And a real demonstration
of Gerardo Núñez's playing skill.
Between solo pieces he converses
with other musicians, using a common language
approaching jazz. For example, the opening track
on the album, the rumba ‘La Habana a oscuras’
(Havana in the dark), dives straight in with no
beating about the bush. A song that borders on
‘Latin jazz’ with an outstanding rhythm
section at the hands of guest artists such as
Juanito el Cubano on congas and Maoy Natenzon
on drums. The guitar goes at its own breakneck
pace. And the sax and trumpet are in the foreground.
A get-together, with a party atmosphere... and
more mellow passages are interleaved with the
clamor of the tune's motif. A live take, a real
treat. ‘Plaza de los Plateros’ is
a bulería on which the guitar begins making
a solid defense of the orthodox Jerez sound, then
little-by-little it builds up. It's a very traditional
flamenco piece, a showcase of the guitarist's
habitual trio of himself, Pablo
Martín on contrabass, and Cepillo
on cajón. And there's plenty of space here
for the guitarist to give a full demonstration
of his technical and musical flair, with soaring,
sometimes almost vocal notes.
‘Templo del Lucero’
is a grand composition. This incredibly beautiful
soleá has become the centerpiece of the
guitarist's concert performances this season.
And the track is almost a story in itself: the
guitar introduces the piece alone, the cajón
marks the transition in the build-up toward the
climax, a glorious ‘leitmotif’ with
room for solos and conversations between the band
members. ‘Compás de amistad’
(Rhythm of friendship) is a bulería that
kicks off with a playful journey up and down the
strings. The sweetness of the song in no way excludes
the displays of skill and pizzicato notes, with
combinations of silence and streams of flowing
notes. There's space here for other instruments
too, like the piano, but the guitar never leaves
us. ‘Yerma’ is a piece written for
a dancer, which Gerardo Núñez often
uses as an opening number in concert. And it moves
from the guitar playing alone, with spotless execution
and full of emotion, to the trio at the turning
point where bass and cajón join the proceedings.
And in the same way the three flow into the bulería
‘Siempre es tarde’ (It's always late).
The trio binds together perfectly, continually
playing back and forth... right until the end.
And ‘Canícula’ is a similar
demonstration, a ballad with a jazz flavor, where
the 'escobillas' blend with the fingerwork on
the double bass. Changes of mood. Musicians with
talent... and music.
More information:
The official Gerardo Núñez website
at Flamenco-world.com
www.gerardonunez.com
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