Martín Guijarro, December 2009

Enrique Morente

Don’t be fooled. ‘Nana de Oriente’ is nothing more than a bonus track, a studio extra in the family to open and close an album which is devoted to keeping the magic of the live performance. And there’s a lot of it in Enrique Morente, a cantaor who gets bored if he doesn’t take a risk every time he opens his mouth. As the cantaor relates with his peculiar sarcasm, he dusted off a box full of recordings he had on top of a closet and chose nine. They are cantes which he performed at different moments in the last decade of his career, beside prestigious guitarists such as Juan and Pepe Habichuela, Rafael Riqueni and David Cerreduela. So different from one another that it is now a delight to listen to the different nuances which each tocaor brings out of the artist from Albaicín. What he does mainly is to recall his maestros, him already being the maestro of many. Make a note of it. Of course, always giving the performance his own creativity, with phrases, moments and sensations that get across the very frenzy of his recitals. You never listen to the same Morente; thus, each of these cantes gathered here is a unique piece. It is hard to highlight some over others, but the ones recorded at an Arab bath in Granada together with Riqueni in 2005 have a very special flavor: ‘Serrana del maestro Matrona’ and ‘Tientos a Sernita de Jerez’. And they stand out for the sound, for the flavor, for the atmosphere and for the remembrance of two sources of cante perhaps somewhat forgotten nowadays. Of course, the two Habichuelas’ toque is indissoluble from Morente’s cante and gives it a nature of its own precisely in ‘Granaína rosa’ and the malagueña ‘Como que sale de ti’, cantes where his voice flies freely. But specifically, it is given by Pepe’s, with whom he has shared so many record ventures since the early days, combining revolution and deep roots. Such an emblematic duo is in ‘Soleá de los cañaverales’, ‘Soleá de pilarico’ and ‘Fandangos naturales’ recorded at Granada’s Auditorio Manuel de Falla in 2003, and in ‘Alegrías grande locura’ recorded at La Alhambra’s Palacio de Carlos V in 2008. But perhaps where the energy of the live performance really comes gushing forth is in his most recent recording, the explosive ‘Tangos de la vida’ which, with guitar by David Cerreduela… and by Cañorroto, synthesizes the evolution of the very heritage of a cantaor who doesn’t settle for singing, but rather lives committed to risk. “I have to put it on the line in every stage”, Enrique Morente says in an interview. And on ‘Morente Flamenco’, just like in each and every one of his recitals, he proves it. A disc which is an essential complement to his brilliant discography and which shows a radical opposite side to previous albums like ‘Picasso de Málaga’ and ‘Omega’.