Flamenco Film Night – El duende y misterio del flamenco
The documentary film, El duende y misterio del flamenco, which made in 1952 by Edgar Neville, is an invaluable record of flamenco in the mid-twentieth century, as it was made by someone who understood and respected flamenco, and who aimed to preserve it.
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Beginning with Antonio Mairena singing por siguiríya, one can see Pilar López, Antonio dancing a martinete, María Luz, Pacita Tomas (bolero clásico), Juanita Acevedo (por siguiriyas) and Manuel Vargas. For the cante: Jacinto Almaden (por caracoles), Aurelio de Cádiz (por alegrías), , Bernarda and Fernanda de Utrera (por soleá), Pericón de Cádiz (tanguillo de Cádiz), Pepe de Badajoz, Farruco, Rafael de Jerez, Luis Maravilla, El Poeta and Mercedes Broco.
Edgar Neville (1899–1967) was born in Madrid. He was a writer, a playwright and a painter. He completely his studies in law in Granada and while he was there spent time Federico García Lorca and Manuel de Falla, sharing their afición for flamenco, and many other artists; he was a member of the Generation of ‘27. Edgar Neville was one of the supporters of the Concurso de Cante Jondo held in Granada in 1922.
Edgar Neville’s views on: What is flamenco?
‘El flamenco no fue un espectáculo, ni nació para ser un espectáculo: era la forma de expresión de un pueblo más bien inarticulado, eran los poemas que decían a gritos de llanto unos analfabetos que no podían expresarse de otra manera, eran los lamentos de amor de un tosco primitivo que apenas sabe hablar pero que al recibir la herida se expresa de este modo.’
Edgar Neville wrote a book called Flamenco y cante jondo, which was originally published in 1963; it has now been re-edited with an introduction by José María Goicoechea.
He spent a number of years in Los Angeles, working in film there and was good friends with Charlie Chaplin, from whom he learned the art of film-making.
Edgar Neville's website offers access to some of his articles.
On 10 September 2011, RTVE broadcast a programme with Edgar Neville’s son Jimmy, speaking about him. This is still available for listening to and for downloading as a podcast:
The interview of Jimmy Neville is from a few years earlier, as he actually died in March 2005; his own son, who has been named after his grandfather, Edgar, speaks at the end of the programme also and mentions that he is in the process of editing his grandfather's diaries from the 1940s until his death in 1967, preparing them for publication. He is the VI Conde de Berlanga de Duero.
© 2012 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Flamenco Tablaos – Los Canasteros
The flamenco tablao, Los Canasteros, was opened by flamenco singer Manolo Caracol in 1963. Some of flamenco’s most famous artists performed there, such as Melchor de Marchena, Paco Cepero, not to mention, Manolo Caracol himself and more recently Ketama.
For those who might be missing the flamenco guitarist Enrique de Melchor, you will be pleased to see him introduce this fine documentary on Los Canasteros, directed by Miguel Espín for TVE Televisión Española in its Tesoros del Flamenco series, which were broadcast in 1996.
You might find the opening music slightly incongruous – Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor on pipe organ – however, the flamenco pianist, Arturo Pavón, who often accompanied Manolo Caracol and who appears in this documentary, is quoted as having said that, for him, this work by Bach, sounds very flamenco. Arturo Pavón is the nephew of the flamenco singers La Niña de los Peines and Tomás Pavón.
Enrique de Melchor tells us that he was 15 years old when he first came to the tablao Los Canasteros in 1966 and would listen behind the curtain; it had already been open three years and his father, the guitarist Melchor de Marchena, played there often, accompanying Manolo Caracol, among others.
Manolo Caracol, affectionately called Enrique ‘sobrino’ and although he never accompanied Manolo Caracol in public, once the audience left, Enrique would play for him, with shaking hands and a dry throat. Here Enrique plays a Farruca on guitar solo.
Manolo Soto ‘El Sordero’ sings a bulerías por soleá accompanied by Paco Cepero on guitar.
Manolo Caracol sings a soleares accompanied by Melchor de Marchena.
A young Camarón de la Isla, dressed in a suit and tie, gives a short introduction to the fandango ‘caracolero’, which he sings.
Pansequito sings a tango in the distinctive style of Caracol, accompanied by Pepe Habichuela on the guitar.
There is a short interview with Manolo Caracol about the establishing of his tablao and then he sings a zambra, with his suit jacket thrown over one shoulder, like a bullfighter’s cape. He is accompanied by Arturo Pavón on a grand piano and Melchor de Marchena on guitar. It's all wonderful but this is extra wonderful!!
The programme ends with Manuela Carrasco dancing a bulerías with Juan Villar singing.
© 2012 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Flamenco Tourism – La Ruta de Camarón
This morning the Mayor of San Fernando, José Loaiza, called the press to the house where the flamenco cantaor Camarón de la Isla (José Monje Cruz) was born – on 5 December 1950 – in Calle del Carmen. The house, presently in ruins, will be bought by the Ayuntamiento and converted into a museum.
The Ruta de Camarón is already an established tourist pilgrimage, created by the Ayuntamiento of San Fernando in Cádiz in collaboration with the Monje family, which starts at the Casa de Camarón, 29 Calle de Carmen, where he lived with his parents and 8 brothers and sisters.
The next stop is La Fragua – the blacksmith's workshop of Camarón's father, Luis Monje, at 21 Calle Amargura. Camarón's brother still lives there and generously tells stories of Camarón's life to visitors.
Venta de Vargas is the restaurant where Camarón used to sing from the age of 8 and where he heard some of the most celebrated flamenco singers, such as La Niña de la Pienes and Manolo Caracol.
The Iglesia Mayor de San Pedro y San Pablo (Nazareno) is where Camarón made his First Holy Communion.
The Mausoleum of Camarón is in the municipal cemetery. Here people gather daily to pay their respects and adorn the mausoleum with flowers
The Peña of Camarón de la Isla was established in 1995, after the death of Camarón on 2 July 1992. Apart from the peña performances, it has an enormous collection of photographs and memorabilia. Peña Flamenca ‘Camarón de la Isla’, c/ Manuel de Arriaga, s/n, San Fernando, Cádiz CP 11100, Spain. Tel. 956 59 23 95 .
Further details of the Ruta de Camarón.
© 2012 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Flamenco Festival 2012 – London, New York, Washington, Boston, Miami
The annual Flamenco Festival 2012 begins soon at Sadler's Wells in London from 7–19 February 2012.
Olga Pericet: Photograph by Javier Fergo
Here are the listings for London, New York, Washington DC, Boston and Miami:
Flamenco Festival 2012 LONDON: 7–19 February 2012
- Tuesday 7 February 2012
- Vicente Amigo – Paseo de Gracia
- Wednesday & Thursday 8–9 February 2012
- Compañía Manuela Carrasco – Suspiro Flamenco
- Friday 10 February 2012
- Compañía Olga Pericet – Rosa, Metal, Ceniza
- Saturday & Sunday 11–12 February 2012
- Flamenco Gala – Carmen Cortés, Rafaela Carrasco and Olga Pericet
- Monday 13 February 2012
- Gerardo Núñez with guest Carmen Cortés – Travesía
- Tuesday–Thursday 14–16 February 2012
- Compañía Antonio Gades – Fuenteovejuna
- Friday & Saturday 17–18 February 2012
- Compañía Rafael Amargo – Poet in New York
- Saturday 18 February 2012
- La Shica
- Sunday 19 February 2012
- José Mercé – In Concert
Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R. Ticket office: 0844 412 4300
Flamenco Festival 2012 WASHINGTON DC: 29 February–7 March 2012
- Wednesday 29 February 2012
- Gala Flamenca with Carmen Cortés, Rafaela Carrasco and Olga Pericet
- Friday 2 March 2012
- Compañía Olga Pericet – Rosa, Metal y Ceniza
- Saturday 3 March 2012
- Compañía Manuela Carrasco – Suspiro Flamenco
- Wednesday 7 March 2012
- Compañía Rafaela Carrasco – Vamos al Tiroteo
Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052.
Tel. (202) 994 6800.
Flamenco Festival 2012 NEW YORK: 1–4 March 2012
- Thursday 1 March 2012, 8pm
- Gala Flamenca with Carmen Cortés, Rafaela Carrasco and Olga Pericet
- Friday 2 March 2012, 8pm
- Compañía Manuela Carrasco – Suspiro Flamenco
- Saturday 3 March 2012
- Compañía Olga Pericet – Rosa, Metal, Ceniza
- Sunday 4 March 2012, 7pm
- Compañía Rafaela Carrasco – Vamos al Tiroteo
New York City Center, 130 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019.
Tel. (212) 247 0430.
Flamenco Festival 2012 BOSTON: 2–4 March 2012
- Friday & Saturday 2–3 March 2012
- Compañía Rafaela Carrasco – Vamos al Tiroteo.
- Sunday 4 March 2012
- Compañía Olga Pericet – Rosa, Metal y Ceniza
Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116-4717.
Tel. (617) 824 8000.
Flamenco Festival 2012 MIAMI: 9–11 March 2012
- Friday 9 March 2012
- Ballet Flamenca Eva Yerbabuena
- Saturday 10 March 2012
- Compañía Rafaela Carrasco – Vamos al Tiroteo
- Sunday 11 March 2012
- Compañía Olga Pericet – Rosa, Metal, Ceniza
Ziff Ballet Opera House, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132.
Tel. (786) 468 2000.
© 2012 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Enrique de Melchor – another great loss for flamenco!
As I was writing about the death of Moraíto with deep sadness last August, at the back of my mind was that we were soon to have a double blow, as I had heard that the flamenco guitarist Enrique de Melchor was very ill.
Here we are on 3 January 2012, the start of a new year and not yet the 12th Day of Christmas, and Enrique de Melchor died this morning.
Enrique de Melchor was the son of the flamenco guitarist Melchor de Marchena. He was born on 15 July 1950 in Marchena, Seville and lived there until the age of 12, before moving to Madrid. Melchor de Marchena was one of the finest guitarists of his generation and he worked in the tablao of Manolo Caracol called ‘Los Canasteros’ in Madrid, so Enrique had endless inspiration from a young age. He was noted for his ability to accompany flamenco cante and during his career accompanied flamenco singers such as Antonio Mairena, Camarón de La Isla, La Perla de Cádiz, Pansequito, Rocío Jurado, Chiquetete, El Lebrijano and José Menese.
Apart from collaborating on innumerable recordings of other flamenco artists, his own recordings included: La guitarra flamenca de Enrique de Melchor (1977), Sugerencias (1983), Bajo la luna (1988), La noche y el día (1991), Cuchichí (1992) and Raíz flamenca (2005).
Enrique de Melchor also spent a number of years touring the world and performing with Paco de Lucía. Here they are performing a fandangos together called Viejos Tiempos (Old Times) on Enrique de Melchor’s recording called Arco de las rosas (Fonomusic, 1998).
In the Winter 1999 issue of Flamenco International magazine, we published an interview of Enrique de Melchor by Vicky Hayward – he had just released Arco de las Rosas, which won the Premio Toque de guitarra de la Asocación Nacional de Criticos de Arte Flamenco.
It was an excellent interview by Vicky Hayward; here is a short extract:
Vicky Hayward: What is the most important thing that you inherited from your father’s playing?
Enrique de Melchor: His sound was important to me, although mine is different. But his advice was more important. I remember after spending a year in Japan, I came back and played to him and he said, ‘It’s going to be a struggle for you to succeed.’ I asked him why. He said, ‘Because when somebody does something well, it’s always a struggle.’
© 2012 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Nimes Flamenco Festival 2012
The Nimes Flamenco Festival will be held from Monday 9 until Saturday 21 January 2012 at Nimes, France.
This year's artists include Tomatito, José de la Tomasa, El Capullo de Jerez, Israel Galván, Inés Bacán accompanied by Antonio Moya, Mamzelle FlamenKa and Rocío Molina.
There will also be talks given by José Manuel Gamboa, Claude Worms and José María Velázquez-Gaztelu.
On Sunday 15 January 2012, the documentary film called El cante bueno duele – Homenaje a Moraíto by Martijn van Beenen and Ernestina van der Noort will be shown, followed by a discussion with Ernestina van der Noort.
The Nimes Flamenco Festival was first held in 1989 and has become one of the most important events in the flamenco festival calendar. It was at the Nimes Flamenco Festival in 2011 that Moraíto Chico gave his last performance.
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Flamenco Film Night – Moraíto documentary
The documentary film called El cante bueno duele – Homenaje a Moraíto was made by the Dutch director/cameraman Martijn van Beenen and Ernestina van de Noort, who is the director of the Flamenco Biennale Nederland.
The documentary was produced for the Dutch public television station NTR and was filmed in ten days in November 2010 in Jerez de la Frontera. However, it also includes some invaluable historical film footage, such as Moraito Chico accompanying Antonio de la Malena as he sings a seguiryas in October 1973, when they were both young boys.
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Flamenco Film Night – Sara Baras documentary
The Spanish wine producer, Freixenet, famous for its cava, have just released their annual Christmas feature; this year it is a 19-minute documentary called Baras Martínez: Detrás de las Burbujas, featuring the flamenco dancer, Sara Baras and the classical ballet dancer José Carlos Martínez, Artistic Director of the Compañía Nacional de Danza in Spain.
The documentary was directed by the British filmmaker, Howard Greenhalgh.
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Paco de Lucía – 2012 US Tour
Paco de Lucía will be giving a concert at the Is Sanat Culture Center in Istanbul on Tuesday 29 November 2011. Needless to say it is SOLD OUT! Otherwise we might all consider getting a quick flight across to Istanbul.
So if you are not lucky enough to have a ticket to the Istanbul concert, perhaps you could catch him on his 2012 US Tour: starting with a concert at the Jackie Gleason Theater, Miami Beach, Florida on 5 April 2012, then on
7 April 2012: Savannah – Trustees Theatre, Savannah Music Festival
10 April 2012: Philadelphia – Kimmel Center For Performing Arts
11 April 2012: Boston – Boston Opera House
12 April 2012: Bethlehem – Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center
13 April 2012: Newark – New Jersey Performing Arts Center
18 April 2012: North Bethesda – Music Center, Strathmore
20 April 2012: Chicago – Symphony Center
24 April 2012: Mesa – Mesa Arts Center
25 April 2012: Las Vegas – The Smith Center
27 April 2012: Oakland, California – Paramount Theatre
28 April 2012: Los Angeles – Walt Disney Concert Hall
30 April 2012: Los Angeles – Bass Performance Hall
with the final concert at the One World Theater, Riverbend Centre, Austin, Texas on 2 May 2012.
Paco de Lucía will be touring with his band, which includes:
Antonio Sánchez on second guitar
Antonio Serrano on keyboards and harmonica
Alain Pérez on bass
El Pirañha on percussion
Singers Duquende and David de Jacoba
and the flamenco dancer, Farruco
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Leonard Cohen inspired by his Conde guitar
Leonard Cohen has been honoured with the Premio de las Letras in the Príncipe de Asturias 2011 awards in Spain.
During his moving acceptance speech he spoke with humility about the art of creating poetry and of how, only after reading the poetry of Federico García Lorca, was he able to understand his own voice: ‘He gave me permission to find a voice.’ Then Leonard Cohen explained that he had no instrument, and told the brief story of his encounter with a Spanish flamenco guitarist who, before committing suicide, taught him to play six chords in the early 1960s. This led him to create his poetry and songs.
Leonard Cohen also mentions with a special fondness his Conde guitar which was a significant source of inspiration for him 40 years ago when he was just starting out. He says: ‘I have a Conde guitar, which was made in Spain in the great workshop at number 7 Gravina Street. It is a beautiful instrument that I acquired over 40 years ago. I took it out of the case; I lifted it. It seemed to be filled with helium; it was so light. I brought it to my face. I put face close to the beautifully designed rosette and I inhaled the fragrance of the living wood. ... as fresh as the first day that I acquired the guitar.’
The flamenco guitar makers Conde have a long history of guitar making and their guitars have been played by some of the most outstanding guitarists throughout the history of flamenco. Belonging to the third generation of guitar makers, Felipe Conde has his workshop in Madrid. Felipe Conde's great uncle, Domingo Esteso, opened his guitar making workshop in 1915 at Calle Gravina 7. The next generation were the Sobrinos de Esteso (nephews of Esteso), Faustino and Mariano Conde, who were the father and uncle of Felipe Conde; he began working with them in 1971. The workshop is now in Calle Arrieta, near the Teatro Real in Madrid.
This was the 31st year of the Premios Príncipe de Asturias. The ceremony was held in the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo in the presence of the H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias on 21 October 2011. Previous winners of the Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras have been: Amin Maalouf in 2010, Ismail Kadaré in 2009, Margaret Atwood in 2008 and Amos Oz in 2007.
Leonard Cohen has a new recording coming out in January 2012 called Old Ideas – An Album of New Songs by Leonard Cohen. This song, Show me the Place, will be on the new recording.
More details can be found at Leonard Cohen's website.
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Día del Flamenco – 16 November
The Minister of Culture for the Junta de Andalucía, Paulino Plata, has announced that 16 November will be celebrated as the Día del Flamenco, each year in Andalucia, Spain. That date was chosen as it was the 16 November 2010 when UNESCO added Flamenco to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, to be protected and preserved.
El Flamenco
from UNESCO
To celebrate this first Día del Flamenco, the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes, has organised a number of Flamenco performances, such as:
with Andrés Marín in Istanbul
with Rosario Toledo in Tunis
with singer Arcángel accompanied by David Méndez on guitar in Sydney
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
Moraito remembered in concert – Madrid and Jerez
This week three concerts have been organised in hommage to the flamenco guitarist Manuel Moreno Junquera ‘Moraíto Chico’, who died in August this year. The first will be held on Friday 18 November 2011 in Jerez de la Frontera, followed by two concerts next month at the Arteria Coliseum in Madrid on 14 and 15 December 2011.
Presentación Homenaje a "Moraito" from Ayuntamiento de Jerez on Vimeo.
The long list of artists who will perform at these concerts gives some idea of the breadth and the deep respect for Moraíto in the flamenco world. The Madrid concert on 14 December 2011 will feature: Paco de Lucía, Tomatito, Diego el Morao, Niña Pastori, Marina Heredia, Vicente Soto, Miguel Poveda, Diego el Cigala, El Torta, Tomasito, Jesús Méndez, Fernando de la Morena, Manuel Parrilla + Los Roqueros Canasteros (Diego Carrasco, Raimundo Amador, Jorge Pardo, Tino de Geraldo) + Cuadro de Jerez (Los Zambos, Pepe del Morao, Ane Jesús, Juan Grande, Kini, La Chati, Marci Chícharo, Juana del Pipa, Felipa, Manuel Molina, Carmen Jiménez).
© 2011 Thérèse Wassily Saba
