Cante: Luis el Zambo, Manuel Moneo, Macarena Moneo
Guitar: Paco del Gastor, Alfonso Clavijo
Dance: Antonio Canales and his group with singers David Sánchez and Rafael de Utrera,
guitarists El Viejín and Daniel Méndez and dancer Juan de Juan.

The heat wave that had been going strong for a full week showed no signs of abating, and a thousand fans fluttering after eleven o'clock at night when the thirty-seventh Gazpacho Andaluz began, looked like a flock of pigeons in Morón de la Frontera's bullring. Paco del Gastor, patriarch of Moron guitar-playing who hadn't played at the Gazpacho in seven years, opened with a guitar solo. After a long career playing for flamenco's biggest stars, Paco has been devoted to teaching guitar for several years now, a retirement that perhaps came too soon if we're to judge from the guitarist's magnificent performance at the festival. In the guitar solo, soleá with a long bulerías, he wanted to honor his uncle, guitarist Diego del Gastor, but couldn't quite get on top of the instrument this time, or possibly had been too long without remembering those straightforward variations that characterize Morón guitar-playing. His moment of glory was yet to come.

Local singer and guitarist Paco Camacho and Alfonso Clavijo reached and maintained an excellent level with malagueña ended with rhythmic abandolao-style cante, soleá, tientos and granaína, and Camacho bravely wrapped up 'a capella' with tonás.

Time for the group of artists from Jerez, some of Jerez' finest, namely Luis el Zambo, Manuel Moneo and his daughter Macarena Moneo. But no Jerez whiz-kid of the sort that abound in that city was to play for them, but rather Paco del Gastor, and far from being a hastily arranged shotgun wedding designed to keep expenses down, it turned out to be a marriage made in heaven.

Luis el Zambo & Paco del Gastor

Paco has always been a chameleon...he just as soon plays Paco de Lucía, as Sabicas as Habichuela or Marote, and all well, because Paco del Gastor is, above all else, the maestro of good solid guitar-playing. On this occasion he takes on Jerez airs to encourage and support the superb singing of Luis el Zambo. Bulería por soleá, a lovely malagueña, soleá with the singer's amazing capacity for delivering the verses in a thoroughly sincere and authoritative manner. Paco, far beyond merely being up to the challenge, is right with him every step of the way, coddling, adorning, falling into the background when the cante requires it... The artists from Jerez are clearly feeling good, Paco all smiles, what a picture... More of the same with Manuel Moneo. Bulería por soleá with those Jerez sounds of la Moreno and El Gloria, siguiriyas that are as well-aged and powerful as a fine brandy. Macarena Moneo, beautiful with her festive singing, "Viva Jerez and Morón de la Frontera!"...the whole thing couldn't be tighter with Paco del Gastor cooking on high heat and the audience in ecstasy.

Macarena Moneo & Manuel Moneo

After a long intermission Paco Ayala, founding father of the Gazpacho who recently passed away, is honored, and the stage is readied for Antonio Canales and his group for the work "Bailaor". They call it a "work" because that's the fad these days, but it's straightforward no-nonsense dance all the way, and of the highest quality. Three natives of Morón are regulars with Canales - dancer Juan de Juan, singer David Sánchez and guitarist Daniel Méndez - so the audience is predisposed to be receptive from the word 'go'. The night before at the festival of Las Aguzaderas in the next town over, El Coronil, Canales couldn't get focused, and as sometimes happens with geniuses, no matter how much he roamed the stage in search of inspiration, it was nowhere to be found. It was waiting for him at the bullring in Morón de la Frontera, and once he got hold of it he didn't let go. This year the dancer of international fame is doing Spain's summer festivals showing what he's made of, because in the small towns of Andalusia you don't pull the wool over anyone's eyes with pseudo-flamenco flash. And all the less so in a place like Morón with local products of the caliber of Juana Amaya or Juan de Juan himself. Guitarist El Viejín and singer Rafael de Utrera rounded out the very flamenco lineup which included no female presence. A bulerías presentation was followed by a brisk cante solo por bulerías with the young David Sánchez. Juan de Juan took on alegrías and there were comments of admiration from a number of young girls in the audience. Fact is, he's really looking good and his dancing is settling down...he's managing to dominate that torrent of energy and is finding his own artistic personality.

Juan de Juan & Antonio Canales

The big star comes on once again. Canales dances por soleá with the guitars in rondeña tuning, a modern twist that is highly digestible. The dancer is strong and convincing in the details, that shoulder curled in just so at just the right moment is worth more than forty pirouettes. His art is subtlety and his vehicle is the compás. He dedicates the closing bulería to Juana Amaya who is sitting in the audience, and Juana's young daughter of ten or so gets up on stage to do her bulería bit looking just like Mom and making for an ending that literally drives the audience wild at half past four in the morning when the Gazpacho is wrapped up for this year.

Text & Photos: Estela Zatania