| Cante:
Pansequito, Tomasa ‘la Macanita’, Capullo de Jerez.
Dance: Lidia Valle and her group
Son de la Frontera: Raúl Rodríguez, Paco de
Amparo, Pepe Torres, Moi de Morón, Manuel Flores
Guitar: Diego Amaya, Juan Diego, Niño Jero chico
Text & photos: Estela Zatania
In 1963 the program of the first Gazpacho Andaluz
of Morón de la Frontera included stars like Antonio
Mairena, Juan Talega, Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera and
a young hopeful call Juan Peña el Lebrijano. Thirty-nine
editions later, the venerable event, among the oldest of its
kind, continues to defend classic flamenco and the summer
festival format..
Capullo: original
and extravagant personality
 Beginning
punctually at eleven o’clock, Capullo de Jerez opens the
night with Niño Jero, Jr. on the guitar. The singer doesn’t
usually open because his extravagant personality depends on
the complicity of a warmed-up audience, but on this occasion
the popular Jerez performer has to rush off to another festival
in Montilla. Soleá por bulería, at a somewhat
slower pace than usual, with many original touches as is the
nature of this form reminiscent of old taverns, fandangos, Capullo-style
tangos, half flamenco, half pop, the novelty of martinete with
a verse that includes his own name, all interpreted in his personal
style – you can love him or leave him, but this man’s
personality is one of the most recognizable and original of
the current flamenco scene – and bulerías to end.
For the inevitable encore, Capullo sings his version of the
Andalucía Anthem as recorded with the accompaniment of
Paco de Lucía on the commemorative record for Andalucía
Day, and he wraps it all up with his little dance – Capullo
is one of the best “singers who dance” Jerez has
to offer. Macanita: picture post-card
flamenco pretty, with echoes of Fernanda
Tomasa la Macanita came wrapped in turquoise blue with white
polkadots and a pink shawl, picture post-card pretty with
Gregorio and Chicharito on palmas, and young Juan Diego accompanying
on the guitar. From her husky “buenas noches”
the Morón audience is on her side. Tientos tangos,
soleá at 7 “por medio”, with echoes of
Fernanda de Utrera whose cante is especially popular in this
town due to flamenco ties with Utrera via local guitarist
Diego del Gastor, malagueñas de Chacón and Mellizo,
not Macanita’s forté, but listenable, and the
instinctive, flavorful Jerez bulerías complete with
dance.
The first part ends with Morón dancer Lidia Valle,
another dance talent to add to the list of professionals from
Morón de la Frontera that includes Juana Amaya, Juan
de Juan and Pepe Ríos.
Pansequito: infallible compás,
original delivery and a fascinating voice
 After
intermission and a glass of gazpacho, there was an official
tribute to Morón poet Alberto García Ulecia,
followed by veteran singer Pansequito, “one of the classic
flamenco’s greatest representatives” said the
master of ceremonies. This man who was awarded the “Prize
for Creativity” at the 1974 Córdoba contest,
is an acquired taste, one which not everyone manages to acquire,
while others are enthusiastic. Being from the latter group,
I found his infallible compás, original delivery and
fascinating voice just right for soleá, taranto and
cartagenera. The alegrías by this man born in La Línea
and raised in Puerto de Santa María were outstanding
– Cádiz cante doesn’t travel well, and
with each passing day there are fewer homegrown interpreters
who manage to capture the flavor – and his bulerías
bore the unmistakable Pansequito stamp for an ever-evolving
repertoire, with the extraordinary accompaniment of his regular
guitarist, Diego Amaya.
Another take on the Morón
sound
For the first time on a Morón stage, Son de la Frontera,
the group made up of four local artists and one from Sevilla,
which has become famous reworking the special sound of Morón
guitar-playing, fusing it with exotic sounds, was the chief
attraction of this year’s Gazpacho. The splendid dancer
Pepe Torres, grandson of singer Joselero de Morón and
another representative of the fine dancing this town seems
to cultivate, opens straightaway with his sober, stylized
line. Tonás and siguiriyas, soleá, alegrías,
bulerías....with each number Raúl Rodríguez’
Cuban ‘tres’ adds the feeling of distant lands,
treating our ears to a different take on the Morón
sound. With good singing, good dancing, good guitar-playing
and the versatile Raúl, the group is self-sufficient
flamenco-wise and serves up the closing fiesta for the thirty-ninth
Gazpacho de Morón at shortly before four A.M.
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Son de la Frontera |
Lidia Valle |
Text & Photos: Estela
Zatania
More information:
XXXVI Gazpacho andaluz
de Morón de la Frontera - 2003
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Macanita
'La Luna de Tomasa'
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Capullo de Jerez
'En Directo'
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Son de la Frontera - A Diego del Gastor
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MAKE GAZPACHO
with Deflamenco’s easy recipe
Summer in Andalucía is a more dramatic experience
than in the rest of the Western world. This time of year the
region the Arabs lovingly called the “land of light”
becomes the land of parched earth, scorching sun and near
zero humidity.
It’s not all negative however. Your laundry is bone
dry in twenty minutes, there are practically no summer buggies
and you get to drink gallons of great liquids like sangría
(wine cooler), rebujito (sherry cooler) and gazpacho, the
refreshing drinkable salad which is a religion in Andalucía,
and which so few restaurants get right even though every Andalusian
housewife makes it daily with her eyes closed.
The Deflamenco staff devised this simple but authentic recipe
with results guaranteed.
GAZPACHO (about 6 servings)
Ingredients:
Dry heel of Italian-style bread, about the size of a lemon
Cold water to cover bread
1 1/2 lbs. very ripe red tomatoes, cored and peeled*
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled (no garlic powder or other substitute)
1 medium green bell pepper, cleaned and seeded
1 medium cucumber, peeled (make sure it's not bitter)
1 small onion (optional)
Vinegar to taste
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
Ground cumin (optional)
Good olive oil
*[To peel fresh tomatoes: Cut a small X at the bottom
end of each tomato, place tomatoes in a shallow plate in the
microwave a minute or two until the skin begins to detach.
Cool before peeling to avoid burns].
Procedure:
Soak bread in cold water to cover. Cut vegetables into manageable
chunks for the blender or food processor. When bread is soft,
place in blender cup with garlic, and blend until smooth.
Add vegetables and continue blending til smooth. Season to
taste with salt, sugar, cumin and vinegar...the taste should
be pleasantly tangy.
Now add olive oil in a thin stream so it emulsifies with
the rest of the ingredients and produces a creamy pale orange
'soup'. Spaniards use far more olive oil than a foreigner
would be inclined to do, and it's delicious...it's not possible
to use too much olive oil!
Chill thoroughly and taste for seasoning. The texture should
be that of a cold creamy but refreshing soup. If too thick,
add ice cold water or some ice cubes. If too thin, add a little
more dry bread. Serve in chilled soup cups, tumblers or mugs.
If desired, pass dishes of minced green pepper, cucumber,
chopped hard-boiled egg, flaked tuna, minced onion, small
fried croutons and/or minced cured ham to sprinkle on the
gazpacho.
Put on your favorite flamenco recording and enjoy!
Original recipe by Estela Zatania
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