XII FLAMENCO FESTIVAL DE BERLÍN

Texto: Estela Zatania
Fotos: Gijsbert Copier

Dance: Alegría Suárez. Cante: Juan Suárez. Guitar: Juan A. Suárez. Soprano sax: Nacho Gil. Viola: Rafael F. Viedma. E-bass: Mangu Díaz

Friday night August 17th, the twelfth Berlin Flamenco Festival came up with the most avant-garde offering of the program. Caponata Argamacho Trio, with guitarist Juan Antonio Suárez “Canito”, is a group that has been performing abroad for years with great success, although they are relatively unknown in Spain, possibly due to the abundance of instrumental groups doing fusion, or what the international market calls “crossover”, a mixture of rock, jazz and of course, flamenco.

“Instrumental flamenco” is always hard to write about since it is, by definition, an evocation of flamenco. A flamenco guitar, that of Antonio Suárez “Canito”, a soprano sax, a viola and an electric bass join forces to interpret what has been described as “flamenco chamber music” with a clear and personal vision. Some of the compositions approach flamenco, nearly always via the great universal language of bulerias, while others suggest a certain feeling of South American music, or international jazz, although an unmistakable Spanish aesthetic tints everything. In a sophisticated multicultural city like Berlin, this type of show was extremely apt.

Antonio Suárez 'Canito'

“Flamenco chamber music” with a clear and personal vision

They start out with the bulería “Tumbao”, followed by a relatively conventional malagueña. The pieces become progressively more avant-garde experimental or simply original, depending on the color of the glasses with which they are contemplated. Bass-player Mangu Díaz presents each number in fractured English that wins over the German audience. He explains that “Canción de Amor” is an original theme by Canito, as is the buleria which follows and is spectacularly decorated with the dancing of Alegría Suárez; non-Spanish audiences always react more to dance than cante or guitar.

Intermission, and the second half brings more of the same. Once again the versatile compás of bulerías is the framework for several pieces where the instruments of Nacho Gil and Rafael Fernández Diedma carry the melody line in compositions that are unexpedtedly short, leaving little time for their development, with the exception of “Mi Pequeño Mundo”, with alternative tuning on the guitar and more conventional length. Almost none of the numbers “broadcasts” the ending – no accelerations or feverish strumming to tip off the casual listener that it’s almost time to applaud – which is a welcome change.

Alegría Suárez

The show ends with another appearance by dancer Alegría Suárez in a sort of long bulería fantasy, this time with the neo pseudo Camarón cante of Juan Suárez. A grateful audience demands two curtain calls, and the group responds with more servings of their original and personal product.

Cultural dessert is served in the pub with the proyection of the German-produced full-length documentary “Digital Duende: Die Erben von Camarón de la Isla” (2002) of Andrés Ohren and Andreas Jorissen. For 80 minutes relevant individuals such as Diego el Cigala, Mayte Martín, Tomasito, Javier Limón, José Manuel Gamboa, Gerardo Núñez and Niño Josele among others explain, with German subtitles, their particular take on the current flamenco scene.

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