Text: Rubén Gutierrez

“CABALLERO”
SERIES: SIETE DISCOS
Daniel Casares y grupo
Saturday, September 1st, 2007. 8:00pm Playa del Palo, Málaga

Flamenco concert guitar: Daniel Casares. Semiacustic guitar: José Marín. Cante: Morenito de Illora and José Cruz. Flauta: Agustín Carrillo. Electric bass: Manolo Sáez. Percussion: Manolo Toro and Juan Heredia.

NO HASTE, NO PAUSE

Just moments before heading for the Teatro Cánovas we heard news of the passing of Paco Ortiz, a singer from Málaga who left for America very young, and became one of the mainstays of the New York flamenco scene. We share the loss with our flamenco brothers and sisters in the Big Apple.

 As a flamenco mass was taking place on the other side of the Atlantic in honor of a veteran singer from Málaga, the recital of Daniel Casares, also from Málaga, made a claim for the continuing presence of Málaga en el flamenco. The guitarist was presenting his fourth recording titled “Caballero”. Due to be on the market in a few weeks, the young musician pays tribute to his father on the record. Daniel is thoroughly influenced by Paco de Lucía, that brilliant mirror in which all young flamenco guitarists see their reflection, and the late Paco Ortiz was one of the people responsible for presenting Paco de Lucía de Sabicas in New York when the former was but an adolescent.

The young guitarist from Estepona began with a malagueña which showed his sensitivity on the six strings. His left hand worked the neck of the guitar effortlessly, offering an abundance of subtleties: as Paco de Lucía said, the left hand commands and the right hand executes. But when he played abandolao, his inspiration took another turn and he drifted into rumba. The musicians of his septet came on stage, and the recital degenerated into a non-stop race. Speed is not synonymous with quality.

The semiacoustic guitar of José Marín is an original touch that goes well in the guajira and tangos, although the sound of both guitars is overshadowed by a dull cajón that never quits and doesn’t respect the silences. In taranta, Daniel is alone on stage and shows why he won the Bordón Minero at the Festival de las Minas, among many other prizes. From here on in, it’s more of the same, and all the compositions sound pretty much alike: melodic phrases that dialogue with the flute in a question and answer format, and arrangements which are overly reminiscent of Paco de Lucía. The little bit of cante there was, was less than brilliant: imitating Camarón is risky business if you don’t have the raw materials of the original.

“LA VOZ DEL AGUA”
SERIES: SIETE DISCOS

Saturday, September 1st, 2007. 8:00pm. Castillo de Gibralfaro, Málaga

Cante: Marina Heredia. Guitar: José Quevedo “El Bola” andLuis Mariano. Percussion: Paquito González. Piano: Fidel Cordero. Palmas and Chorus: Marce and Victor.

DULCE MANANTIAL

SWEET FOUNTAIN OF FLAMENCO

 And after the storm, came the calm. Another record was presented within the framework of the Málaga bienal. The responsibility fell upon Marina Heredia, and she was right up to the task. The Granada singer achieved popularity with “Me duele, me duele”, and with this new work she will surely have earned a permanent place in the flamenco panorama.

 She started out with some traditional cante supported by her group. Alegrías de Cádiz and soleares de Jerez led to malagueña ended with fandangos from her Albayzín neighborhood. Noteworthy was the taranto ended with minera with the subtle piano accompaniment of Fidel Cordero.

Marina Heredia 'la voz del agua'

From this point on, she offered themes from her new record which she herself produced. The bulería “Rosa Tardía”, a gem from Jerez composer and guitarist Bolita, brings us to Buenos Aires and the Dos de Mayo plaza for “Tango de las Madres Locas”. A great piece of work to denounce the situation suffered by these Argentine mothers, with music by Carlos Cano. Then came compositions inspired in the poetry of greats like Manuel Benítez Carrasco and his “Gran Faena”, or “Illo y Romero” by José Bergamín, both taking inspiration from the world of bullfighting, and a moving poem by Rafael Alberti who laments an appointment that never took place, the one he had with Federico García Lorca and which the Civil War kept from becoming a reality.

Mixed amalgam compás gave way to the binary rhythms of slow tangos in the Granada style. No way they could be more sedate and Moorish: the road to the Sacromonte is full of cactus, and the river of appreciation made it all worthwhile.

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Special MÁLAGA EN FLAMENCO