Text: Estela Zatania
Photos: Paco Sánchez
José Méndez / Diego Agujetas
Palacio de Villavicencio. 1900h
 At the Palacio de Villavicencio, the space the organization of the Festival de Jerez reserves for acoustic recitals of guitar and cante, the last presentation of the series titled “Los Conciertos de Palacio” took place. A shared program managed to represent the singing heritage of two leading families of the San Miguel neighborhood: the Méndez and the Agujetas clans. Some flamenco fans in Jerez believe firmly in the transmission of flamenco singing via genetic material. If we accept this theory, the small recital hall was awash with much accumulated and concentrated DNA. The Méndez’, festive and compás-oriented, a dynasty whose spiritual leader is the much missed Francisca “La Paquera”. Her nephew José, with the guitar accompaniment of Alberto San Miguel, sang alerías, tientos, fandangos, included the Gloria style that is never forgotten in Jerez, and bulerías, at times sounding a bit like his unforgettable aunt.
Diego Agujetas is the brother of famous partriarch Manuel who closes the festival this Saturday at the Villamarta, and both are sons of Old Agujetas, a family dynasty that represents the dark side of San Miguel. With the same guitarist (we’d have preferred someone more dynamic for these singers), and with his voice in top form (too bad he doesn’t appear in public more often), delivering the memory of generations of wisdom (Manuel Torre, Marrurro, Mojama, Tío José…), he sang soleá, bulería pa’ escuchar as this family still calls it, malagueñas, siguiriyas and bulerías.
Toni el Pelao & La Uchi, ‘Puro flamenco’
Sala La Compañía.
9:00pm
Dance: Toni el Pelao, La Uchi. Cante: Talegón de Córdoba, Yeyé de Cádiz. Guitar: Juan Serrano, Pepe Amaya.
Like a continuation of the thick ambience of tradition and flamenconess established at the cante recital one hour earlier in the Palacio Villavicencio, and with a packed house, we had the extreme good fortune to witness the performance of a dance couple with a half-century of history, and many more years of roots firmly implanted in flamenco dance.Toni el Pelao and his wife La Uchi are much more than “living history”, a euphemism that seems to imply stodginess, or that forbidden word (do I dare pronounce it publicly?) “purism”.They are another dimension.They inhabit a parallel universe of flamenco where compás, elegance and the most absolute dignity, never lost importance, and not a smoke machine in sight.
Toni el Pelao is the kind of artist whose very appearance on stage takes you aback.His intense presence is complemented and enhanced by his powerful face and abundant black hair.Ruffled shirt, high pants and a gold-embroidered vest complete the extraordinary image.In his intense gaze is reflected the weight of responsibility of being one of the last to find a outlet of expression in this specific take on flamenco.
The sound of the most famous guitar variations of Marote and Habichuela, from when the two men from Granada were blazing the way of flamenco guitar before prince Paco, he of Lucía arrived on the scene, and the very walls of the Sala La Compañía sense the mood.The singers also match: Talegón de Córdoba and Yeyé de Cádiz are two admirable veterans specialized in singing for dance.A perfect “family portrait” of a type of flamenco that still struggles to survive, at least in the professional arena.
The ways of Toni el Pelao are those of the equally legendary dancers Manolete, Mario Maya and Güito, the prolific group of the nineteen-sixties when extreme slowing-down of tempos became fashionable to accommodate the quest for economy of movement; time was sliced into minuscule portions to be analyzed and complemented with the most subtle gestures.The flamenco process of this generation is characterized by a cerebral intensity that inevitably developed into visceral.
El Pelao is possibly the oldest active professional flamenco dancer, and when he takes possession of the stage along with La Uchi to dance the caña, it’s more than 120 collective years of life experience at our disposition. A cante solo of taranto, interpreted by Yeyé to a steady compás, as if there were a dancer (as is typical of singers who specialize in singing for dance), is followed by the most representative dance of the venerable Pelao dynasty: the farruca.Without the associated cante, the way it used to be done, restrained, concise, seeringly forceful and severe, stopping and molding time at will.To paraphrase the famous cheering aimed at Tomás Pavón on a historic recording: “A priceless relique of gypsy-style ‘dance’ that no longer exists”.Just five minutes, and Pelao has said everything he has to say, who needs more?He bows briefly with a nearly imperceptible inclination of his head, and leaves the stage briskly and decisively.
La Uchi dances cantiñas with the Cádiz-style singing of Yeyé, and her approach is a perfect reflection of her husband’s, with the same sobriety and brevity.Talegón offers bulerías de Cádiz as a cante solo which serves as introduction to the Chaqueta-style romeras danced by el Pelao who keeps to his line.A bulerías fiesta finale, and we are all grateful to the couple and to the organization for this very welcome recital; it isn’t only young people who need our support.
The day’s program for Wednesday was rounded out at 12 midnight at the Bodega Los Apóstoles with Domingo Patricio’s Trío with guest artist Carles Benavent, in addition to acoustic guitarist Rafael Cortés, percussionist Pepe Motos and the flute of the group’s leader, in a program that included an impressive diversity of flamenco forms such as taranta, alegrías, tangos, rondeña, seguiriya, bulerías, soleá por bulería, fandangos, rumba and tanguillos.
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