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The singer Argentina is a powerhouse. In her new work “Un Viaje por el Cante”, many see the intention to lay down an anthology. A sort of continuation of previous work done by women. But I have the feeling this has a lot to do with her love of flamenco, when it comes to selecting and offering fans a wide range of styles.
We spoke to Argentina on the eve of her recital in Madrid, and shortly after finding out that her voice will represent Spain in next month’s fourth Iberoamerican Cultural Congress. She’s headed for the top, and is moving on the fast track.
Twenty-seven cantes no less…was this like some kind of anthological attack?
Not exactly. It was because Luismi [manager and side-kick] put that title for my next project, and I worked along that line. Of course it was a long journey, and I never stopped searching and selecting the various cantes.
I wouldn’t call it an anthology, because that’s something that can only come about when you’ve come a long way, which is not my case. It’s about trying to sing in a traditional manner, a sort of journey through cantes you don’t normally hear in concerts, and in a way that makes me feel good with them. It’s just for the sheer pleasure of doing orthodox cante.
Did you have a variety of selections?
Well, I made an initial selection, just like that, in line with my overall taste. If I already did something, I wanted to study something else, I was curious about other cantes…and I’d bring it all to my musicians, and their eyes got as big as saucers.
Then I did the actual selection with a kind of final shopping list, and decided on the versions of the most relevant artists. I chose verses that weren’t male chauvinist, without a lot of suffering, you know, a repertoire along my own line…
I assume you didn’t know all these forms from before. How many did you have to study to pull this off?
No, of course I didn’t know them all, and the ones I knew, I changed. Some were from before…cantiñas, tangos, tientos…although like I say, I changed the verses and other things here and there, so that everything you hear is new in the context of my work.
Other things like siguiriya, caña, polo, petenera, serrana…I’d never gone deeply into them, and it was very rewarding, like discovering new worlds.
And is everything in this live performance?
No, I made a selection, but even so, I hope to put together a show with at least fourteen numbers. In Málaga I did sixteen out of a total of twenty-four cantes, more than two hours. Some are linked, like for example garrotín with tangos del Piyayo. Styles that share the same tone lend themselves to that, but generally speaking there’s a break between one cante and another.
You said that some of them, for example a malagueña of Chacón, took many months of work.
It’s that, okay, a lot of people sing it, but I think to get it polished without simplifying it, to sing it the way it ought to be, and not your own version, that’s not so easy. Like Antonio Mairena’s siguiriya…there are some cantes, let me tell you, they’re really hard…
“When I was studying at the Fundación there were classmates who now sing other kinds of music, and they thought nothing of telling you they found la Niña de los Peines boring”.
People always talk about who their sources are. Could you tell us yours?
Of course, I’ve collected a lot of information from what they taught us at the Fundación Cristina Heeren, I’ve dug up verses, videos, recordings…Chano Lobato, Mairena, Niña de los Peines, Paquera, María Vargas, Rafael Romero, Rengel, Morente…
Do people listen to those things as much as they say?
It depends…I think you get everything, some people do, and you can tell. But like I say, there’s everything. For example, when I was studying at the Fundación there were classmates who now sing other kinds of music, and they thought nothing of telling you they found la Niña de los Peines boring…or Juanito Mojama or Gallina…
Some people compare you to Carmen Linares….being a woman, studying so many cantes…
Well, that’s quite a compliment. But it’s too soon to talk about anything like that, as young as I am, and all I have to learn…it takes many years of work, hard work.
Isn’t it risky to be so orthodox?
That’s how it’s always been. Maybe now we’re in the era of popular songs set to alegrías, bulerías…and not the other kind of cante. I myself have been criticized for including pop themes on my recordings…okay, so now it’s traditional cante. I’m my own record company, no one to put pressure on me.
I guess singing in Madrid is a big responsibility…
Yes, but look, singing here is important just like in Andalusia, all places are important. Flamenco fans are demanding, whether in Madrid, Sevilla, Huelva or wherever…
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