Interview with Juan Villar. Flamenco Singer. Cádiz

Interview with JUAN VILLAR “Quiero pronunciar tu nombre”

Text & photos: Estela Zatania

“Quiero pronunciar tu nombre” is the title of a new recording by Juan José Villar
Jiménez ‘Juan Villar’ (Cádiz, 1947) which has just been released coming in under the wire of 2004, a year in which, sadly, flamenco recordings did not abound.

Villar came of age in the middle of the era of Antonio Mairena and festivals when Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía, obligatory references, were blowing the dust off traditional flamenco with fresh sounds born of deep roots. From that generation of innovators formed in the most classic tradition comes this man from Cádiz with his rich, and very flamenco voice, and a sense of compás you’d expect from his birthplace. His career began at the age ofseven with the group “Los Chavillos Gaditanos”, and in the early seventies he was hired by the Cádiz tablao La Cueva del Pájaro Azul along with Rancapino and Pepa de Utrera, where he was able to hone his skills at singing for dance. He went on to become one of the most sought-after singers in this capacity, and recitals at peñas and festivals as well as international tours fleshed out his ample curriculum. His artistic partner is guitarist Pedro Carrasco “Niño Jero”.

Deflamenco went down to Cádiz to visit Juan Villar at the Peña Flamenca Juan Villar spectacularly located in the Caleta. The singer arrived quite punctually, elegantly dressed, sporting his warm smile, and we found a quiet place to chat…

Juan, why has it been so long since you last recorded?
No…that’s a misconception people have, I never stopped recording, but it’s up to the record companies, for whatever reason they don’t put things out, it’s not advantageous for them, but I’ve made a record every year, and some have been on the market, like “Desde la Viña”, “A mi manera…but some poor judgement got in the way.

That’s amazing! A lot of flamenco-followers have been awaiting your new recording… I know, that’s the problem, we’ll see how it goes this time because in Cádiz it’s me and Chano, quality but not quantity.

The title song of the record is a classic by el Chino de Málaga. What was your relationship with him?
We went through a lot together, he was my age… When I got to Madrid el Chino was working at the Cuevas de Nemesio…we’re talking about 1969 or 70… I was living in Madrid until around 1981 when I came back to Cádiz, and I’m staying put for the rest of my life, no more leaving Cádiz. Anyhow, that’s where we met, he played guitar and sang, then Amina’s brother came along and they formed the group Arte4.

I worked a lot with them in Barcelona and I always loved everything Chino did, he was a under-appreciated genius. When I like things and they speak to me, I take them, so I had the idea to revive this song. There’s another theme by Chino on the record, “Un gitanillo francés”, but he never recorded it.

There’s a Caño Roto sound…does that come from Manzanita?
No, actually el Chino was very into Caño Roto, he liked the neighborhood and the music they were doing.
But I worked a lot with Manzanita too, he was one of the guitarists when I was as Villa Rosa, just a boy, no more than 13 or 14…it was so sad to hear about is death, these young people with so much talent…

What contact did you have with Camarón?
Contact?!! We were like family, endless adventures, ever since we were small…later on in Madrid, I was working at Villa Rosa when he was at los Canasteros, and we got together every night after work.

“This record was made exactly the way I wanted, without anyone telling me ‘do this, do that’…”

“La calle la Carmelilla” is jaleos extremeños. How does Juan Villar come to sing cante extremeño?
Well, they sing these things in Extremadura….it’s like I said before, I remember something I like and I think “why not do that?”. I knew a lot of people in Madrid…la Marelu and Juan Cantero were practically the only ones who brought these traditional cantes…I thought they were really interesting, I gravitate to things that catch my attention and make me react.

Then there’s the alegrías, “Cuna de grandes toreros”…are you a bullfight fan?
I love the bullfights, I’m a real fan and have lots of torero friends, but I’m a great fan of Curro Romero so I sing about him…

Do you think it’s necessary to make commercial concessions in order reach a wide audience?
Well, everything is business these days. I think you have to keep in step with the times but without forgetting the roots…but you do have to keep in step because audiences demand that.

Audiences or record companies?
No, I’ve never had to do what any record company said…at least so far, knock on wood….

So it would be accurate to say this record was made to your liking… This record was made exactly the way I wanted, without anyone telling me “do this, do that”.

“I sing everything and I like everything, but siguiriyas is where I feel I’m “me”…when the moment arrives I take the plunge, all the way, it’s an emotional explosion…”

What else is on the record?
Besides what we’ve said, there’s soleá, siguiriya, bulerías, fandangos, tangos…

Are you enthused about working now?
Yes, but on my own terms. And I don’t like to be away from Cádiz for long…I go to Seville for a couple of weeks I’m dying to get back home.

“Fusion” as such isn’t really to be found on this record…do you reject it outright?
No, I don’t reject anything, but you have to respect the roots…you get like 21 or 22 musicians together, each one in his own world…what’s that supposed to be?!

Your record sounds and feels flamenco from start to finish, in both the more festive parts and the traditional cante. But what do you personally enjoy most?
Fortunately I’m attracted to the roots. And I don’t like to add unnecessary window-dressing that doesn’t serve any purpose, in other words, I want everything to sound flamenco, I can do a lot of things but it must sound like flamenco, because if it doesn’t, I don’t like it. That said, I’m much more at home with a soleá or a siguiriya, it’s as simple as that. I sing everything and I like everything, but siguiriyas is where I feel I’m “me”, it not a question of singing at that point, it’s the person himself, and when
the moment arrives I take the plunge, all the way, it’s an emotional explosion…

You get along very well with Periquín, don’t you… Is it any different with young guitarists?
Well…the young guys play well, but Perico is Perico…with him, nothing matters at all, the way I sing with Perico I can’t sing with anyone else because he understands me, and I understand him, he makes a mistake, I make a mistake, he knows whether it’s going to come out or not, and there’s this communication built over many years, he’s the king of guitar in Jerez, as far as I’m concerned…there are some very good guitarists, but he’s the purest of all.

Does your cante sound like Cádiz or Jerez?
It’s a mixture. I like to combine Cádiz, Jerez and the Puertos because it’s really all one, they’re good branches from a good tree.

Are there differences in the way people sing in Cádiz from one neighborhood to another, like in Jerez?
There used to be, but it’s not that way any more. Today, there’s nothing in La Viña…in Santa María there are no flamenco people, and Santa María always used to be the tops, the most flamenco neighborhood.

“Those good times when there used to be so much flamenco in Cádiz will never return”

Do you think flamenco-lovers have forgotten you?
No, I don’t think so…the interest is there, the problem is the lack of information.

Do you still sing for dance?
No, I haven’t sung for a dancer in a long time, and besides, the way they dance nowadays I wouldn’t even know how, because that’s not dance any more, that’s called “kung-fu”.

What dancers have you sung for?
All the best!…Güito, Faico, Manuela Carrasco, Tati, Farruco, Trini España…just about everyone…

What flamenco artists have come out of your family?
Oh, lots….Pablo, Jineto, Antonio, Curro…dancers…then  La Perla was a cousin of my mother’s.

You also dance pretty well, I’ve seen you…
[Laughter] No no no! hardly ever, oh! my little dance…

What happened to all the flamenco there was in Cádiz?
Who knows…people got old, they want peace and quiet and the youngsters aren’t coming forward,
I don’t know, there are a few promising young people, but that’s how it is these days, everyone wants to make a pop group, and there can only be so many groups. Those good times when there used to be so much flamenco in Cádiz will never return. I remember at home, all the neighbors used to get together…you don’t see that any more…

What flamenco singers are left these days?
Well, there are still a few, there’s one whose name is Rancapino who’s the purest of all, then there’s Pansequito…there are a few but aging as well, like we were saying before, everything’s crazy.

Do you feel you’ve made a mark, left an influence of your own? 
Of course, my own children…I’ve got a daughter who sings, you could go crazy she’s so good, but she doesn’t want to do anything…and my sons Juan, and the one who sings for Farruquito, Antonio Zúñiga is another son. I’ve got a whole dynasty if they just wanted to go out and do it, but they like to stay at home.

How do you view the current state of flamenco and the direction it’s heading?
I don’t think it’s bad. In my opinion, good, bad, it’s all fine, or at least I don’t feel any hostility about it…the problem is one day we won’t be able to listen to anyone sing soleá any more, and we’ll just sit home and listen to our favorite old recordings. No matter what, my cante isn’t going to be lost…because that’s something I’ve set as a goal that takes precedence over everything else, I can do anything that needs to be done, but this is for me, and if you the audience don’t accept it, well, that’s that, it’s your loss…I have to be happy with what I do, in my own way.

Are you aware of being one of the last traditional flamenco singers?
Quite.