THE FLAMENCO YEAR 2010 CDs, DVDs, Books, Didactic books, tab sheets…

CDs, DVDs, Books, Didactic books, tab sheets…

Pablo San Nicasio

A difficult year for the economy is drawing to a close, dramatic in the human dimension but full of hope with regard to art.  One might not have expected much from an industry some consider to be in its death throes, but flamenco artists and fans were shoulder to shoulder in 2010.  Not generally used to material abundance, there is never any shortage of creativity among flamencos.  And those of the newest generation are particularly sharp.

CD´S

The record market brought news of interesting groups such as the talented “UHF”, the “Ensemble Hispánico Numen” under the direction of “Cano”, the debut of “Sonaires de la Frontera” with a similar approach to the earlier group, “Las Migas”, “Soniquete”, the collaborators of Joaquín Ruiz, “Mixtolobo”, “Cai”….all of which means there are still ideas and sufficient inspiration to do flamenco without completely moving into the world of pop music.  The flamenco follower’s mission, aside from being moved by the work as Ortega said, will be to see how long these new ideas last, and how they end up.

Let’s look at the singers and guitarists:

Cante

Each year there are interesting new recordings of cante, but if anything was lacking in 2010, it was the appearance of newcomers interpreting orthodox cante.  In other words, even before we are able to determine whether they have a command of straightforward flamenco, today’s young singers prefer to explore more commercial paths while at the same time labelling themselves as flamenco singers with a solid background.  This becomes all the more worrisome when they then fill spots in strictly flamenco programs.

In any case, there are some interesting names to take note of: David Palomar, Londro and Rosario la Tremendita.  Three names who put out records this year, and the latter two who set out on solo careers.  We wish them luck.  To this group we must add the name of Fernando Terremoto whose last recording coincided with his premature passing, one of the most terrible losses we had to endure in 2010.

The stars came out but in records that were far removed from anything traditional.  Neither Pitingo, nor Cigala nor José Mercé had any flamenco repertoire to speak of in their extremely commercial works.  The first one following his pseudo blues line, the second, Argentine tangos, and the man from Jerez navigating through a kind of ambiguous terrain that may not be as profitable as it used to be.

The most solid offering came from Marina Heredia, directly inspired in the maestro Morente (our worst loss), and there was also some interesting cante from Cancanilla de Málaga.

What is beyond question is the value of productions which this year paid tribute to stars such as Tío Borrico, Ecijano and Sernita junior.

More debatable is the release of Camarón’s last recital which took place at the San Juan Evangelista in Madrid.  Not because of the quality of the recording, which is unquestionable.  But rather because of the flood of merchandising always surrounding the much exploited figure of the celebrated singer, something which is beginning to seem obscene to the flamenco fan in the street.

Guitarra

It was a good year, historic in fact, this 2010, as far as guitar goes.

And we have to take into account that guitar records always have an uphill battle with the industry, in both good economic times and bad.  If before it was a struggle for any guitarist to debut on the market and be noticed, nowadays it’s become a heroic achievement.  But there is a layer of professionals who are immune to market pressure, and that’s flamenco guitarists, they just follow their path oblivious to all else.  These are people who are always eager to have their music known and who are without a doubt the driving force behind the flamenco aesthetic.  The year 2010 brought a wide assortment of guitar material.

Noteworthy work came from young guitarists such as Diego del Morao, Juan Diego, Flavio Rodrigues and Caroline Planté, the latter being the first woman in history to make a solo flamenco guitar recording.  They all live with the hope that there will be room for them alongside the more accustomed names.

Among the heavyweights, only Cañizares and Tomatito recorded, the latter with a Grammy for his efforts.  His “Sonanta Suite” came wrapped in a symphony orchestra, as if he didn’t want to stand out.  On the other hand, Pepe Habichuela with “Hands” and Juan Carlos Romero with “Agua Encendida”, are true jewels, and the best French guitarist, Juan Carmona also did some fine work this year.  Add to these Jorge Berges, Daniel Casares, Raimundo Amador (now calmed down a bit) and David Tavares, guitarists who continue to dignify this area of flamenco.

Despite not having a new recording, and the years that have gone by without new repertoire, maestro Paco de Lucía participated in “Vitoria Suite” along with trumpet-player Winston Marsalis, and also showed up in some anthologies to remind us who he is.  It was a similar situation with Vicente Amigo who, although he had few live appearances this year, saw his anthological pack of records hit the shops under the title “Vivencias”.

A pesar de no sacar disco, y van muchos años sin renovar repertorio, el maestro Paco de Lucía apareció en “Vitoria Suite” junto a la trompeta de Winton Marsalis y en algunas antologías que nos recuerdan que es quien es.

Algo parecido a lo que sucede con Vicente Amigo, quien aunque no se prodigó mucho en directo este año redondo, sí vio como su primer pack de discos antológicos subió a los escaparates bautizado como “Vivencias”.

DVDs

This was perhaps the least active area of the year, very few DVDs came out.  And almost all directed at teaching, which we will deal with next.  Noteworthy however was the Antonio Canales production “Torero”, and the live performance of Miguel Poveda in the Liceu with his “Coplas del Querer” as the main theme.

METHODS

There was a great deal of activity in this field.  The progressive introduction of flamenco into conservatories and schools, and the endless demand for didactic material only grows greater.

This year, in addition to the familiar names of Jerónimo Utrilla, David Leiva, Mehdi Mohagheghi, Claude Worms and Manuel Granados, we can add that of a very important contributor in the way of both quantity and quality, Paul Martínez.

Add to this, material for bass-players, dancers, palmas and pianists, and it’s quite a leap forward which we predict will still fall short of the coming demand.  There was also an anthology of pieces by Niño Ricardo with detailed analysis of this style, as is only fitting.

LIBROS (BOOKS)

Flamenco books this year were mostly centered on dance, either biographical work, such as that devoted to Carmen Amaya, or discussing dance itself.  This is an area in which José Luis Navarro is a true leader, and now even more so with his exemplary “Historia del Baile Flamenco” in five volumes.

More recently, the publications “El Olivo” and “El Canon”, in addition to heart-warming studies of Carrete and Isabelita de Jerez.

José Luis Ortiz Nuevo reprinted his “Alegato Contra la Pureza”, and we also had a reprise of Lorca in an interesting revival of his “Juego y Teoría del Duende”.

It is always the flamenco follower’s sacred duty, but now more than ever, to be thankful for the efforts of so many interpreters.  A happy new year to all.

The flamenco year 2010, year of World Heritage status