AL AIRE DE JEREZ – REVIEW

Text & photos: Estela
Zatania

There is a fifth dimension Einstein never knew about because his mother
failed to have him in Jerez. It’s a world of compás, with
the aroma of sherry slowly aging in oak casks, and rustic taverns of the
mind, because the actual places disappeared years ago. But above all,
it’s a world of venerable families, authentic dynasties which proudly
conserved forms and traditions when they were not as fashionable as now.

Al aire de Jerez, la herencia cantaora de tres familias 3CD Nuevos Medios, 2006 CD 1- Los Moneo: La plazuela de los Moneo Soleá de tío Pacote Bulerías cortas Con la trenza de tu pelo Al compás del tío Chico Maldito arriero Deja de quererme Hablando con mi hijo Entre oriente y occidente. CD 2 – Los Zambo: Al compás de los zambos Guindas al pavo Tío Borrico Agusto la estoy llevando Ahora sí Zarape Las gallinas en el corral La hija del manijero Surcaré Los Zambos por fiesta. CD 3 – Los de la Morena: En «Ca» Fernando de la Morena Tú tienes un amor para mí Eugenia de montijo Despacito y buena letra Mariquilla moquillo Este querer de nosotros Al atravesar el barranco Al compás del cocoroco Quiérelo mucho Gitana blanca Bulería de Cádiz. More details – Listen to samples- Online purchase

Jerez flamenco is also divided into neighborhoods, and the most important
ones, not only historically but according to the sheer number of interpreters,
both professional and amateur they have produced, are Santiago and San
Miguel, the «plazuela». With «Al Aire de Jerez»,
a Nuevos Medios production, three unique classic recordings, until now
hard to find, have been recuperated, two neighborhoods and three families
that represent them: the Moneos, the Zambos and the de la Morenas. And
even with all the weight of tradition, «Al Aire de Jerez»
is a mini-anthology of the most updated Jerez cante interpreted by the
people who now populate the flamenco landscape of this town and are the
maestros to learn from. Theirs is the last generation of singers to receive
the cante and its forms via oral transmission, and for this reason they
are voices full of personality, that item so painfully missing in younger
singers.

The guitars of Moraíto and his son Diego, with a guitar-playing
dynasty of their own, provide the perfect backdrop which gets us right
in the mood for our virtual excursion to Jerezland. Also welcome is the
creative mind of Diego Carrasco, musical director along with Jesús
Bola, to distill the flavors, aromas and sounds to their most perfect
essence. We’re not talking about «purity», which has
had so much bad press lately, but of tangible realities such as the irresistibly
natural style of Luis Zambo and his family, the wrenching voices of Manuel
Moneo and his, and the infectious rhythm of Fernando de la Morena and
his.

The last generation of singers to receive
the cante and its forms via oral transmission

Oddly enough, you listen to the three recordings, you let yourself get
swept up in it and gradually turn up the volume, if no one’s home
you perfect fine points of your bulerías dance or invent one for
the first time… And only when the fiesta is over do you realize it was
all bulerías except for one cut. And why not? Ever since the rumba
was dethroned decades ago, bulerías has done nothing but gain in
popularity and is currently the most dynamic, authentic and personalized
cante of the flamenco repertoire, the form that is never outdated because
it is recreated daily by a thousand voices.

It seems obvious that the interpretation of flamenco, in any of its manifestations,
is irrevocably linked to being flamenco – an attitude or philosophy
that takes on life’s realities with greater gusto and bravery than
others, that cultivates an intimacy with pleasure as well as pain, somehow
managing to get the most out of both. The assortment of voices brought
together here brings us close to a kind of flamenco in danger of extinction,
and this essential trilogy is the vibrant echo of a fragile flamenco reality
that comes just when many flamenco fans are suffering the dearth of new
productions.

«Al compás de los Zambo»

Luis El Zambo

The famous song of «Guindas al Pavo» popularized by Lola Flores
over a half-century ago serves as chorus for traditional bulerías
that open the record with loveable Luis, good-hearted and earthy even in
his singing. He is one of the few singers nowadays capable of singing with
the same voice he uses to speak, the «spoken cante» so highly-prized
in this part of the world. Youthful memories of his years in the fields
with his grandfather Luis «Rincones» when night after night,
half-reclining on his straw-stuffed duffel bag that acted as mattress, he
observed his elders singing and dancing. This is the aroma that wafts thought
this delightful recording where brother Enrique so expertly recreates the
cante of revered singer Tío Borrico, and another brother, Joaquín,
contributes his sweet voice that bears the indelible mark of the family.
Three well-defined complementary voices on the same wave-length. Juañares
also participates with his wise, time-aged delivery, and young Abraham,
Joaquín’s son, is a product of the Camarón generation
without straying from the rich Zambo sound.

The irresistible nonsense chorus of «Zarape, zarape, zarape, zarape,
mamá riña, ríñale usted al gato» [Zarape,
zarape, zarape, zarape, hey mom, better scold the cat] with cantes of
el Gloria and Cádiz, and which was heard at every town fair throughout
the lower Guadalquivir the year it came out, has the «chufla»
feeling of tongue-in-cheek Cádiz humor passed through the lens
of Santiago, Jerez, and to end, «Los Zambos por Fiesta» provides
more than thirteen non-stop minutes to muse about how those fiestas must
have been at sunset in the fields, «without wine or anything»
as Luis says.

.«La plazuela de los Moneo»

Manuel Moneo

The sober rhythm of «bulerías al golpe», known in
other places as «soleá por bulería», the way
they do it in Jerez, with no accompaniment other that the dry sound of
knuckles on wood, the «golpe», and muted handclapping, solemnly
opens this recording that defines the sound of San Miguel as seen through
the eyes and ears of the Moneo family. Manuel Moneo Lara, family patriarch,
brother of El Torta and father of Barullo and Macarena, along with Tío
Chico, are the singers who participate in this majestic manifestation
of the unmistakeable sound of the «plazuela». It is the only
non-festive cante of the three records, and possibly the best commercially-recorded
sample of the unusual cante of Carapiera in major key. The absence of
the harmonic reference of the guitar keeps it from sounding like alegrías
as sometimes happens, and you feel the full weight of soleá.

Manuel Moneo, profound, powerful, acrid, knows how to churn out heavy
cantes like siguiriya, soleá and tonás, but here he exhibits
his perfect capacity for bulerías with the usual nod to Antonio
Mairena, sounds of «corridos» and of singer el Chalao. References
to the blacksmith’s forge which characterizes life in San Miguel
remind us that the people of this neighborhood didn’t do fieldwork
and have other memories to draw on. Juan el «Torta», charismatic
cult figure, erratic bohemian, contributes his extravagant personality
and his traditional bulerías with the occasional excursion to Lebrija
cante, and Macarena Moneo offers her tasty popular songs «a lo Jerez»,
which like «a lo Utrera», end up sounding so flamenco many
fans have difficulty distinguishing them from traditional short-style
bulerías. Barullo, with his instintive young wisdom and clearly
in the family line, demonstrates his ability with a long varied assortment
of bulerías.

Torta closes out the record with «Entre Oriente y Occidente»
[between east and west], a title which reflects the fact that he sings
fandangos por bulería, an oddity cultivated in Lebrija and southward,
as well as granaína and cartagenera, from eastern Andalucía,
all to the rhythm of bulerías.

«En ca’ Fernando de la Morena»

El Torta & Fernando de la Morena

A keen sense of humor and irony instructs the richly rhythmic offering
of the de la Morena family. If San Miguel loves to wallow in its misery,
Santiago finds ways to sublimate it. It seems inevitable that the intense
experience of field-workers from Santiago who lived in subhuman communal
dwellings for months on end would lead to people with a greater helping
of philosophy, fueled by plain boiled chick peas twice a day, every day,
and the smell of fresh damp earth.

Fernando, with his voice of antique velvet and old wine, one of the most
original singers of the current scene, says it all with his «Long
live the neighborhood!», interpreting most of the recording «Despacito
y Con Buena Letra» [slowly and with good lyrics] as one of the bands
is titled. His son Juan de la Morena does his father proud with the signature
«Eugenia de Montijo» in which he captures the elder’s
subtleties of pronunciation and breathing, even the famous «ay»
Fernando inserts when you least expect it, and compás, which doesn’t
even need to be said.

Also on the record are Tío Chico and the sorely missed brother
Curro who died suddenly and prematurely, and who leaves his unmistakeable
mark with a zambra por bulería. A Caracol delivery, stylized, different
at the same time as squarely in the family line, a refreshing sample of
his highly personal voice for future generations. In the inspired final
orgy of bulería de Cádiz por Jerez (not a contradiction),
the two brothers take turns singing, you hear someone dancing in the background
and once again we are transported, in the words of Rafael Fernández
el «Nene», by the «true readers of the cante testament».

More information:
The
Polarities of gypsy Jerez: Santiago and San Miguel