Just what is “A Night at Torres Bermejas”? At first glance
it appears to be a record made with the flamenco stars of the moment at
a live performance in that legendary Madrid tablao at the end of the sixties:
Camarón, Bambino, Paquera… At first glance. However, at second
glance, we discover the credits make no mention whatsoever of when, how
and why the recording was made. In fact, not only is the date of the recording
missing, but also the names of the guitarists. Another listen confirms
our suspicions: it’s a false live recording. A very common ruse
of the era whereby studio material was rereleased as if it were a new
live recording. This was done with rock and pop stars. And as we see from
this odd record, with flamenco as well. The only thing that’s new
therefore is the canned audience cheering, not very flamenco at that,
and not particularly related to what is going on musically (there isn’t
any “jaleo” as we know it, except in the sense of noise),
and plenty of tinkling glasses. Philips copied the formula, at no cost,
of the successful live recordings previously made at Manolo Caracol’s
Canasteros or
Corral de la Morería, two genuine treasures of flamenco recordings.
The copy turns out to be as faked as it is ingenuous.
This rerelease, as I said, does not give the date of the original recording.
It is a re-edition in CD format of a record from the end of the sixties.
There is graphic material with a very young Paco Cepero (who does not
play on the recording) among others. Oddly enough, there is not the slightest
bit of text in the way of presentation, something that was the norm on
Universal’s rereleases in recent years. It appears no one wanted
to take the blame for the misdeed..
1. Que un torito bravo en su muerte – Camarón
de la Isla -tientos
2. Po rla tarde escuchando – Jarrito – serrano
3. Que dolor de mare mía – La Paquera de jerez – bulerias
4. Los anticuarios – El Chaleco – tanguillo
5. Dale con el 'e'. Álvaro de la Isla – bulerias
6. Toíta el agua del mar – Fosforito – cantiña
7. Bambino piccolino – canción
8. Si acaso muero – Camarón de la Isla – seguiriya
9. No le quites los hilvanes – Pepa de Utrera – alegrías
10. Frangancias de Punta umbría – La Paquera de Jerez – fandangos
de Huelva
The record is a curiosity that says a lot about the workings of the recording
market, then and now. Although pirating is a relatively new development,
there have always been market needs.
After the first impression, let’s analyze the actual recording,
which is, after all, yet another collection of high-quality flamenco.
There are two cantes of Camarón from his first LP, with the accompaniment
of Paco
de Lucía (a lost opportunity, probably due to ignorance –
the world’s most famous flamenco guitarist could have been cited
on the cover). Two styles from Cádiz, tientos and siguiriyas, with
a very youthful Camarón,
in top physical form, and a young maestro of the guitar (the original
recording dates from 1969). Paquera has two cantes, fandangos de Huelva
and her astonishing bulerías. The original recording is from 1957,
the third time Paquera
entered a recording studio, and the guitar, not cited, is of Manuel Morao.
Bambino, with the guitar of Antonio Arenas, sings the song that gave him
his artistic name, “Bambino Piccollino”, and Fosforito offers
cantiñas from 1956, with the forgotten Madrid guitarist, born in
Burgos, Vargas Araceli.
Stranger still are the four cuts that complete the selection. These are
by singers who, although interesting or even essential, are today completely
forgotten. Of these, I would highlight a singer from San Roque, Jarrito.
A fundamental singer from the era of rehabilitation (now called neoclassic),
who took part in several important events, such as the famous Hispavox
anthology or the Zambra tablao group, but he is now forgotten. Here we
have Jarrito, on this odd anthology, singing serrana, an odd cante, which
can be considered the predecessor of the siguiriya. Roque Montoya Heredia,
Jarrito for flamenco fans (San Roque, 1925-Marbella, 1995) also sang at
Corral de la Morería and Torres Bermejas, from 1961 to 1963, and
again in 1985. He won a contest in Jerez in 1962 and this recording shows
what he was capable of. Unfortunately, for those of us who enjoy his art,
the rest of his production (with the exception of the three cantes included
on ths Hispavox anthology) is out of print, so this serrana is nothing
less than a jewel.
If Jarrito has a series of basic recordings no longer available, we know
that Chaleco made very few in the first place. For this reason the tanguillos
included here are a curiosity: for many listeners, the first opportunity
to hear this interpreter who, aside from his work at Torres Bermejas,
also sang for the companies of Antonio and La Chunga. Exactly the same
professional profile as Álvaro de la Isla, tablao and company singer,
and his bulerías are a real oddity. The selection is rounded out
with Pepa de Utrera, cousin of Fernanda and Bernarda, singing cantiñas
del Pinini, and a genuine jaleo.
