An enthralling flamenco double bill featuring rising young cantaora Estrella Morente and master guitarist Tomatito. Sun 3 July 7.30pm
On Sun 3 July the Barbican presents an enthralling flamenco double bill
featuring Estrella Morente (daughter of the renowned flamenco singer and
producer, Enrique Morente), who performs in the UK for the first time
ever, and Tomatito, one of the best-known performers of the ‘toque
gitano’ (flamenco guitar) today.
To listen to Estrella Morente sing is to plunge into the passionate heart
of true flamenco, one of the oldest musics of Europe. The young cantoara
is its rising star, and heiress to one of Spain’s greatest musical
dynasties.
Although still in her early 20s Morente sings classic ‘deep song’
flamenco with a technique and passion beyond her years. Recently the press
heaped praise on her latest album My Songs and A Poem (Real World) which
– produced by her father – was recorded both live in concert and
in studios in Cadiz, Madrid and Granada.
For her debut release Estrella was accompanied by some of Spain’s
finest talents, including the Carmonas and Habichuelas — cousins
and uncles who form a veritable roll-call of late 20th century flamenco’s
greatest innovators (notably Juan and Pepe Habichuela, and the Carmonas
as Ketama, the cutting-edge flamenco-blues-rock group). They are the extended
family she grew up with, in Granada’s medieval quarter by the spectacular
Moorish Alhambra Palace. Nearby is the Sacromonte hill where several songs
were recorded in the natural atmosphere of the caves — traditional
hillside homes of the Gypsy population from whose clans Estrella, like
centuries of Spain’s best flamenco artists, has emerged.
For this very special flamenco double bill Estrella is joined by José
Fernandez Torres ‘Tomatito’. Tomatito, who formed the most
famous of flamenco duos with Camaron, is often described as the bridge
between Camaron’s generation and the ‘new flamenco’
of younger artists such as Estrella Morente.
José Fernández Torres, son of Tomate (‘tomato’)
and grandson of Miguel Tomate, perhaps unsurprisingly goes by the Flamenco
nickname of ‘Tomatito’ (‘little tomato’). Born
in Almería in 1958, in southeastern Andalusia, he grew up surrounded
by Flamenco guitars and the influence of his father and grandfather –
both accomplished musicians. As if this wasn’t enough, he is the
nephew of the legendary tocaor (guitar player) Niño Miguel.
At the age of 12 Tomatito moved from Almería to the southern city
of Málaga, where he started his musical career playing in tablaos
(flamenco nightclubs). It was at the famous Taberna Gitana where Tomatito
– aged only 15 – met two
flamenco legends, guitarist Paco de Lucía and singer Camarón
de la Isla. Camarón, then 24, liked Tomatito’s guitar playing
style and asked him to play with him. A few years later, when Paco de
Lucía quit playing with Camarón, Tomatito and Camarón
became the perfect duo, famous for their fiery performances until Camarón’s
tragic death in a car accident in 1992.
Camarón’s untimely death was a serious blow to Tomatito,
whose career had become entwined with Camaron over a 20 year period. His
first thought was to quit making music to become a travelling merchant,
like many other Gypsies. It was the unlikely call from a promoter to be
the opening act for Elton John’s Spanish tour in 1992 that launched
him back onto the international stage – this time as a soloist.
Tomatito has gone on to become an award-winning soloist of international
renown and is now regarded as one of the pioneers of modern flamenco.
He has evolved a rhythmic and elegant playing style, characterised above
all by his absolute mastery of the compás (the strict rhythm of
12 beats and accents on the sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth beats).
Recent highlights of Tomatito’s career include a performance at
London’s Royal Albert Hall in October 2003 making him the first
solo flamenco guitarist to perform on this historic stage. He collaborated
with Paco de Lucía on his latest album Cositas Buena and his most
recent release Aguadulce, released on Verve, was hailed as one of 2004’s
best flamenco recordings.
