Canela de San Roque / Pansequito / José Mercé

1st Part. Cante: Canela de San Roque.Guitar: Niño Jero. Cante: Pansequito. Guitar: Diego Amaya.
2nd Part. Cante. José Mercé. Guitar: Moraíto

Text: Manuel Moraga
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas Lara

From the word ‘go’ this was the program that had generated most expectation. Three high-level singers, all from the same province but with starkly contrasting aesthetic concepts. There was a certain yearning among the audience for a facing-off, for rivalry, for a night of high emotion, but the final result was rather quotidian.

Breaking the ice with this trio is tough, and in theory, the first one up would mark the minimum level, but in this case it wasn’t very high.Canela de San Roque was too wired, accelerated and shouting.We know he feels most comfortable in the high tones, but we also know he’s capable of holding back a bit and achieving memorable nights, like the one he had some time ago at the Sala El Juglar in Lavapiés that was later made into a record.But last night was another story.It’s like when you burn the stew: the ingredients get cooked but the sauce doesn’t come together, the textures are different and the flavor changes.This is what happened with Canela.It didn’t help that he had a lot of friends in the audience, as they cheered non-stop with exaggerated glee.Niño Jero on guitar did his job without giving any more than necessary.

ansequito brought everything down to a crawl, almost putting us to sleep at first, but even so the change was welcome. The bullfighter builds slowly from the ground up.He seemed a bit nervous, as he himself admitted, and that might have kept him from communicating although he threw himself into it. There were some high points, lots of good will, and of course, that special personality of his when it comes to singing.The third cante was the best, and his bulerías were phenomenal, as were his fandangos away from the mike. What a wonderful flamenco voice this man has, and Diego Amaya on the guitar was extraordinary.

When we headed out at intermission the general sentiment was “well, now we’ll see what Mercé comes up with!”And what Mercé did was fulfill his obligations with the professionalism and quality that characterize him, but without having an especially memorable night.Nevertheless, we must remember this is one of the greatest flamenco singers of our time: the quality of his voice, his moving interpretative quality, his drama, his way of wrestling with the cante are things that make even his off nights worthwhile.He almost didn’t get a curtain call.It was the “unspecialized” audience the singer attracts that demanded “Aire”, although he didn’t sing it.Moraíto on the guitar was up to his usual level, in other words, excellent.

Overall, it was a rather uneventful evening: correct, with a high level, but no especially great moments.

And just a few lines to underline the quality of Madrid flamenco fans, always respectful, knowing how to appreciate the artists and treat them fairly.It tends to occur in the theater, in bullfighting, and of course, in flamenco.We have been witness to precisely this throughout the Festival Cajamadrid where people weren’t seduced by big names, but rather applauded a job well-done.Canela San Roque let out some “Viva Madrid, you really know how to listen and pay attention!”Too bad his own fans didn’t follow suit.