Festival Flamenco Nimes 2012. Niño Josele & María Toledo

WHEN BEAUTY IS AN EMOTION

Text: Estela Zatania
Photos: J.L. Duzert

María Toledo’s group.  Voice, piano: María Toledo. Guitar: Jesús del Rosario. Percussion: Lucky Losada. Violin: David Moreira. Upright bass: Yelsy Heredia.
Niño Josele’s group.  Guitar: Niño Josele. Electric bass: Alain Pérez. Percussion, cajón: Sabu Suárez  Escobar. Cante: David Maldonado, Cristo Heredia. Dance: Juan de Juan.

When so many flamenco festivals are in their death throes or have already gone under, we still have the venerable Festival de Nimes which each January, thanks to the organizers’ dedication and zeal, continues to bring together the best artists, young and old, traditional and avant-garde.  In this historic city in the south of France, there is a flamenco following as abundant at it is intelligent, with a marked predilection for traditional flamenco.

Since the festival got underway last week, top names such as Tomatito, José de la Tomasa, Capullo de Jerez, Fuensanta la Moneta and Juan Ramón Caro among others, have appeared at its venues.  Last night, an excellent double program filled the lovely Theater of Nimes to the rafters.

If flamenco’s biggest star these days is from Catalonia in the north of Spain, it shouldn’t take anyone by surprise that a singer from Toledo is now vying for room at the top.  Young María Toledo successfully breezed through the typical beginner’s route of contests to move directly on to the competitive world of flamenco for the general public.  She offers the interesting novelty of accompanying herself on piano; the Diana Krall of flamenco.  Serene blond beauty, elegance with a touch of sweet innocence and a tight-fitting electric red dress with sequins.  It’s a package that has little or nothing to do with words like “raw”, “gut-wrenching” or “primitive” that we apply to another type of cante.

The thing is, there are various paths to the heart of flamenco.  In the year 2012 sweet refined voices are in fashion and middle-aged flamenco fans have to adjust the chip in order to appreciate the cerebral polished art offered by the new generation.  This change is not a result – take note – of the comforts of modern life as some like to say…precisely now we’re living through times of serious socioeconomic problems and deprivation.  The phenomenon of flamenco as an industry has led to the need to compete with pop music in a wide-open market.

The excellent guitar of Jesús del Rosario began with the solid flamenco sound of soleá for María’s singing.  How can you define the frontier between art and imitation?  At what point does the lack of having grown up in a flamenco ambience cease to have importance, and when can we speak of music for music’s sake?  I don’t have the answer, but María Toledo travels along that frontier, crossing back and forth at will, sounding at times very flamenco, and at others, evoking flamenco.

In addition to soleá, she presented polished arrangements of traditional tangos, a sort of taranta passed through a modern prism, alegrías with mirabrás and siguiriyas from the Reniego verse to Manuel Molina’s closing; quite a declaration of flamenco intent.  And when María accompanies herself on piano, the ability to divide her attention perfectly between voice and instrument is surprising.

There was also a song in French and some lyrical bulerías, numbers that helped win over the audience.  Can “beauty” be an emotion?  I don’t know, but María Toledo brings beauty to flamenco, and can be moving.  The rest of the group was composed of Lucky Losada on percussion, David Moreira on violin and Yelsy Heredia on upright bass.

JOSELE, HEIR OUTSTANDING

In the second part, another contemporary offering with the impressive guitar of Niño Josele from Almería, prodigious land of guitarists and flamenco.  But that artistic I.D. is superseded by another nationality: that of Pacoland.  Because Juan José Heredia is a faithful follower of the big man from Algeciras whose figure continues to cast a long shadow nearly a half-century after Paco de Lucía tipped over the gameboard and all the pieces to open not one, but any number of diverse rhythmic and melodic possibilities of the flamenco guitar.  The touch, the clean technique, the jazz harmony without ever losing sight of the aroma of flamenco…it’s what Paco has given the new generation of guitarists of which Josele is one of the most outstanding interpreters.

And the show follows the maestro’s classic formula, opening with rondeña with fresh original details.  Soleá that sounds like soleá is anchored in the most classic flamenco tradition.  David Maldonado, who possesses one of the most promising voices of current flamenco, sang siguiriyas with a very up-tempo guitar accompaniment.  At this speed the typical mixed compás called “amalgam” starts sounding like bulerías, but the cante, the beginnings and the resolutions of voice and guitar define siguiriyas.  Then, bulerías bulerías with plenty of flavor, although an overuse of false finishes began to wear on the audience’s patience.

Bulerías with singing, and David and the other singer, Cristo Heredia, let loose all their Camaron-inspired delivery.  Paco and Camarón, Camarón and Paco, as influential as the first day.  But never underestimate the contribution, the talent and the brilliantly flamenco instincts of Niño Josele who makes it all relevant.

Morón dancer Juan de Juan came in for a landing, just barely controlling his own considerable strength and ability, surprising with his soleá in which a bit more serenity would have made the intense moments more exciting.  One encore and another, both bulerías, rounded out an evening of young and varied flamenco.