No
rushing, no resting…
Rubén Gutiérrez
Cante: Mayte Martín; Guitar: Juán
Ramón Caro and José Luis Montón; Percussion:
Chico Fargas; Violin: Olvido Lanza; Bass: Guillermo Prats.
Right back to business at Laraña street with the Monte’s
program for the recently begun year. Catalonian singer Mayte
Martín offered an extract of her repertoire in two
well-defined parts that cover the last thirty years of her
involvement with cante. Well-supported by a string of artists
formed on the northern Mediterranean coast of Spain, the cantaora
was feeling her oats and the audience response was warm.
Mayte Martin – photo: Rafael Manjavacas
The recital clearly had two parts, as announced in the program.
Very different, and yet, very similar, as far as the quality
of the performance. She began with vidalita, especially dedicated
to Dolores Abril, the vidow of Juanito Valderrama. The singer
explained that her admiration for this style is thanks to
the maestro from Torredelcampo. The Argentine music was well-accompanied
by guitarist Juan Ramón Caro. He was well-focused all
through this first part playing alone for Mayte, if perhaps
a bit restrained. Just a few short weeks ago he left an excellent
impression when he accompanied Miguel Poveda on this same
stage.
Although Mayte apologized for having bronquitis, she dove
straight into peteneras. And her model for the task couldn’t
have been better – it wasn’t so long ago Niña
de los Peines herself was hanging out just a few meters down
the block at the Bar Pinto. That memory of Pastora Pavón
allows us to discover Mayte Martín’s vocal qualities.
She confesses to knowing music, and the proof is in her treatment
of the melodic line, with good preparation from the low tones
to gradually climb upward once her vocal chords get warmed
up so as not to damage the “instrument”.
Her complex arabesques in the malagueña also demonstrate
technical ability, and she closes out with verdiales-style
cante from Ronda and Lucena. Next she interprets a siguiriya
with styles from Jerez and Los Puertos. A heartfelt interpretation
that ends with cabal.
Argentine music and great admiration
for Valderrama and Marchena
The recital proceeded calmly, in a laidback fashion, not
even the continuous coughing throughout the theater marked
a rhythm. But we were all enjoying the flamenco. It doesn’t
take much to make a flamenco show. Sometimes less is more,
and these two artists seemed to be demonstrating just that.
All that was missing was that rhythm, and it finally came
by way of a garrotín and a guajira with sounds of Valderrama
and Marchena.
After intermission, the stage set was radically different.
We were received by an off-stage voice singing peteneras.
It’s the voice of Mayte at age six singing to her grandmother
María. Then the singer appears with a guitar to sing
“Un Canto para mi Niño”, one of Lole and
Manuel’s themes. This is her personal tribute to the
city she is singing in this night.
The many chairs and music stands are soon taken over by the
rest of the group. Mayte wants to offer some more flamenco,
and she would also have sung boleros, Catalonian folksongs
or Portuguese fado. The pieces take on a flamenco aura and
develop moving verses and themes from her two most flamenco
recordings that speak of love, such as “Ten Cuidao”.
A beautiful dialogue between the singer and the violin lead
into “Inténtalo Encontrar”, the bulería
“Zafira y Luna” and the cantiñas “Navega
Sola”. After a long ovation, the audience manages to
extract a curtain call, and the entire group returns for a
version of a song of Falete’s, in my opinion, the weakest
point of the evening, but that doesn’t keep us from
requesting more frequent appearances of Mayte Martin on Andalusian
stages.
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