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The collective history of flamenco
It's great to see how Jerez supports flamenco and its
homegrown artists, professionals and amateurs, young and not-so-young…»venerables»,
veterans, they call the latter, a well-meaning euphemism to
refer to those elderly individuals who carry the collective
history of flamenco in their DNA.
No, they don't really sing or dance with such technical perfection
any more…for that we have their children, grandchildren
and other people who have had the privilege of tasting and
assimilating a priceless heritage that has always been handed
down via oral communication, face-to-face, and which loses
much of its charm and mystery when the process takes place
through artificial means – home-cooked always is always better
than canned.
…that nasal voice charged with
the wear of decades and enriched with life experiences
And so, after the Son de Santiago with Juana la del Pipa,
Fernando de la Morena and Enrique Soto, the Cuadro from the
Peña La Bulería de Jerez with Manuel Moneo and
the Cuadro Flamenco de Fernando Terremoto with el Capullo
de Jerez, the fourth and last night of the cycle «Ciudad
del Flamenco», a series of free performances offered
in Jerez de la Frontera's Plaza de la Asunción, was
devoted to the «venerables». The night started off
with a famous veteran flamenco artist who is still right in
step professionally: Antonio Núñez el Chocolate,
with his regular guitarist, Antonio Carrión. A native
of Jerez by birth, but, by his own confession, of Sevillian
education and spirit, this man who has seen 73 springtimes
still manages to raise goosebumps with that nasal voice charged
with the wear of decades and with life experiences with the
Pavón family, Manuel Vallejo, Manolo Caracol and other
giants of the era. In the face of such command, how empty
the voices sound of those who would pack away maestros like
Chocolate and others of his generation into an expired chapter
of flamenco.
 After
opening with taranto he went for soleá announcing «let's
summon up Jerez», and with the help of Tomás Pavón,
that's just what he did. Chocolate likes to chat with his
audience and introduce each cante. He prologued the siguiriya
declaring: «the cantes of Cagancho the way Tomás
Pavón did them, and then Loco Mateo, another cante
that requires good bellows». And the bellows were in
fine shape for the famous siguiriya of Torre «Eran dos
días señalaítos de Santiago y Santana»
setting off a heartfelt ovation in the numerous audience made
up of local, national and foreign flamenco fans. «Chocolate's
special fandangos» to wind up as usual, and then it was
time for the «venerables» of Jerez.
«Let's summon up Jerez»,
and with the help of Tomás Pavón, that's just
what he did.
An emotional ovation welcomed María Soleá on
stage…the sister of the late, and much-missed Terremoto
de Jerez. With Juan Parrilla, the brother of Parrilla de Jerez
on the guitar, the members of the charming group of oldsters
offered their songs and dances in the purest Jerez style with
noteworthy performances by Tío Enrique Soto Sordera,
Tía Antonia María and the delightful María
Soleá.
Emotional ovation for María Soleá
Related links
'Mis
70 años con el cante'. Antonio Núñez 'El Chocolate'. Review
& Interview
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