THIRTY-SEVENTH FESTIVAL FLAMENCO DE ALMERÍA

THIRTY-
SEVENTH FESTIVAL FLAMENCO DE ALMERÍA

Tuesday, August
26th, 2003

Last night El Chocolate, Terremoto,
Macanita and Carmen Linares gave a lesson of good solid flamenco
in Almería's Plaza Vieja.

Over 1,300 people were thrilled for
nearly four hours during the second show of the Festival de
Almería

The festival closes tonight Wednesday with female voices
from Almería in addition to Antonio Canales and his group

EThe thirty-seventh Festival Flamenco de Almería last
night lived a magical experience with over 1,300 spectators
who were able to enjoy the most traditional kind of flamenco,
the kind that comes from Jerez, the birthplace of flamenco
singing, and also the cerebral kind from the encyclopedic
Carmen Linares. It was a night of duende where soleá,
seguiriya and bulería delighted all those in attendance.
Art through and through from Macanita, Antonio Núñez
«El Chocolate», Fernando Terremoto and Linares.
Nearly four hours to enjoy authentic 'cante jondo'.

Fernando Terremoto summed it up when he started out declaring,
«The Festival de Almería is very special, the
setting of the Plaza Vieja is lovely and the bill of artists
couldn't be better». The audience seemed to agree.

Macanita came on strong and delivered a recital that got
her audience going right through to the end, dancing with
her backup musicians and singing without the mike. She interpreted
soleá in the style of Fernanda de Utrera and bulería
with the art of Paquera de Jerez of whom she is considered
the successor, and modulated her voice at will in those marvellous
high and low points.

Next up was Chocolate who took part in the first Festival
de Almería so steeped in tradition, and here he was
again for the thirty-seventh edition. What can be said about
a singer for whom the Llave de Oro has been requested and
who won a Grammy Latino? That he possesses a deep flamenco
voice, typical of Jerez, has many followers and offered a
top-notch recital from the fandango «chocolatero»,
to the seguiriya and including the taranta de Almería.

Terremoto
('earthquake') was high on the Richter

But just in case anyone was thinking that couldn't be topped,
they were completely wrong because the second part was even
better. «El Torta», who was unable to attend for
personal reasons, was substituted by Jerez singer Fernando
Terremoto who admitted to having come to the festival «raring
to go». He made clear that his singing depended on the
audience, and precisely their enthusiasm spurred the artist
to offer a wide range of cante, brilliant, also ending with
dance and singing without the aid of amplification. The soleá,
seguiriya and malagueña couldn't have been better.
In Fernando Terremoto this flamenco family has a worthy successor,
with his voice sounding of pure Jerez.

And to finish up, the magic of Carmen Linares, always perfect,
accompanied by two palmeros and of course the guitarist. Laureate
of the Premio Nacional de Música…to hear her is to
learn the characteristics of cante jondo and enjoy the possibilities
of this art. The undisputed contemporary flamenco singer transmitted
to the audience as only she can, and put the icing on the
cake for a truly magical night.

The thirty-seventh Festival Flamenco de Almería ends
tonight, Wednesday, with the final show beginning at 11:00
p.m., a third evening that has awakened great expectation.
On the one hand, the young female singers from Almería
Jennifer Martínez «La Niña del Puerto»,
María José Pérez and Mari Carmen Segura,
and on the other, the great dancer Antonio Canales. And the
finale with guest artist, singer Rocío Segura. Luis
García Yepes will be the master of ceremonies.

As Antonio Zapata declared last night during the presentation,
«The Festival de Almería is one of the symbols
of the Almería fair»..

Photos: Contraportada

Monday, 25th august. Niño
Josele, Arcángel, Mayte Martin, Curro Piñana

Wednesday, 27th august. Antonio
Canales with female voices from Almería