XIII Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. 'El Mago' Diego Carrasco

Diego Carrasco: cante. Diego del Morao: guitar. Ignacio Cintado:
bass. Luis Carrasco: percussion. Juan Grande: drums. Ané
Carrasco: percussion. Ana María González, Rosario
Loreto, Maloko, Manuel Angulo, Enrique García, Luis Manteca:
chorus and palmas. Stage direction: Belén Candil.

Abracadabra!

Text : Kiko Valle

He’s the boss…yeah! And the curtain goes up. The
stage is full of instruments and in the center, near the back, a
guitar case…a burst of fire and out pops Diego in a bowler
hat, just like magic. With his characteristic sound he pays tribute
to Camarón de la Isla in “José Monje Cruz”
from his last record “Mi ADN Flamenco” from which he
interprets other themes as well. The music is too loud and with
the shouting that goes on, it’s not possible to hear the words
of the songs. But it doesn’t matter, he can sing in ancient
Mandarin This rhythm magician doesn’t need any particular
weapon to start the kind of revolution we saw at the Teatro Central.
“Let’s have some fun!” shouted the man from Jerez.
“Abracadabra” writes Ortiz Nuevo in the handbill which
warns “The order of the show is subject to the artist’s
whim”.

He opens with “Libertad” and who knows what’s
in store? “Who wants to be king without a castle? Who would
be prince without his Leticia? I get to laugh for a song, ha ha
ha, hi hi hi”. For just a few euros you were able to attend
the premiere of “El Mago” and get blown away by the
music and wit of this Diego Carrasco who continually doffed his
bowler hat as a show of gratitude and affection to the members of
his group. A fiesta got going on stage and colorful images were
projected onto the backdrop. He named the Sevilla critics: his “friend”
Bohórquez, the one from the ABC (Alberto García Reyes)
and Manuel Martín Martín from the El Mundo, “plenty
of M’s”, supposedly to point out that he couldn’t
care less about the critics and just wanted everyone to have a good
time. The goal was handily achieved. “El Mago” created
illusions and rhythms, art and compás as never before.

“DO,
RE, MI”. The backdrop shows a musical staff with drawings
of a world, boats, houses…colored balloons and bubbles simulate
planets creating a universe where magic is king and so is this performer.
“Vida y Gloria” is illustrated with colorful paintings
drawn with a syringe. “Ni Juan Tamariz” says Diego.
After “Yo te quería María” he asks where
compás is and what color it is: Could it be purple? Of course,
Moraíto’s guitar solo. Then all the “magicians”
doing their little dances, sevillanas, odd sevillanas, “La
Truji”.

What a riot! The audience is in a spin and everyone participating,
marking the rhythm, applauding, laughing, answering his comments
and enjoying themselves within a Bienal that so far has really had
little to offer despite the undeniable attempt to keep everyone
happy, because I don’t think they were trying to get it wrong.
This time they got it right and Diego’s performance was a
great chance to relax, have fun and get in the mood. “I get
to laugh for a song, ha ha ha, hi hi hi”. And everyone singing
along. Long live Diego! Great “Chemistry” when he introduces
the members of the group who then dare to sing “Hello Dolly”
just before disappearing down the guitar case right before our eyes.
Diego bade farewell and stayed away until it was no longer possible…the
magicians returned and got a fiesta finale going with some bulerías.
Pure magic, abracadabra!

“Mujeres”
Mariana Cornejo, Elu de Jerez, Ana Real, Rocío Díaz,

Lolita Valderrama, Mª del Mar Moreno
Friday, September 24th, 2004. 12 midnight. Hotel Triana, Seville.

Text: Estela Zatania

Cante: Ana Real, Rocío Díaz, Lola Valderrama,
Mariana Cornejo, Elu de Jerez. Guitar: Manuel Herrera, Antonio Gómez,
Fernando Moreno. Dance: María del Mar Moreno with guitarists
Santiago Moneo and Domino Rubichi and singers Antonio Malena, Luis
Moneo and Luis Pacote.

The night of Friday September 24th, while the popular multitalented
unpredictable Diego Carrasco was just finishing up his musical magic
tricks and good humor at the Teatro Centrral, the stage of the Hotel
Triana was preparing to receive six ladies each of whom represent
the best of classic flamenco. Some feminists might protest the need
to set aside a night for women in flamenco, but those sounds of
the guitar with the capo on five, six or seven in A position have
a special sound, there’s no question about it.

Ana Real with Manuel Herrera on the guitar opened with malagueña
and abandolao, soleá and tangos mostly Triana style. Another
young hopeful, Rocío Díaz, offered an assortment of
cantiñas with romeras, alegrías de Pinini and mirabrá,
followed by soleá. She ended with petenera “dedicated
to Pastora Pavón and all the women who sing even if they
might not have had the opportunity to become professional”.

Another young singer is Elu de Jerez, although she has already
made a name for herself. With her hair done up to look like Paquera’s
and accompanied by Fernando Moreno, she sent out volleys of her
powerful siguiriyas, sang fandangos including the Gloria style and
ended with bulerías, dance included. The change was radical
when Lola Valderrama took her place on stage to offer a repertoire
that included jaberas, rondeñas, liviana serrana, taranta
y fandangos.

A damp chill set in and the audience was suffering from the cold,
but Mariana Cornejo came along to heat up the atmosphere with alegrías,
soleá and bulerías and the night was handily rounded
out by Jerez dancer María del Mar Moreno with soleá
and bulerías.

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