XLV Festival Internacional de Cante de las Minas. La Unión – Murcia. Fernando de la Morena, Torta de Jerez, Capullo de Jerez, Diego Carrasco, Tomasito

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Text & photos : Estela Zatania

Rafael Manjavacas -director de DeFlamenco.com- recibe el premio Periodismo

The parallel activities of the Festival Internacional
del Cante de las Minas got under way at the Museo Minero at
eight in the evening with the conference “Saura fotógrafo,
eclosión de una artista proteico”, offered by
Hans Meinke, director of the Círculo de Arte.

The distinction “Carburo de Oro” was presented
as well as the cultural awards which were as follows:

Investigation: «Una Historia del Flamenco» by José
Manuel Gamboa
Journalism: the webpage «Deflamenco.com»
Poetry: Revista Litoral nº 238: ”La Poesía
del Flamenco»
Photography: the book «Flamenco» with photographs
by Carlos Saura.
Educational: Oscar Herrero for guitar-teaching books

Immediately following, at the market cum theater cum cathedral
of cante, we were witness to the five ages of man. Of flamenco
man from Jerez. From the P word (purity) to a futurist world
which for some has already arrived, and for others should
never have arrived, it was possible to contemplate the evolution
of flamenco. One member of the audience who left around the
middle of the show commented “tonight marks a before
and after in the history of this festival”, and each
reader may interpret those words as he or she pleases, but
it was a widespread sentiment which is bound to cause a reordering
of priorities within the organization. Part of the problem
was the changing bill of artists: two main performers, Nano
de Jerez and el Chocolate had to be substituted, the latter
due to his sudden and very sad passing last month, which was
not commented throughout the performance. The evening of August
7th that profound, seering lament was deeply missed at La
Unión.

Capullo de Jerez	El Torta de Jerez

A thousand people became Jerez
natives for a day

Fernando de la Morena

The first age: Fernando de la Morena. Basic,
honest, dignified, lacking all superficiality even in his
delightful bulerías, no matter how contradictory that
may sound. Fernando has one of the most lovely flamenco voices
of the current scene, and one of the few that sounds the same
speaking or singing. With an audience more fond of mining
cante, the singer managed to win them over with his sedate
and sincere soleá, fandangos with his personal touch,
“a bold little move” which was taranto in the
style of Jerez, siguiriyas and his much-requested bulerías.
With the atmosphere duly heated-up, a thousand people became
Jerez natives for a day, and on to the next level…

The second age: El Torta. Irregular and
unpredictable, with a touch of madness he barely keeps under
control, it’s possible this singer is the most admired
outside Jerez as he is the object of a discreet personality
cult. Nervous and unfocused this night, he nevertheless manages
an admirable performance with his soleá, siguiriyas,
taranto (everyone who comes to La Unión seems to feel
obliged to sing a taranto, but it’s not necessarily
a good idea), and bulerías. The audience begs for a
curtain call, but the singer hastens off stage.

The third age: Capullo de Jerez. A glimpse
of the future, but it’s the here and now. An instinctive
and original performer whose charisma knows no limits. It
makes no difference if it’s always the same repertoire
because el Capullo always manages to surprise somehow. Behind
the Jerry Lewis grimaces and outlandish behaviour is a flamenco
singer and an artist. Compás is his plaything and he
shows us how much he enjoys it with soleá por bulería,
tangos, bulería and “fandangos from 153 years
ago”. He works the audience with all the expertise of
a seasoned Las Vegas showman, but it’s just the wrapping
of a singer who invented this personality for himself and
the people love it.

The five ages of flamenco
man from Jerez…

The fourth age: The spaceship is about to
boldly go to unchartered territory with course unknown. Diego
Carrasco, all-round performer and fusioner in the best sense
of the hackneyed word. He’s found a personal way of
understanding flamenco, knowing just how far he can take it
without losing the essence because he comes from the most
authentic sort of background and frolics in the compás,
that all-important element, and has a nearly infallible artistic
sensibility. La Unión’s conservative audience
“forgives” the posing, the little dances and other
pranks and Diego surprises us in the end calling up dancer
Carmen Ledesma to take part in the fiesta finale.

The fifth age: Tomasito. We land in brave
new world where compás continues to play a part but
has been transformed into a nearly unrecognizable being: pointing
to the musicians the singer-dancer explains “it’s
not me, it’s them, I do flamenco”. Another less
fortunate comment has the effect of emptying many seats. Tomasito
invites the “purists” to leave and proceeds to
offer his “punk soleá…those dudes who wear
a crest” and other personal creations sprinkled with
bursts of dance, all theoretically valid flamenco-wise, but
ill-suited to this venerable festival.

Diego Carrasco	Tomasito

Five manifestations of flamenco from Jerez, a varied buffet
where each member of the audience had to select his favorite
dish, and it’s highly unlikely anyone liked it all.
The return trip was courtesy of singer Jaraqueño and
guitarist Alfredo Lagos at the patio of the Maquinista de
Levante.