XXXVI Reunión de cante jondo de La Puebla de Cazalla

At a time when festival organizers are scrambling
to find new formulas for preserving these happenings that
have been livening up summer evenings throughout Andalusia
ever since the nineteen-sixties, in La Puebla de Cazalla time
seems to be standing still in the best sense of the phrase.

No festival is
more respectful of tradition

The
patio of the Fuenlonguilla hacienda situated on the outskirts
of town is the perfect setting to fulfill the noble intention
of offering a dignified festival of high quality where knowing
how to listen is as valued as the cante itself. No giant screens,
no fireworks, no international stars as guests of honor. As
the emcee Juan Ortiz Ordóñez said with corresponding
pride: “There is no festival more respectful of tradition”.

Guitarist Antonio Carrión opened with a guitar solo
as is the custom in La Puebla. This is one of the most sought-after
guitarists to play for traditional singers due to his vast
knowledge of cante, and he’s doing a fine job cultivating
his solo career as well. He played bulerías with a
fresh modern approach, incorporating some old falsetas and
never resorting to avant-garde excesses his peers often indulge
in.

José Valencia

Local singer Raúl Montesinos launched the first “ay”
of the evening with the brilliant young guitarist Manuel Herrera
accompanying. The singer’s clean, sweet sound worked
granaína, cartagenera and taranto with excellent results,
but that same dulcet voice was less appropriate for siguiriya
and tientos tangos.

Luis el Zambo feeling
good as only he can feel,
with the complicity of Niño Jero

Singer Carmen de la Jara added a touch of Cádiz, accompanied
by Antonio Carrión. Mirabrá with alegrías,
an assortment of tangos, free-style fandangos recalling some
classic styles, finishing with “chuflas de Cai”,
a series of bulerías from when Cádiz was Cádiz
and Pericón, Ignacio Espeleta and Manolo Vargas were
roaming the streets with their abundant good humor.

Young
José Valencia from Lebrija is one of the most sought-after
singers by the biggest stars of flamenco dance, from veteran
Manuela Carrasco, to Farruquito himself. With the accompaniment,
Jerez sound and moral support of guitarist Niño Jero,
he took on the trilogy of soleá, siguiriya and bulerías,
exhibiting impressive knowledge in the first two without actually
finding his voice, and doing an exemplary job with the latter.

Diego Clavel’s discreet fame and his long career, “the
most honest and straightforward in flamenco” as the
emcee said, conceals a personality capable of doing with siguiriyas
what others only dream of. He expertly applied his hushed
lament to cantiñas, a form which always benefits from
the minimalist treatment Clavel gives, then granaína
and siguiriyas to close.

Diego Clavel

Pansequito: flamenco
style, originality and an elegant flamenco voice

After a brief intermission, Manuel Herrera offered a guitar
solo por soleá, devoid of novel tunings and surprise
chords, a tribute to the maestro Sabicas who continues to
be current among young guitarists fourteen years after his
passing.

The dance portion of the night was not up to the level of
other years. After becoming accustomed in earlier editions
to the likes of Antonio el Pipa, Manolete and Manuela Carrasco,
the singular lack of subtlety, the uncontrolled acrobatics
and the excesses of Rafael del Carmen por alegrías
combined for the most disappointing performance of the night.

Old hand José Menese came on next to put order and
bring us back to the spirit of the festival. He began without
guitar with a lovely ‘cante de trilla’, a traditional
farmer’s worksong “from a tape Paco Toronjo gave
me”. With the guitar of Antonio Carrión he revived
caracoles, excelled with serranas, was competent with tientos
and exhibited his encyclopedic knowledge por soleá
and siguiriya.

The spirit of Jerez flamenco made its appearance in the person
of Luis el Zambo. Soleá por bulería mixed with
soleá with the unmistakable short phrasing of his hometown,
but the singer wasn’t quite at ease. For siguiriya he
found his way and was splendid with classic styles of Jerez
such as Paco la Luz and el Loco Mateo. Free-style fandangos,
and bulerías to finish of, feeling good as only Luis
can feel, with the complicity of Niño Jero.

In an interview some thirty years ago, elderly singer Periñaca
confesses that she doesn’t quite like “that new
kid…Camarón de la Isla”, but “that other
one…that Pansequito guy…his singing is raw and
flamenco”. Flamenco fans never conceded the point and
the young man from la Isla was crowned king of cante by an
entire generation which left the eternal role of pretender
to the throne to his good friend from El Puerto. Nevertheless
Pansequito continues to exhibit the flamenco style, originality
and elegant flamenco voice that won him a special prize for
“spirit of renewal” at one of the early editions
of the Concurso de Córdoba. The underrated singer interpreted
alegrías with all the flavor it deserves, soleá
with perfectly recognizable styles reworked in the most personal
fashion, ending out of character with taranto and cartagenera
to give way to a somewhat forced bulería finale where
we were deprived of Diego Clavel’s little dance, and
Rafael de Carmen put the acrobatic touch.

As in customary in this festival of festivals, the night
wound up at five thirty in the morning with dimmed lights
and absolute silence but for the chirping of a cricket which
gave the rustic touch to the round of tonás cantes
in which each of the singers participated. The emcee’s
words at the beginning of the evening make an apt epilogue:

Text & Photos: Estela
Zatania

More information:

XXXV
Reunión de Cante Jondo – 2003