Cante: Luis el Zambo, Manuel Moneo,
Macarena Moneo Guitar: Paco del Gastor, Alfonso Clavijo Dance: Antonio Canales and his group with singers David
Sánchez and Rafael de Utrera, guitarists El Viejín and Daniel Méndez
and dancer Juan de Juan.
The heat wave that had been going strong for a full week
showed no signs of abating, and a thousand fans fluttering
after eleven o'clock at night when the thirty-seventh Gazpacho
Andaluz began, looked like a flock of pigeons in Morón de
la Frontera's bullring. Paco del Gastor, patriarch of Moron
guitar-playing who hadn't played at the Gazpacho in seven
years, opened with a guitar solo. After a long career playing
for flamenco's biggest stars, Paco has been devoted to teaching
guitar for several years now, a retirement that perhaps came
too soon if we're to judge from the guitarist's magnificent
performance at the festival. In the guitar solo, soleá with
a long bulerías, he wanted to honor his uncle, guitarist Diego
del Gastor, but couldn't quite get on top of the instrument
this time, or possibly had been too long without remembering
those straightforward variations that characterize Morón guitar-playing.
His moment of glory was yet to come.
Local
singer and guitarist Paco Camacho and Alfonso Clavijo reached
and maintained an excellent level with malagueña ended with
rhythmic abandolao-style cante, soleá, tientos and granaína,
and Camacho bravely wrapped up 'a capella' with tonás.
Time for the group of artists from Jerez, some of Jerez'
finest, namely Luis el Zambo, Manuel Moneo and his daughter
Macarena Moneo. But no Jerez whiz-kid of the sort that abound
in that city was to play for them, but rather Paco del Gastor,
and far from being a hastily arranged shotgun wedding designed
to keep expenses down, it turned out to be a marriage made
in heaven.
Luis el Zambo & Paco del Gastor
Paco has always been a chameleon…he just as soon plays
Paco de Lucía, as Sabicas as Habichuela or Marote, and all
well, because Paco del Gastor is, above all else, the maestro
of good solid guitar-playing. On this occasion he takes on
Jerez airs to encourage and support the superb singing of
Luis el Zambo. Bulería por soleá, a lovely malagueña, soleá
with the singer's amazing capacity for delivering the verses
in a thoroughly sincere and authoritative manner. Paco, far
beyond merely being up to the challenge, is right with him
every step of the way, coddling, adorning, falling into the
background when the cante requires it… The artists from
Jerez are clearly feeling good, Paco all smiles, what a picture…
More of the same with Manuel Moneo. Bulería por soleá with
those Jerez sounds of la Moreno and El Gloria, siguiriyas
that are as well-aged and powerful as a fine brandy. Macarena
Moneo, beautiful with her festive singing, “Viva Jerez and
Morón de la Frontera!”…the whole thing couldn't be tighter
with Paco del Gastor cooking on high heat and the audience
in ecstasy.
Macarena Moneo & Manuel Moneo
After a long intermission Paco Ayala, founding father of
the Gazpacho who recently passed away, is honored, and the
stage is readied for Antonio Canales and his group for the
work “Bailaor”. They call it a “work” because that's the fad
these days, but it's straightforward no-nonsense dance all
the way, and of the highest quality. Three natives of Morón
are regulars with Canales – dancer Juan de Juan, singer David
Sánchez and guitarist Daniel Méndez – so the audience is predisposed
to be receptive from the word 'go'. The night before at the
festival of Las Aguzaderas in the next town over, El Coronil,
Canales couldn't get focused, and as sometimes happens with
geniuses, no matter how much he roamed the stage in search
of inspiration, it was nowhere to be found. It was waiting
for him at the bullring in Morón de la Frontera, and once
he got hold of it he didn't let go. This year the dancer of
international fame is doing Spain's summer festivals showing
what he's made of, because in the small towns of Andalusia
you don't pull the wool over anyone's eyes with pseudo-flamenco
flash. And all the less so in a place like Morón with local
products of the caliber of Juana Amaya or Juan de Juan himself.
Guitarist El Viejín and singer Rafael de Utrera rounded out
the very flamenco lineup which included no female presence.
A bulerías presentation was followed by a brisk cante solo
por bulerías with the young David Sánchez. Juan de Juan took
on alegrías and there were comments of admiration from a number
of young girls in the audience. Fact is, he's really looking
good and his dancing is settling down…he's managing to dominate
that torrent of energy and is finding his own artistic personality.
Juan de Juan & Antonio Canales
The big star comes on once again. Canales dances por soleá
with the guitars in rondeña tuning, a modern twist that is
highly digestible. The dancer is strong and convincing in
the details, that shoulder curled in just so at just the right
moment is worth more than forty pirouettes. His art is subtlety
and his vehicle is the compás. He dedicates the closing bulería
to Juana Amaya who is sitting in the audience, and Juana's
young daughter of ten or so gets up on stage to do her bulería
bit looking just like Mom and making for an ending that literally
drives the audience wild at half past four in the morning
when the Gazpacho is wrapped up for this year.
