Interview: Pablo San Nicasio
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas
«Our independence is the last thing we've got to cling to»
A singer who had never revealed himself in a live recording, the latest concept of Enrique Morente Cotelo (Granada, 1942). If the idea is abused by many in order to make a quick profit with a minimum of effort, this time the veteran singer is completely straightforward in his defense of classic cante, and the quest for new devotees. He distances himself from concepts that have made him unique, being the most prominent modernizer of cante, with as many recordings as grey hairs on his prodigious head.
Enrique Morente is back, giving us bits and pieces of inspiration from his past, and from today. «Morente Flamenco», the same as always.
The first official live recording, because there was another one circulating… Yes, well, that was something from my friend «Arenque», a Dutch singer…the thing is, he had good intentions, but I didn't like it. He came here to Madrid to record us in the seventies. We saw him at parties in places we were working, and then in the morning in recitals at the university. So he made a pirate recording so to speak, of the university concerts. I told him it wasn't a good idea, because when we were really singing well was at night, all relaxed and feeling good, not with a hangover first thing in the morning at the university…but, well…it's all in the past.
Is there a lot of material available of Morente singing live? Yes, there must be. I don't really know, I don't listen to myself, and I should. You learn a lot from live recordings…okay, sometimes singers are a little narcissistic, and we keep listening to ourselves to hear how good we sound. This time it was my wife, Aurora. She's got a shoe-box under the bed, a huge bunch of tapes of mine, live and whatnot [laughter]. So I felt like doing something with all that and we listened to things to make the selection, and that's how it came about.
So we have here a new concept of Enrique Morente, unretouched. We hardly touched anything, in any case we edited a few things that were too long, and took out what sounded worst, we weren't going to throw so many years of work out the window with a cheap-sounding product. We couldn't do much tinkering anyhow, because the material wasn't recorded on separate tracks.
Let me explain that it was Aurora who insisted on putting this out, because the previous record of Picasso was a disaster, and she thought that with one of malagueñas and soleá, well, it would make money, that's how she is, she went digging and between the two of us, we got down to work.
We did the searching and selection ourselves.
With no conditions… Our independence is the last thing we've got to cling to.
The most striking thing is the difference, from the recordings of '92 and the ones of the current decade. That one in '92 was a concert in Cádiz, I remember it well. The first part was with the Habichuela brothers, which is where some of the songs from the record were taken. The second one I remember, was the «Fantasía del Cante Jondo» with the orchestra of Granada, and I called it «del Albayzín». All things considered, it's a good recording and I think it deserves to be remembered. Current things are easier to recuperate.
With mostly gypsy guitar. And maestros, the great Juan Habichuela, his brother Pepe, we're almost a common-law couple at this point. And the impetuous David Cerreduela…
…and the unclassifiable Riqueni… They tell me he's better…I'd love to have him play for me again, we'll see…
The years go by and you continue to surround yourself with Habichuelas… Yes, Juan was in «Aleluya», and I took him off the actual record that would be sold in the stores. I felt it wasn't a classic flamenco piece, and with great disapproval from my wife and friends, I took him off. Some people stopped talking to me for a half hour afterwards. [laughter]
Sometimes records are better if you remove things, sometimes great things. Something good can be a nuisance, it sounds crazy, but that's how it is!
And then you forget about it? Well, you can forget, or keep it for another time, discard it… On the Picasso record I removed some tangos that were really good…for me it's completely clear, even though it may sound crazy, but that's how I like it.
«Sometimes records are better if you remove things, sometimes great things. Something good can be a nuisance, it sounds crazy, but that's how it is!»
Earlier, I saw you talking to people from the record company, asking for support for this record. Yes, because this kind of work you don't hear, but it's necessary, just like anything else. They're specialists in marketing and I'm very grateful, make no mistake. Since it's not really a commercial recording…anything they do will be welcome.
Although considering it's a Morente project, the whole philosophy of the record is news in itself. It's possible they saw precisely that, the novelty of the approach. The moment is always ripe to defend classic cante. What's not good is taking a stand in favor of something, and throwing everything else out the window.
Here we've got a concept of live flamenco many people will praise, but there is no intention of condemning other ideas, because they are also necessary, what can I say…
Could you elaborate on this point a bit? Well, the people who defend traditional flamenco certainly have my support and appreciation, sometimes they defend tradition at all costs. And they attack or deny all other other work they don't like or consider negative. Then what happens is the passage of time puts things in their deserved place, and they end up being important, it always happens.
And do you defend this in performance? What I'm defending here above all else is orthodox cante jondo. A traditional concept, live, and conforming to the «rules».
Live performance is necessary, as is the studio. Live performance brings pleasant surprises…such as Etnosur two years ago. Thousands of hippies all watching me intently. All with their dogs, and the dogs were really well-bahaved, the best audience I've had…and then people say they're trouble-makers and such. Live performance has its magic, but the studio is also important.
Flamencos may have been more traditionally seen in live performance than «canned», or so it seems… I don't think that's true any more. The myth of flamencos from before, the back-rooms, the fiestas, no recordings…there's no more of that.
Let's not forget that some of the greatest work in the recent history of flamenco was done, and will continue to be done in the studio. «Zyriab» of Paco de Lucía, «Taurmagia» of Manolo Sanlúcar…these were done in the studio, and they are what they are thanks to having been polished and perfected in the necessary way.
The studio also respects tradition, and some concepts can only be developed in the recording studio.
The myth of flamencos from before, the back-rooms, the fiestas, no recordings…there's no more of that.
How is you record label «Discos Probéticos» doing? Well, we're going to change the name to «from Probéticos to Millionaires»…[laughter]
Morente is the object of constant study. They philosophize and theorize a lot about your ideas and concepts of flamenco. To what extent do you identify with what you read out there? Well, there's everything. Sometimes I can't recognize myself in what I read, other times they nearly get it right, and once in a while they hit the nail on the head and understand what I'm doing…I even give definitions of myself that have nothing to do with reality…it's so difficult.
Will you continue digging in that shoebox? Aurora will for sure…and I'll tell her to take out whatever doesn't sound good, but she will surely keep searching….
And what has to happen for something that starts out as a fleeting idea, to turn it into a firm Morente project? The first step is spontaneous, usually among friends, over drinks, chatting…and then comes the studio, the recording, the actual production which takes you where you want to go.
And have you already got new ideas? Yes, of course, we've got seven or eight projects up our sleeves…let's see if Estrella, as visceral and spontaneous as she is, that whirlwind of a girl, if she buckles down and lets me produce her record for once and for all…
The new Morente generation is already making a good start… Yes, but it's early yet…
