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The flamenco year 2011 |
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Estela Zatania Towards the end of the Festival de Jerez in March of 2011, Japan suffered the dramatic natural disasters of earthquake and tsunami. With an important percentage of flamenco fans being Japanese, the tragedy colored with sadness a panorama already tinged with pessimism due to the economic crisis that continues to worsen. But the great flamenco machine stops for no one. Duende doesn’t cost money, just will-power and an abundance of artistic ability, and what’s more important, it nourishes the soul. Let’s have a look at some of the most important events in flamenco over the last twelve months… FESTIVALS AND SHOWS The festival calendar began in January with a rich outpouring of art north of the Pyrenees. The venerable Nimes festival in the south of France offered a splendid program with stars like Andrés Marín, Belén Maya, Rafaela Carrasco, Lole Montoya and Diego Carrasco among others, but the recital that made hearts skip a beat and put a lump in everyone’s throat was the last solo appearance of the much-loved Moraíto, or Moraíto Chico as some people still call him, thus putting the musical finale to 54 years of life, and a brilliant chapter of Jerez guitar. The third Flamenco Biennale of Holland came hot on the heels of Nimes, with an ambitious program in which there was room for a wide variety of shows, from the tribute to Fernando Terremoto who died the previous year, to the vocal fusion of young Rosario la Tremendita with Iranian music, the dancing of Rocío Molina, Belén Maya and Fuensanta la Moneta and the futuristic music of Mauricio Sotelo, in addition to an extraordinary joint recital with Arcángel and el Torta.
A few days later, the Festival Flamenco Caja Madrid got underway with the noteworthy participation of Tomatito, Juan Valderrama, El Pele and the popular dancer Manuela Carrasco. Paulino Plata, head of the Andalusian Cultural Ministry, presented the 42 shows of the seriesFestival de Jerez in its fifteenth edition, ably covered its regular schedule from the end of February through the beginning of March with names like Eva Yerbabuena, Belén Maya, Manuela Carrasco, Joaquín Grilo, Javier Barón, La Farruca, el Pipa and the very popular singer Miguel Poveda among many others. Springtime in Seville was dressed in flamenco with the admirable series Jueves Flamencos sponsored by the Obra Social de Cajasol with guitarists Cañizares and José María Gallardo, and the classic singing of Jesús Méndez, Inés Bacán and Tomás de Perrate. The eighteenth Festival Ciutat Vella ushered in the month of May in Barcelona, and shortly afterward the now firmly established Madrid series, Suma Flamenca, offered the performances of people like Diego el Cigala, Juan Valderrama, Arcángel, María Toledo, Ángel Rojas and Carmen Linares among others, and that brought us right up to the summer season with the oldest flamenco festivals. Fifty-five years and still going strong, the Reunión de Cante Jondo de La Puebla de Cazalla maintained its characteristic sobriety and high level. In the month of July in Granada, the excellent program Los Veranos del Corral took place with women dancers Belén Maya, Mercedes Ruiz, Isabel Bayón and Rafaela Carrasco, while the traditional Caracolá Lebrijana offered nine days of performances and parallel activities entirely dedicated to Lebrija singer Curro Malena. The Gazpacho Andaluz of Morón de la Frontera again defended its classic format with an excellent program in which we could enjoy the “white” sounds of Mayte Martín, and the “black” ones of Macanita, in addition to the dancing of the internationally renowned Morón dancer, Juana Amaya. The Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas was held during its regular slot the beginning of August, and shortly afterwards, the forty-fifth Festival de Cante Grande “Fosforito” took place in Puente Genil with Maina Heredia and Arcángel topping the bill.
The first edition of the Dublin Festival was celebrated the end of August with artists Rafaela Carrasco, Manuel de Paula, El Cano and Concha Jareño, and the Festival de Arte Flamenco de Valdepeñas opened the month of September with the terrific duo of Matilde Coral and Miguel Poveda. In Morón de la Frontera, a novel festival was inaugurated with the goal of continuance; Flamenco en la Frontera aims to reactivate the historic era when this town was an obligatory pilgrimage for many flamenco fans from abroad. Maestro guitarist Rafael Riqueni gave a historic recital in Seville, and Jerez’ Fiesta de la Bulería in mid-September was dedicated in its entirety to the beloved Moraíto, as was only to be expected. In December, Granada once again organized its Encuentros Flamencos, and the historic Madrid tablao Villa Rosa was reincarnated once more as a venue for the most classic sort of flamenco. What remained of 2011 was mostly marked by the tributes to Moraíto, in his hometown of Jerez and in Madrid, with the participation of a great number of artists. The last two weeks of the year put María Pagés in Madrid with her latest creation “Utopía”. MILESTONES, PRIZES AND GOODBYES In 2011 we had few losses, nevertheless, the event that most marked the flamenco year was the painful passing of Manuel Moreno Junquera, “Moraíto”, at only 54 and at the peak of his career. In addition to the tributes in Jerez and Madrid, Bilbao, where Jerez flamenco has touched so many, programmed a tribute of its own with the best Jerez artists. Reflecting the UNESCO naming of flamenco as World Cultural Heritage the year before, the fifteenth edition of the Premios de la Música was devoted in its entirety to flamenco, with emphasis on the contemporary facet with a posthumous prize for Enrique Morente, as well as prizes from Carmen Linares, La Shica, Joan Albert Amargós and Chano Domínguez, in addition to other awards for the promotion of flamenco. En el 2011 hemos sufrido relativamente pocas bajas, no obstante, el acontecimiento que más marcó el año flamenco 2011 fue la dolorosa desaparición de Manuel Moreno Junquera, “Moraíto”, con sólo 54 años y en su plenitud artística. Además de los homenajes en Jerez y Madrid, Bilbao, donde el flamenco jerezano ha calado tan profundamente, programó su propio homenaje con los mejores artistas de Jerez. Reflejando el nombramiento del flamenco como Patrimonio Inmaterial de la Humanidad el año anterior por parte de la UNESCO, la décimo quinta edición de los Premios de la Música fue dedicada íntegramente al flamenco, destacando la faceta contemporánea con premio póstumo para Enrique Morente, además de premios para Carmen Linares, La Shica, Joan Albert Amargós y Chano Domínguez, y otros reconocimientos para la difusión y la divulgación.
The Jornadas Flamencas de La Fortuna de Leganés, Madrid, in its eighteenth year, awarded its “Silla de Oro” 2011 to Málaga singer Bonela Hijo. In La Unión, the coveted Lámpara Minera went to a young singer from Extremadura, Celia Romero, 16 years old. The first prize in guitar was for Habichuela’s grandson, Juan Torres Fajardo, and the dance prize went to Lucía Álvarez “La Piñona” from Cádiz. In the month of August, the 25th Compás del Cante, a very prestigious prize, went to José de la Tomasa. Many flamenco followers and specialists criticized the Latin Grammy given to Niña Pastori for her latest record “La Orilla de mi Pelo”, considering it too far-removed from the flamenco genre. It was the second Grammy for the singer from San Fernando. In the month of November, the first edition of the Congreso Internacional de Arte Flamenco (which is unrelated to the Congreso of the same name held annually for four decades) was organized in Seville. Representatives of the flamenco industry…programmers, producers, journalists and investigators…spent three intense days of round-table discussions, debate and a variety of presentations to plot the future of flamenco. INTERVIEWS This year, more than thirty singers, guitarists and dancers, from young hopefuls to seasoned veterans, left their ideas, opinions and memories on the virtual pages of Deflamenco. If veteran singer Argentina and many others.
ON THE HORIZON No end is in sight for the economic woes, and not only artists, but also programmers and producers continue having to make difficult choices. Few flamenco recordings have come out of the big record companies, and young singers keep having to finance their own records if they want to leave their voices and music for posterity. We will no doubt continue to see the disappearance of festivals, replaced by less ambitious initiatives and complemented by parallel activities. This month of December in Jerez, there was an explosion of zambombas, the Christmas parties so typical of this city, and they have become firmly established as a viable though seasonal product, apt for export. Officials of UNESCO have reminded Spanish cultural authorities of the obligation to carry out certain projects related to the conservation and promotion of flamenco, in order not to risk losing the condition of World Cultural Heritage, so we are bound to see public projects in this respect. The year about to begin is Bienal year, and we have a new director: Rosalía Gómez. The 2012 edition, dedicated to dance, will be held from September 7th to October 6th, and the organization is in the process of reviewing the hundreds of proposals that have been received. There is plenty of interest; with or without resources it’s going to be a year full of good flamenco.
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