Luis de Córdoba: ‘En primera persona’. Review

JUAN VERGILLOS

Córdoba’s great white hope

These recordings have appeared by surprise, even for the singer himself
according to what he told me a few days ago, and no one’s complaining:
two records of Luis de Córdoba from the late seventies. Two LP’s
just released simultaneously and for the first time in CD: ‘María
del amor’ (1979) and ‘A las ermitas’ (1980). The recordings
allow us to witness a new direction in the brilliant career of this singer
from Córdoba. Luis Pérez Cardoso (Posadas, Córdoba,
1950), Luis de Córdoba for flamenco fans, made his first recording
in 1972, the same year of his triumph at the Cayetano Muriel contest in
Cabra, and one year later he won the Lámpara Minera at the La Unión
Festival, a coveted award he went on to win in 1974 as well. He also won
prizes at the Córdoba contest in 1974 (for malagueñas) and
1977 (again for malagueñas). These prizes, these first recordings
with Philips, with the guitars of Antonio Piñana, Ramón
de Algeciras and Juan and Pepe Habichuela, show an orthodox flamenco singer
of the Mairena school which then reigned, with a powerful voice, although
he was more inclined to cante de levante.

In the records we’re dealing with here, accompanied by Enrique
de Melchor and Isidro Muñoz, you see an about-face in the vocal
techniques, in favor of the mellow voiced characteristic of Luis de Córdoba
today. He writes his own songs, not only the verse, ever since the earliest
records, but also the music and even the liner notes.

Luis de Córdoba – En primera persona. Re-ed. Guitars of Enrique de Melchor and Isidro Muñoz, Universal 2006 (1979 y 1980). Re-edition 2006. MARIA DEL AMOR 1. María del Amor – tango 2. Buscando la flor que amaba – granaína 3. La Piconera – bulerías 4. Acaba conmigo – seguiriyas 5. Por culpita de la 'helá' – guajiras 6. Serranita, me trajinaste – tangos de triana 7. Siempre estamos discutiendo – fandangos de gloria 8. Tiene tu cuerpo candela – soleá 9. Quizás no me quiera ya – taranto 10. Perla del Guadalquivir – romance A LAS ERMITAS 11. Me estremecia – colombiana 12. La de aquel cantar – tango 13. Ya no puedo más – seguiriya 14. Ya escampará – bulerías 15. 'Pa' dormir a mi niña – nana 16. De las ermitas – soleares de Córdoba 17. Yo me harto de llorar – m. granaína 18. Me causa remordimiento – fandangos de Cayetano 19. Dile que llorando están – malagueña Product information – Real audio – On-line purchase

There’s catchy tangos with chorus, like the title song of the first
record, dedicated to the singer’s daughter. An odd arrangement of
the ‘romance’ dedicated to Córdoba, where the first
part is without guitar, in the style of the gypsies from El Puerto, and
a second part with danceable soleá rhythm, but with the same melody.
He also gets right down to the heart of the so-called “ida y vuelta”
styles, to which he would devote an entire record in the 80’s (where
he recuperates some nearly-forgotten styles like the milonga), with new
verses, even some with a political leaning, for classic guajiras and colombianas.
Most of the record is made up of traditional styles like soleá
de Córdoba, granaínas, fandangos de Lucena, malagueña
in the key of granaína, tangos de Triana, fandangos del Gloria,
taranto, etc. For this reason, because it’s classic flamenco, and
because the verses and arrangements are from the singer himself, I can’t
figure out why on the record cover it says “Musical director: José
Torregrosa”. I wonder just what Torregrosa did. Perhaps he signed
the sheet music at the registry?

The malagueñas and mining cante is fine, direct, expressive and
very elegant. And yet, the singer manages lively tangos and fandangos,
and his soleá and siguiriyas are quite respectable. Even some bulerías
de Jerez, a cante which is diametrically opposed to his style and temperament.

Luis de Córdoba is the great white hope of current Córdoba
flamenco. He began, as mentioned, in the Mairena school and local contests,
but his intelligence, and a fine sweet, melodious voice pointed him towards
a personal style which in recent years has, with great ease, knowledge
and good taste, taken on a contemporary patina. One of the great Córdoba
flamenco singers. Just straightforward cante. We are however hungry for
a new recording (his last record, “Que ni Pintao”, dates from
1992). We would also like to see him in more live performances.

Furthermore, Luis is an active flamenco investigator in relation to the
González Climent essay contest, the only one in the world on this
subject, and a proper writer with a work titled “El Flamenco, Tradition
and Freedom” (Córdoba, 2001).

The text that accompanies this edition could easily have been left out.
Not only because it contributes nothing, but because the one piece of
information it gives, is wrong. And the editor could do well to know that
“Luis” has no written accent.

More information:

• Luis
  de Cordoba, Carmen Linares, Miguel Poveda- XLVI Festival Internacional
  de Cante de las Minas. La Unión. Murcia.

Luis de Córdoba
'Agua fresca'

Luis
de Córdoba
'Cantes de ida y vuelta'