'Flamenco Project, Una ventana a la visión extranjera 1960-1985'

(‘A window on the foreign perspective’)

A novel photographic exhibit just opened at the Sala Cajasol in Jerez de la Frontera.  It is a historic audiovisual collection of more than 120 images of flamenco, taken by 14 photographers, and includes two films and six original recordings of private flamenco parties with exceptional artists.

In the nineteen sixties and seventies there was an unprecedented ·»foreign invasion» by impassioned, daring musicians who travelled thousands of kilometers leaving behind home and country, from the United States and other countries, to experience flamenco firsthand in  the small towns of Andalucía.  Moved by the same romantic spirit that motivated nineteenth century adventurers such as Richard Ford and Charles Davillier, these young people were attracted by what they considered the depth of the music and the simple life in Andalucía towards the end of the Franco era.

Farruco. photo: David George

Fernanda de Utrera / Miguel Funi. photo: Mark Johnson

In addition to studying the music, they also documented their experiences in the most essential and intimate way, with photos and audio and film recordings, as anyone might take snaps of their vacation. It was an extraordinary period of cultural exchange that benefited from the generosity and open character of many of the great flamenco artists of the twentieth century.

«Flamenco Project» took on the task of collecting, preserving and publishing unique documents of that era.  Presented together for the first time in one single exposition, the collection was digitally restored, and is presented with state-of-the-art prints and exhaustive documentation.  The Jerez exhibit is the first of a series of events planned for the coming year, sponsored exclusively by Cajasol, and in 2009 the contents of the exposition will be released in book form.

Fernandillo de Morón y su familia – photo: Ira Gavrin

Steve Kahn, professional photographer and curator of the show, arrived in Morón de la Frontera in 1967: «I got off the bus with my trendy corduroy jacket and my guitar», the beginning of a two-year adventure that would change the course of his life.  «Flamenco just materialized before my eyes and I clicked the camera».  Asked about his fascination with the work and personality of Diego del Gastor, Kahn said: «He was a charismatic, generous, warm and sincere person, and those are qualities that characterize his music».

The exhibit, which will remain on display in Jerez from December 12th through February 1st, virtually wraps up this centennial year of the birth of Diego del Gastor, a legendary figure for many foreigners who made the pilgrimage to Spain both before and after the guitarist’s death in 1973.

Bernando Peña / María La Perrata – photo: Steve Kahn

Portrait of Manolito de María by George Kraus