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Generous guitar
Once again, for the fifth consecutive year, the
flamenco festival Pa Tos is being celebrated in Madrid. This is
a series that lets us laugh with the humor of Juan Luis Cano and
Guillermo Fresser of the duo called Gomaespuma, contribute to their
philanthropic organization and enjoy some good flamenco as well.
Tomatito made the most of his performance and presented his new
record “Aguadulce”, although he opened with the taranta
from his previous recording. Alegrías from his ample repertoire
further heated up the ambience. He played soleá por bulería,
bulería and tangos with his group, and some new threads could
be detected. Melodic oriental tones mixed with the flamenco sound
of the man from Almería. Despite his experimental nature,
the guitarist chose to follow a thoroughly flamenco line for this
latest work, but he always manages to introduce a fresh face with
absolute authority. As always, the communication with his group
was total, and the result is seductive and very gratifying. When
Tomatito plays, the level of guitar goes up just as surely as his
listeners get to their feet.
What better place than a charity festival to offer his generous
guitar. Tomatito went on to accompany cante, something we hadn’t
seen in a while. Diego el Cigala and Tomatito on stage together
is quite a treat, but the singer from Madrid wasn’t up to
par. As Gomaespuma advised in the presentation, Diego wasn’t
feeling in good voice, but he wasn’t going to sing boleros
either. “I told him that even if it’s not his best,
he should sing flamenco, no matter what. Diego went as far as his
voice permitted, singing smoothly and even daring to attempt some
strong moments with soleá. Tomatito’s guitar took a
back seat, but was first class. Diego went on to sing tangos and
bulerías, and even though it wasn’t his best day, his
fandangos were noteworthy – this is a style he always delivers
well. The audience didn’t seem to mind that he was having
an off night, and showed its gratitude to Tomatito as well for having
offered the opportunity to see him in action with a singer.
After
intermission Rocio Molina’s dancing seduced the entire audience
with a beautiful guajira, making good use of her fan and bata de
cola and projecting sensuality with every movement. Her delicately
placed arms with the occasional modern touch revealed a dancer influenced
by the today’s major stars of female flamenco dance, but with
a very personal touch, and her precise technique gave even greater
dimension. Strength and sensibility as demonstrated in the soleá,
and a fine professional backup. Young Rocío Molina’s
dancing was a pleasant surprise, and she is slowly but surely making
her way in the flamenco panorama. In this festival she had her moment
of glory and once again the audience got to its feet.
Text: Sonia
Martínez Pariente
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas
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