Málaga en Flamenco 2009. Singulares: Cancanilla de Marbella / Repompa de Málaga

CANCANILLA AND LA REPOMPA CARRY ON THE GREAT TABLAO TRADITION

Text/photos: Málaga en Flamenco

The joining of forces of two of Málaga’s foremost flamenco artists once again evokes the splendour still intact in these two performers who come from the golden era of Madrid tablaos.  There was a full house for the occasion.

The series “Singulares” offered the second installment of a program drawn up in the finest fashion and predestined to guaranteed success.  The combination brought names with a long history on the Costa del Sol.  Two exponents of the most traditional sort of flamenco inherited from the family:  Cancanilla de Málaga, and the woman from the Perchel neighborhood, Rafaela la Repompa, took the stage of the Auditorium to offer a good helping of homemade singing and dancing, the result of many wonderful years in Spain’s capital in such places as Los Canasteros, el Duende, Corral de la Morería and Corral de la Pacheca.

Cancanilla de Marbella

It was a real treat to allow ourselves to become imbued with the cante of Sebastián Heredia, formerly Cancanilla de Marbella, but who now chooses to champion the name of Málaga in his artistic maturity, as he prepares his next recording, “Entre Viejos Zarzales”.  Wonderfully accompanied by the guitars of Chaparro de Málaga and Luis el Salao, with the jaleo and palmas of Kiko and Yaya, he laid down his masterful martinetes, evoked the sound of times past with soleá por bulería, captured all the flavor of alegrías, his tangos were excellent, he pulled up the lament of malagueñas and evoked the intrinsic drama of seguiriya provoking cheers from his fanatic admirers.

Having started out his career as a dancer, he won the audience over in the fiesta final with his customary little dance,

With the audience well warmed-up, the family of la Repompa raised the temperature even more, with the voice of Amparo Heredia “La Repompilla”, that sets hairs on end.  She is the worthy heiress of the legendary Enriqueta and of her mother Rafaela.  Her younger sister, Raquel, danced extraordinarily well por soleá, and guest artist Iván Vargas, another member of the Granada Maya family, danced alegrías.

Young guitarist Fran Vinuesa had his hands full accompanying the entire show, and he has become increasingly better since his stay in Seville.

Rafaela took charge of the stage, and even jumped into the audience at one point.  This is the woman who was such a success in New York with her cante.  In the fiesta finale, backed up by her family, she did tangos and bulerías in the style of Repompa, in an improvised performance that had a hypnotic effect on the audience.

Rafaela Reyes La Repompa

Video:
Before handing the stage over to Rafaela Reyes, young dancer Iván Maya interpreted alegrías with the singing of Amparo Heredia “La Repompilla” during Repompa’s Cuadro Flamenco within the series “Singulares” organizad by the Diputación de Málaga.

– Voice: Amparo Heredia
– Guitar: Fran Vinuesa
– Percussion: Miguel El Nene