Sixth Navidad Flamenca en Jerez

Soloists: José Vargas 'El Mono', Angel Vargas Vargas,
Joaquín el Zambo, Antonia María Vega, Salvaora de
Rebeco, Victoria Prado, Pili Moreno.
Guest artists: Antonio Cortés Pantoja Chiquetete, Juan Moneo
Lara 'El Torta'.
Group: Rafaela del Morao, María Vargas, Rosa Pina, Juana
García, Currita Jirigaña, Yoya Fernández, Bastiana
Romero, Rosario 'La Majuma', Pepa Santaolalla, Manuela Chicharrona,
Dolores Chicharrona, Juana Prune, Cuchi Sánchez, Pepa de
Molina, Carmeluchi Pantoja, Manuela Reyes, Luisa Silva, Carmen Rodríguez,
Manuel Flores, Miguel González, Fernando de Bastiana.
Zambomba: Manuelo Peña, Maleno Soto. Guitar: Fernando Moreno,
Isaac Moreno. Director: Pepe Marín.

Tambourines, traditional Christmas sweets and don’t forget
the bottle of anisette. It’s Christmastime in Jerez, and few
towns celebrate this time of year more intensely. The streets are
full of spontaneous caroller groups or “zambombas” ,
a number of flamenco clubs, or peñas, have offered their
own zambombas and even the disco crowd that usually congregates
outside my front door in the Plaza Vargas now sounds of the mysterious
rustic instrument also called a zambomba and which marks the rhythm
for choruses of men, women and children.

It’s
quite a leap from the traditional patios, corrals and communal houses
where these celebrations were usually held, to a soft comfy seat
at the Villamarta Theater in Jerez, and the Christmas sweets, unless
you bring your own, are as imaginary as the swig of anisette straight
from the bottle. Nevertheless, the evening of Friday the 17th the
people participating in the Sixth Navidad Flamenca en Jerez managed
to communicate their festive frame of mind and ambience enhanced
by the collaboration of Joaquín el Zambo, Juan Moneo “El
Torta”, José Vargas “El Mono” and Antonio
Cortés “Chiquetete” among many others, both amateur
and professional.

Few towns celebrate this time of year
more intensely

Zambomba

When the curtain goes up we see an
exact large-scale model of the inside of the Tío José
de Paula flamenco club which has been responsible for this annual
event ever since it began in 1999 to preserve and make known a part
of Andalusian folklore that was in danger of extinction. Joaquín
el Zambo reminds us of the dept owed to Manuel Parrilla whose work
investigating and teaching over the years has made it possible that
today many of these villancicos are known and sung, and thirty-two
people seated in semicircle right behind him get going with the
first song guided by Joaquín’s voice and the rhythm
of the zambombas.

Christmas in the streets of Jerez

Beneath
the sullen gaze of Tío José whose portrait dominates
the stage as it does in the actual club, guitarists Fernando Moreno
and his son Isaac Moreno lend the musical backdrop for a long series
of villancicos, some in chorus and some solo voices, to the rhythm
of tanguillo, waltz and tangos. Primitive melodies, almost innocent,
for the most part unknown to people not from Jerez as is the case
of yours truly, but charming all the same, and a couple of recognizable
melodies such as “la Tarara”.

In the second half we return to flamenco territory, first with
Chiquetete who sings to the seldom-heard rhythm of “Canastera”
of Camarón de la Isla with whom he shared an era and a close
friendship. El Torta gets an ovation when he comes center front
and bulerías sounds for the first time this evening. Alternating
between major, minor and phrygian keys, the singer is really feeling
good. The numerous members of the “cuadro” recharge
batteries passing Christmas sweets and the anisette bottle to take
turns at bulerías, one mature lady wearing cute bloomers
under her skirt dedicates her “chuflas”, humorous bulerías,
to a 95-year-old sister, el Torta outdoes himself dancing with her
and when the final curtain falls we emerge into the street in search
of the next zambomba.

Ezequiel Benítez 'Así es la Navidad'

Sabor Jerez 'Soniquete flamenco en Jerez'