Cinco Leyendas y una
Alternativa
Thursday March 30th, Centro Cultural de la Villa. Madrid
NOSTALGIA
IS ITS OWN REWARD
Cante: Tomás de Perrate
Guitar: Antonio Moya
Text: Manuel Moraga
Personality is a prized quality in flamenco. Tomás
de Perrate has it, and with a feeling of the past which actually
freshens up the atmosphere in this day and age. His voice
is neither powerful nor rich, and yet Tomás manages
to get it right, churning out cantes charged with tension.
He is not given to fanciful arabesques because his cante is
basic, and he achieves a wonderful aroma of fine aged wood.
After warming up with tientos, Tomás de Perrate dives
head-first into the world of soleá. Straightforward,
no trickery, sincere, like the old gypsy maestros. The guitar
of Antonio Moya coddles and supports at every turn with wonderful
variations that set the scene perfectly. More of the same
for siguiriyas, after a beautiful version of the classic song
“La Bien Pagá”. Of equally high level was
an interpretation of another classic, “Olvidarte”,
but the most moving moment was the tangos del Piyayo –
a personalized version Tomás learned from his father
and Diego del Gastor – and of course the final bulerías,
where we were treated to the great Utrera sound.
“We’re paying one euro for every ‘ole’
“ quipped Antonio Moya in response to the chilly audience
reaction throughout most of the recital. And the hypothetical
price went up, first to two euros and then to three, which
finally brought the first “ole” of the evening.
This is typical of Madrid audiences, and not necessarily negative.
On the contrary, it’s a sign of respect artists must
learn to assimilate. In fact, at the end of the recital there
was warm applause and scattered shouts of “bravo!”
(at the time of this writing we do not know the market price
of ‘bravos’).
Perhaps the cante of Tomás is not the kind you would
call “pretty” and of course – the comparison
is inevitable – he lacks the painful depth of his father,
and yet he certainly transmits the aged quality of genuine,
moving flamenco singing. In large part this is due to the
simplicity and equilibrium of his delivery which could not
be of a more gypsy nature.
What is undeniable is the singer’s personality, and
in this day and age that’s worth its weight in gold.
Tomás de Perrate is his father’s son…it’s
not plagiarism but inheritance.
