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| Ginohassideburns |
Posted - 06/18/2002 : 10:51:56 PM
Flamenco Music, I have been playing for 4 years now in this area and love it! I am trying to spread the word of Flamenco here in the States. In Spain its huge! bigger than N'Sync here! so listen to it dammit!
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 06/19/2002 : 01:54:22 AM
Very Kewl!! An admirable goal. I am all about spreading the music. If you couldn't tell. I love turning people on to new stuff. I would love to hear some of your stuff sometime. Good luck with it, you have certainly undertaken one of the more ambitious guitar styles. You seem to have a postitive outlook on it and I am sure that and practice will carry you a long way.
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy          |
| Ginohassideburns |
Posted - 06/19/2002 : 01:49:35 AM
Excellent work Fluffy! the last two posts provide a great amount of information on Flamenco music. I used to play rock and blues when I first started, but one day I heard my teacher playing a soleares (a certain style in flamenco) and I fell in love with it and told him that I want to learn that. 4 years later I haven't stopped and I am still pursuing Flamenco music. And my goal is to spread the music and knowledge to the United States through my playing.
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| Fluffy |
Posted - 06/19/2002 : 01:34:17 AM
Everything you always wanted to know about Flamenco, but were afraid to ask:
What is flamenco?
A particular kind of music/dance (and some would say lifestyle) native to, but no longer restricted to, a small region of Andalucia in Southern Spain. Like American "blues" it probably has ancient antecedents, but as a distinct genre is only a couple centuries old. Not all Andalucian folk music is flamenco. Not all flamenco artists have been Andalucians (eg Sabicas), or even Spanish (eg Greco).
Some classical guitarists (understandably, if they haven't studied flamenco) view flamenco as a "style" of guitar playing emphasizing certain techniques above others and having a distinct sound. Thus (oversimplified) if you play rhythmic rasqueados and fool around with Phyrygian scales and a lot of Ami>G>F>E, it's flamenco. Not so. At most, flamenco-ish.
Flamencos themselves (ie guitarists, dancers, singers, aficionados), whatever their own specialty, and for both formal and historical reasons, usually agree that what is fundamental to flamenco is *cante* (song), i.e. a body of several dozen forms with specific rhythms, melodies, and in some cases themes, sung in a certain way.
Flamenco guitar started as accompaniment for cante, and in Spain has largely remained that, no matter how technically refined it has become. Probably the same is true of flamenco dance -- that it started as an embellishment through movement of what the singer was doing. Even the virtuosos like Paco de Lucia and the late Sabicas who are famous for solo work (and who play other music besides flamenco) would probably define flamenco in terms of cante rather than of guitar technique. Both started within the tradition as accompanists of cante, and were superb ones. To anyone familiar with cante, even their solos imply the cante from which they came.
Spaniards know this already. You say "flamenco" and they think "Camaron" (a popular singer who died in 1992) or "solea" (a song form) -- whether they like the stuff or not. Non-Spaniards rarely hear cante, and understandably have different associations -- for instance, the guitar played in a particular way. So it's important to emphasize for them that cante is central to flamenco in a way that a particular rasqueado isn't.
What makes a guitarist a "flamenco" guitarist?
For non-flamencos, I can't say -- maybe it is having an incredible rasqueado, or being able to play Entre Dos Aguas, or Luna del Fuego, or a tremolo from granainas.
For flamencos, it is the ability (at whatever level of skill) to accompany a knowledgeable singer (and knowledgeable dancer) who is performing one of the standard forms in a more or less standard way. You don't have to be very *good* as guitarist to qualify. Many singers in Spain, for instance, knowing only two or three chords, and playing execrably by anyone's standards, can crudely accompany themselves or someone else. Most wouldn't claim to be guitarists at all. But they would claim that whatever they're doing on the guitar is flamenco, not something else. They know the song, and they know what the guitar needs to sound like to go with that, even if they don't know the guitar itself well enough to pull it off very well.
So, whatever else you are able to add to that -- machine-gun rasqueado, blinding picado, etc etc -- it starts there: you know how solea goes (as song or dance), for instance, and what will fit it on the guitar. It doesn't mean you have to sing or dance yourself (though that can be an eye-opener) anymore than a sportscaster has to be able to pitch. The sportscaster *does* have to know the game, however. (Or fans complain.)
This may sound like an eccentric definition to musicians who admire many other things about flamenco, and may not give two hoots about cante or baile (dance). All I can say is get yourself into a group of flamencos and check it out. The guitar will invariably wind up, by subtle or not-so-subtle consensus, in the hands of the guy who can accompany the singers and dancers, not those who can't, no matter how superb the others variously are as musicians and guitarists. It's not that superb musicians are not recognized and valued; only that for flamenco to happen, the group needs a guitarist who knows how to support the singers and dancers.
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 06/19/2002 : 01:30:14 AM
Sabicas: (born: Agustin Castellon Campos) was respectfully known as "the king of Flamenco." Credited as the first guitarist to take flamenco out of Spain, Sabicas toured the world, amazing audiences with his technical abilities, lightning-fast speed and "perfect" tone.
Segovia: The father of the modern classical guitar movement, Andres Segovia raised his chosen instrument to new peaks of popularity and respectability; it is widely held that without his efforts, the classical guitar would still remain in the eyes of purists a lowly bar instrument, to be performed only by peasants. Born in Linares, Spain on February 21, 1893, Segovia began playing at the early age of four; although discouraged by his family, who felt he should adopt a "real" instrument instead, he continued studying and made his concert debut in Granada at the age of 16. His professional debut came four years later in Madrid, and was met by many with disbelief -- the guitar was widely believed to be incapable of proper classical expression, but Segovia astounded naysayers with his skill. The central problem facing him, however, remained that the guitar's sound could not properly fill a concert hall; in the years to follow, Segovia solved the dilemma by experimenting with new woods and designs, all to increase the instrument's natural amplification. The advent of nylon strings also enabled the guitar to produce more consistent tones, while projecting the sound much farther. In 1928, Segovia made his American debut in New York City, where he again wowed audiences with his prowess; before long, composers like Heitor Villa-Lobos even began to compose original pieces specifically for the guitar. Segovia himself began transposing the classical canon for the guitar as well, most notably his notoriously difficult translation of Bach's Chaconne, as well as many transcriptions of lute and harpsichord music. In addition to recording and performing, Segovia spent the remainder of his life and career successfully influencing the authorities at conservatories, academies, and universities to include the guitar in their instruction programs with the same emphasis given the violin, cello and piano; his early struggles were recounted in his 1983 memoir Andres Segovia: An Autobiography of the Years 1893-1920. He died in 1987.
Carlos Montoya: A Spanish guitarist and composer, Carlos Montoya made a lasting contribution to music between the 20s and 50s. He introduced the flamenco style of music as a serious form of guitar music. Traditionally flamenco music was used to accompany gypsy folk dancers and singers but Carlos Montoya changed it into a main genre of music.
Carlos Montoya was born into a gypsy family in Spain. His interest in music and the guitar began at an early age. He began studying the guitar with his mother and a neighboring barber, eventually learning from Pepe el Barbero, a guitarist and teacher. Not only was he interested in playing the guitar, Carlos Montoya wanted to learn the history of flamenco music. Flamenco music came out of the Boorish invasion of Spain. His uncle, Ramon Montoya, was a successful flamenco guitarist also. Carlos Montoya started playing professionally at the age of 14, playing for singers and dancers at the cafes in Madrid. Two of the dancers he most often played for were La Teresina and La Argentina.
Wanting to broaden his musical career, Carlos Montoya began touring in the 20s and 30s. His tours included performances in Europe, Asia and North America. He accompanied several performers including La Argentina again. He had finally made a name for himself as a flamenco guitarist.
When World War II broke out in the 1940s, Carlos Montoya was on tour in the United States with dancer La Argentinita. During the war he decided to settle in New York City and eventually became a United States citizen. In 1945 La Argentinita died but Carlos Montoya toured on his own, opening his repertoire to include not only flamenco but also blues, jazz and folk music.
His career took a different turn in 1948 when he began touring with symphonies and orchestras and performing his own guitar recitals. Carlos Montoya became the first flamenco guitarist to tour the world with symphonies and orchestras. His appearances did not stop there, he performed on television and gave several solo recitals. During his touring he recorded more than 40 albums, some with symphonies and orchestras. His albums include Flamenco Guitar and The Art of Flamenco. One of the most notable is Suite flamenco, a concerto he performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1966.
Carlos Montoya made a very important contribution to flamenco music, transforming it from a dance accompaniment to a style of its own. With his own style, he adapted it to other genres of music, all along making himself an international star. Carlos Montoya died at the age of 89 in Wainscott, NY.
Ottmar Liebert: Liebert has said that "flamenco is a music both romantic and dangerous; it is an attitude as much as it is a musical genre." Therein lies the philosophy that catapulted him to fame at the end of the '80s with an engaging mix of subdued flamenco guitar and South American percussion, rock, jazz, and pop influences. Liebert's "attitude" actually suppresses the more challenging and "dangerous" aspects of flamenco in favor of the romantic -- and the stylish. He's not a technical wizard on the guitar, but he has a feel for the music's innate sensuality and a gift for creating memorable melodies. Born in Cologne, Germany, to a Chinese-German father and a Hungarian mother, Liebert traveled throughout Russia and Asia before moving to Boston and eventually settling in Santa Fe, NM. After years of trying to hit the big time in various jazz-funk bands, he began playing acoustic guitar in Santa Fe restaurants. His first (self-produced) cassette, Nouveau Flamenco, was basically recorded for friends, but the album received heavy radio airplay on WAVE in Los Angeles. Higher Octave Records re-released it nationally in 1990. After his subsequent album Borrasca quickly climbed the charts, Liebert was picked up by a major label, Epic. With his exotic good looks and enigmatic stage presence, Liebert has brought flamenco to mainstream America with a certain level of class and accessibility. His prowess as a composer and instrumentalist has steadily improved over the years.
Four Fine Artists You May Not Have Heard Of
This is obviously not exhaustive. I'm not all that current, anyway. My purpose is to balance American guitarists' view of "who's big in flamenco" by giving them names of a few guitarists who are highly respected in Spain(for good reason) but little known here because they stick mainly to accompanying and don't do a lot of international solo concerts.
Tomatito: Became Camaron's guitarist when Paco de Lucia got busy with other music outside of Spain. Like Paco, an extraordinary technician, and sophisticated musician, deeply influenced by jazz. Listen to his accompaniment to the Lorca piece on Leyenda del Tiempo. He has a solo CD available in US, but it's less flamenco than his accompaniment.
Paco Cepero: Certainly belongs on the list of major Pacos. Guitarist of choice for many top singers in 70's and early 80's. Wrote or arranged stuff for singers, and "raised" them, and contributed in ways to "pop flamenco." I know of no solo recordings. Do you?
Pedro Bacan: Favorite guitarist of families from Lebrija. He's probably done some solo recording, but is at heart a powerful accompanist. Hates contemporary baile (dance), so refuses to accompany dancers.
Joaquin Rather: Manuela Carrasco's husband and accompanist. Widely seen in US in *Flamenco Puro*. Leading accompanist of baile. A figure like Manitas de Plata, on the other hand, who through ingenious PR managed in the 60's to cook up notoriety for himself in France and the US, was never respected at all within the flamenco world. He is a French gypsy who plays chaotic "impressions" of flamenco (and not very well), not flamenco itself, which his touted hands regularly butcher. No crime; the flamenco world pretty much ignores him. However if you're reading this at all it's likelier that you've heard of him (as a flamenco guitarist) than of the four people above (who are flamenco guitarists, and fine musicians as well) -- which is too bad. The Gypsy Kings come from a similar context (the French gypsy community) but are far better musicians; they have taken a relatively minor form within flamenco (rumbas -- itself borrowed from Latin America) and written engaging arrangements for it which have become internationally popular -- fair enough. They are not basically flamenco musicians, since they do little besides rumbas; but they've made good use of a flamenco form to create something interesting of their own.
A FEW MORE:
Manolo Sanlucar
Niño Ricardo
Ramón Montoya
Enrique de Melchor
Gerardo Nuñez
Manolo de Huelva
Manuel Morao
Jose Fernandez
Juan Breva
Pata Negra
Diego del Gastor
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy
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| {=HTG=} |
Posted - 06/19/2002 : 01:20:00 AM
Yeah, it's awesome. My dad and his brother were really into the stlye, and my uncle even took lessons from a guy, though he never got good at it. Great music it is.
"I tell you what, I'm not that easily amused ...wow, a blue car!" Homer Simpson.
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| genome |
Posted - 06/19/2002 : 12:56:07 AM
I dig flamenco music. But I don't know that many artists...I guess Paco de Lucia is an obvious one..who are some others? I'd like to check them out.
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| Fluffy |
Posted - 06/18/2002 : 11:01:40 PM
I had a friend, Andy McCoy, when he wasn't on tour his fave thing was to go hang out in Spain and just go to all the different little bars and see the unknown, amazing Flamenco players. He was always drawing on them for influence. He always said Flamenco was his favorite form of music, even though he played R'n'R. He said these unknown flamenco guitar players in Spain were far more amazing than 99% of the guitar players you hear on the radio. It was always so curious to him that there were so many unknown, amazing guitar players all in one place.
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy |
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