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Interview with Tomatito
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NormanKliman
Posts: 1143
Joined: Sep. 1 2007
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 Interview with Tomatito
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This was just published in El País (there shouldn't be copyright issues with the translation).
http://www.elpais.com/edigitales/entrevista.html?encuentro=6620&k=Tomatito
The questions are from the general public: anyone online who saw the invitation to send in questions, which was open for a few hours before they uploaded the answers. I didn't translate all the questions and the text below is a bit wooden, but it should give you a good idea.
I’ve heard a few jazz pieces that you recorded with Michel Camilo, and I think they’re excellent. Have you studied jazz, or do you use your experience as a flamenco and as a musician to improvise?
No, I haven’t studied jazz. I like it a lot, and I try to do things that I like, but being careful to keep it flamenco.
Could you tell us about some of your best memories of listening to cante? Siguiriyas or...
The best times were when I was accompanying Camarón de la Isla. Once, we went to an excellent fiesta with Fernanda... Lots of memories.
Which luthiers can you recommend? I already know about the ones in Madrid and I can’t afford their guitars.
In Almería, Juan Miguel González makes very good guitars.
Which classical guitarists have had the greatest influence on your career and on this recording in particular?
There are some excellent guitarists. Carles Trepat, from Catalonia, is among the best today.
Who do you think is better, Paco de Lucía, Sabicas or you?
Sabicas was a master in his day, with an excellent and very gypsy sound. Paco de Lucía was a revolutionary guitar player. Both are better.
How do you avoid repeating the harmonies that you use in your music? What other kind of folk music do you think goes well with flamenco?
By listening to other kinds of music. Any folk music with nice harmonies, to work that it into my music.
What do you think of the current state of flamenco?
It’s fine. Lots of young people are trying to come up with styles and new ideas, thanks to Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía, so flamenco’s doing fine.
Don’t you think that young flamenco guitarists all sound the same? Which do you think are the most interesting, the ones we should be watching?
Things are taking shape now, and time will tell. What they should be worrying about now is playing flamenco with a lot of technique. You can’t play without technique!
There’s a lot of talk of regional tendencies in flamenco; different ways of singing and playing the guitar in one part of the country and another. What differences do you see between flamencos from Almería and those from Cádiz or Lebrija?
Well, there’s definitely something special about Cádiz, same story with Jerez and Lebrija, but there are always exceptions, like Sabicas from Pamplona and Carmen Amaya from Barcelona. Flamenco is universal.
I love hearing you with an orchestra, with a piano, with a flamenco singer, with anything! What’s your favorite style of flamenco? Besides Paco, what other flamenco guitarists do you admire?
I like bulerías the most, and I admire guitarists like Vicente Amigo, Niño Josele, Paquete, Josemi, Pepe Habichuela, etc.
Purism or innovation? Are all ideas valid in flamenco? Is duende a gypsy art or is it something that everyone can do (including the Japanese)?
Both. Without purism you can’t have innovation. Not all ideas are valid in flamenco, because the flamenco form of expression (flamencura) should never be lost, and because some ideas sound less flamenco than others. The balance is in gypsies and non-gypsies. If it weren’t for that balance, there wouldn’t be any flamenco, like don Antonio Chacón and Manolo Caracol, or Manuel Torres, or Niña de los Peines.
I’m a teacher. Is music something that can be learned or do you have to grow up with it? Any advice for kids who are interested in playing the guitar?
It’s something that reaches you on the inside, but you have to study it to become a good musician. I recommend that kids look at it as one of the good things in life. It takes a lot of hard work, but you have to look at it as something that’s fun to do. Music is for fun and for having a good time, not for suffering.
What are the most important things to be a good flamenco guitarist? What kind of idea does the rest of the world have of Almería?
Afición and discipline. People think that Almería’s a nice place, because there are good beaches, the food is good and the weather is good. What more could we ask for?
When you want a new guitar, do you usually place an order with a luthier or do you look for a finished guitar that fits your preferences? Which luthier do you go to first?
I’ve got a lot of guitars at home, and I usually play a Reyes. There are a number of good luthiers.
In your opinion, what are the three most important parts or styles of flamenco?
Seguidilla, soleá and bulería.
I’d like to know what you think about illegal downloads. What do you think about people downloading your music on the Internet? Do you think it’s a good thing for making music more popular or is it bad for the artists?
It’s bad for the recording industry, and we artists like it when people listen to us one way or another, but...
I’d like to know what you think about the current state of flamenco in Spain. Do you think things can continue, like in the origins of flamenco, or is pure flamenco a thing of the past?
No, in order to grow in flamenco you have to listen to lots of old flamenco, and anyone who tries to do it differently is like a house without a foundation.
_____________________________
Be here now.
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Date Apr. 29 2010 11:26:11
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srshea
Posts: 833
Joined: Oct. 29 2006
From: Olympia, WA in the Great Pacific Northwest
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RE: Interview with Tomatito (in reply to NormanKliman)
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Thanks for the translation work, Norman!
Cool interview, but a bit drab, which is always the case with the Nice Guy Flamencos. "Flamenco's doing great, everything's great, the new generation is wonderful, so is Caracol, and Paco and blah, blah.
Agujetas understandably takes a lot of flak for being a son of a bitch in his interviews, but at least they're more fun to read!
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Date Apr. 29 2010 12:10:41
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NormanKliman
Posts: 1143
Joined: Sep. 1 2007
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RE: Interview with Tomatito (in reply to XXX)
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quote:
did he just avoid answering the question
I think you're joking, right? He said that both were better (than him).
quote:
But I agree with most of his answers myself. And it was good he answered that way to not cause trouble. Who the hell was that trouble making interviewer???
Yeah, I think so, too. The questions were posed by the newspaper's online audience.
quote:
Cool interview, but a bit drab...
quote:
...very politically correct responses...
That probably has more to do with my translation than anything else, although some of his responses did seem to be, mmm, strategically neutral.  A couple of things reminded me of the interview with Paco that we saw not too long ago. In any case, I think there are some things to consider here:
1) In a small town, people know you by the face you wear.
2) Big generalization here, but Andalusians are less likely to say anything bad about others, at least in public and especially when the others are part of the same professional or social community. It makes good sense to be cautious like that. In any case, there's a tendency to keep things light-hearted and optimistic (notice his advice for kids who are learning music), especially in the southwest (notice his comment about Cádiz, Jerez and Lebrija).
3) The questions and answers were probably being relayed by another person, which would stifle the spontaneity of his responses.
quote:
...obviously the news that flamenco is dead has not gotten through to him...
He probably knows and meets lots of good singers, not just at home but when he travels around Spain and maybe even abroad. I would like to see a couple of changes, but I'd have to agree that flamenco is doing fine. For 150 years, they've been saying that real flamenco is disappearing. This may or may not be true, depending on the period in history, but it's been repeated so many times that it's become part of the definition of flamenco. Some people are quick to take this up as a noble cause, which IMO is responsible for a lot of the closed-mindedness of older aficionados. Things defintely aren't what they used to be, but all the good cantes have been recorded (like seeds), and they're not going to disappear.
_____________________________
Be here now.
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Date Apr. 30 2010 0:08:03
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Ricardo
Posts: 14819
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: Interview with Tomatito (in reply to NormanKliman)
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quote:
Don’t you think that young flamenco guitarists all sound the same? Which do you think are the most interesting, the ones we should be watching?
Things are taking shape now, and time will tell. What they should be worrying about now is playing flamenco with a lot of technique. You can’t play without technique!
This was surprising to me, since the typical thing is "forget technique and just play with feeling" which to me gets old after a while to hear from the greats. I am glad he talked about this a little.
Regarding "cante is dead", I will say that it seems the problem on the surface is modern recordings, which don't represent much of what actual flamencos are doing anyway. That is not fair for aficionados to focus on, just because their main references for flamenco are OLD recordings. For me and what I have heard, the problem is the YOUNG people are not studying flamenco even if they are part of a clan of greats. They do more cool things that modern kids do these days, not study old cante.
The problem is that when they become older, like young adults, they will suddenly get inspired by flamenco, and be regretful that they did not take advantage of old dead relatives as children. And they will NEVER have the technique of singing they COULD have had if they started singing as kids. For that reason, I dont think will will ever see other Paqueras, Caracols, Agujeta, chocolate Fernandas, etc etc. And that is a shame, but it does not mean cante is "dead" literally.
As long as amatures keep the tradition going (as flamenco was always that way in the beginning until some singers started making money at it), then it will be fine forever IMO.
Ricardo
_____________________________
CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
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Date Apr. 30 2010 6:32:19
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KMMI77
Posts: 1821
Joined: Jul. 26 2009
From: The land down under
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RE: Interview with Tomatito (in reply to NormanKliman)
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I really liked these two questions and answers.
Recently I read about one of the new guitarists, a person born in the eighties, who said that at the rate we’re going, playing modern is going to be playing old style…that it’s going to be revolutionary.
Yeah, but that’s not true. He says that because now there’s no clear direction, everyone’s lost. The playing of the great maestros of the past is lost, and now it seems like something rare, because almost no one knows it. But what does it mean to play old style?...hitting the guitar, with no delicacy or technique. No, the problem is they’re a little lost. For example, they make a record with things from here and there, they put this together with that, and all with fabulous technique, yes, but no music. They’re playing nonsense. Then you hear them warming up or studying and it turns out they’re playing my falsetas or Paco’s things, or Vicente’s…that’s because they don’t like what they do…not because our falsetas are better, but because they’re not happy with their own music. It’s a question of prioritizing music as opposed to devouring the guitar. Lots of times what they do makes no sense, even though they really play well, but they don’t make music. But how are they going to be happy when some of them are embarrassed to play flamenco, or to play a natural chord, as beautiful as that is? They think they have to be playing weird stuff all the time. They want to play thirty notes where there is room for ten, and that’s ugly, the audience doesn’t even like it…jeesh…
What does a guitarist need in order to be happy?
Patience. The guitar is a helluva thing…but with patience, playing every day, studying…you’ll always get there. We get obsessed, we think we aren’t going to make it, we get all worked up. You can’t be blind to everyone else, and not worry about the music. If you can get over that…that’s when you’re happy.
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Date May 3 2010 22:17:54
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Ricardo
Posts: 14819
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: Interview with Tomatito (in reply to KMMI77)
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quote:
Yeah, but that’s not true. He says that because now there’s no clear direction, everyone’s lost. The playing of the great maestros of the past is lost, and now it seems like something rare, because almost no one knows it. But what does it mean to play old style?...hitting the guitar, with no delicacy or technique. No, the problem is they’re a little lost. For example, they make a record with things from here and there, they put this together with that, and all with fabulous technique, yes, but no music. They’re playing nonsense. Then you hear them warming up or studying and it turns out they’re playing my falsetas or Paco’s things, or Vicente’s…that’s because they don’t like what they do…not because our falsetas are better, but because they’re not happy with their own music. It’s a question of prioritizing music as opposed to devouring the guitar. Lots of times what they do makes no sense, even though they really play well, but they don’t make music. But how are they going to be happy when some of them are embarrassed to play flamenco, or to play a natural chord, as beautiful as that is? They think they have to be playing weird stuff all the time. They want to play thirty notes where there is room for ten, and that’s ugly, the audience doesn’t even like it…jeesh…
Couple of things I have seen along these lines. I admit that I think this a select few he is describing, but.... I was in shock to see Antonio Rey live, who has very cool modern stuff on his CD, but live he played about 90% Paco de lucia, and the other 10% normal trad accompaniment. He was playing for Farruco etc...
The other thing is years ago I was in spain with a young upstart who's music was very modern and super advanced and technical (who has a respected guitar solo CD from just a couple years ago), but he could not play simple bulerias for the juerga! It was kind of embarrasing for the poor kid and his peers were putting him on the spot because it was clear he lacked the base that everyone needs in flamenco. I think Tomatito is refering to this kind of unseasoned youngster who learns in his room studying recordings and experimenting on the neck to find new things, but not studying the base or the cante or the tradition.
Ricardo
_____________________________
CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
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Date May 4 2010 6:34:44
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KMMI77
Posts: 1821
Joined: Jul. 26 2009
From: The land down under
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RE: Interview with Tomatito (in reply to NormanKliman)
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When i listen to modern guitarists like vicente, nunez, paco, manolo sanlucar , all the caño rotto guys, rafael cortes etc..they all play music that, to my ear, sounds melodic. I guess i am using the word "melodic" to describe music that makes sense. I believe it is there ability to do this that has given them such success.
You can play any combination of chords and notes together, and get them to fit into a palo, but certain combinations of notes sound better than others, and certain phrasing and technique sounds more flamenco. It is not so much about playing straight, jazzy or out there chords. All chords work if you can find a place that makes sense.
This is where i would identify a problem. Sometimes i hear music that just doesn't convince me. It is almost as if they just needed to make it longer and decide this idea will do. It doesn't make me want to sing along or listen to it over and over again.It feels disjointed and one part does not follow on to the next. A bunch of ideas rather than a complete song. I think Vicente is a great composer as he takes his best idea and makes that the song. The best idea becomes the chorus and he expands on that.
Of coarse everybody has different tastes so others may find music that i dislike enjoyable. I am not sure where the line is drawn though. I know a jazz musician and composer who hates rhythm and any music that resolves or shows melody. Sentimentality is a big no no... in his opinion. He uses his knowledge of theory to avoid it.. I am happy for everyone to do whatever they find enjoyable but i am with tomatito on this one.
You can always ask yourself when you listen to a composition, If i had come up with that idea would i have kept it or would i have moved on? If you are honest with yourself it helps in identifying the type of music you would like to write.
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Date May 4 2010 21:20:43
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I downloaded his last album * sonata suite * from the internet 
) where he says: 
