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Diego del Gastor essay by Brook Zern, have a read.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
I have Kahn's album and I find his approach to flamenco much more satisfying than the fusion of the nervous fingers cadre. But you pays your money and makes your choice.
Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
when people really get into something deeply I think it is great that they express their experience in detail. I also understand when they get upset or frustrated when the artist they love gets shot down or belittled by others. But I don't see a need for people to praise a singular artist of a big genre by dumping on all the others around, like it's a competition of who is superior as an artist. But that is just me.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
I don't think he dumped on anyone. I think he was saying there are some who say the Zee Americans, the Yanks were deluded by thinking Diego was important. I thought it was an interesting essay, I also have been reading his essays for several years, and those of his fathers.
Brook Zern's dad used to write for Field and Stream magazine, his name was Ed Zern. He wrote a kind of ironic humor on the last page every month called Exit Laughing. I read it as a teenager when I was more into fly fishing. Zern Sr. was also an environmentalist who was very active. I can't remember what his specialty was, but it had to do with preserving trout habitat I think.
Once in while my mind gets quiet for about 4' and 33 seconds and I read essays. I like Brook Zern's funny, candid and insightful musings of flamenco. He was the opposite of the Dr. John song, he was in the right place at the right time. Whether you agree or not, he's got a blog page with lots of cool essays.
I've known a lot of folks who knew Diego, heck I refer to him on a first name basis and I was about ten when he died, I never met him. Sometimes I prefer Marote's accompaniment of Fernanda, but I never met either of them either. But to cut to the chase, what I gather from older folks who were there is that it's not like Gertrude Stein speaking of her hometown Oakland California from her perch in Paris; "There is no there there." There was a there there and the there was Moron. Although it was not the only there, there were other there's there.
I gleaned that Diego was great a communicator. I really like the few video clips of him playing for Perrate, another who was a somebody.
But what do I know, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
The legacy of Diego among flamencos is far from dead, irrespective of his importance to Americans. Quite a few tocaores quote his falsetas and his style and these tocaores are greatly appreciated by cantaores.
One of the best is Joselito de Pura from Chiclana, whose maestro was Paco del Gastor. The interesting thing is that cantaores regard him as "flamenco puro" while many guitarists of the modern school regard him as limited.
Of course, what the cantaores think of the modern school guitarists is another subject altogether
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to Morante)
Here is Joselito de Pura. You can hear that’s it’s all Diego del Gastor, but you can hear the exact same from Diego de Moron, his nephew.
Interestingly though, Morante says that Joselito’s maestro was another of Diego’s nephews, Paco del Gastor. Well, maybe Paco taught him that, but Paco’s own playing far more complex, and really a different style.
Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
I don't think he dumped on anyone
He name dropped a ton, and claimed in the end Diego was better than them all, later underhanded jabs with the cliche (annoyingly cliche) write offs about fast notes, lots of notes, jazz chords,etc etc BS. I met Brook and I like him. I also like Diego's playing very much. But I don't see what is wrong with simply allowing for his place amongst the pantheon of greats in the flamenco world. I hold Paco de Lucia in high regard, but even still I recognize he has his place too. I am in debt to Brook for spear heading the Rito project to go DVD, but I admit it's clear the only reason he truly cared was for those in valuable snips of Diego and the moron company. I think it is ALL gold, not just my favorite artists that are featured. I don't feel a need to constantly hype up my favorites by belittling the rest. And nor to I agree with those that try to put down diego as not an important figure. I do agree that his fans put him on a pedestal, but he WAS good. Certainly not "the best" if there even needs to be such a thing. Melchor for example was so good and so different than diego's style.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to aeolus)
quote:
I have Kahn's album and I find his approach to flamenco much more satisfying than the fusion of the nervous fingers cadre. But you pays your money and makes your choice.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
But I don't see a need for people to praise a singular artist of a big genre by dumping on all the others around,
This is a prerequisite for enjoying the Moron thing to the fullest. You should try it Ricardo, it does wonders for a guitarist and really can add that extra duende that will score you all kinds of credibility with those tards who get nervous when a player uses the entire fretboard....
I like the big box of crayons... 64 colors, with a sharpener on the back...
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
Just as Diego del Gastor has pedestal-raising worshippers, so does Paco de Lucia. Interesting with respect to Brook Zern. Brook and I were friends many years ago when we were both members of the original New York Society of the Classic Guitar.
At that time, Brook was a Diego fanatic worshipper. Just a few years ago he announced that he had a divine revelation that Paco was in fact God.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to Morante)
quote:
Don´t you think that 64 crayons is a bit too many for your inellectual level? Try starting with 4 and work up gradually.
Why only 4? So I can be in the retard club with other Moron worshipers.
As far as intellectual prowess goes, choosing a full palate of colors would in fact be a signifier of the desire and the potential for higher learning. Those that choose only 4 will usually stay with only the 4 and be perfectly content with the limitation, all the while cursing the other 60 colors as being untrue vehicles of expression. Excuse the hell out of me for not wanting to be in the latter category. Perhaps a great way of preserving such primates would be to keep them in cages at the zoo or protected wildlife preserves. People could pay admission to see them finally, because they aren't exactly making it in the flamenco world. If they were there wouldn't be a need for the trash talk.
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
Hmm, seems this has started a little heated retard session.
I wanted to point out the Mr. Zern has been a writer I like. Ok, ok, so he he was a bit provocative, but I think he is a fine writer. Perhaps it is the way he wrote with it dangling "..and yet..." that left me wanting to read the next paragraph.
When I have read his notes and essays in the past, I gathered that his whole outlook on flamenco is not about a stiff unbending polemic position, but evaluating and changing ones mind as one goes along. There is nothing retarded about thinking through something and then saying in public, well after some thought I think this...XYand Z.
And yet during the times he has written about the 'D' word he has continued to write about all the other aspects of flamenco equally. I think during the times he has written about DDG he was also said a lot of good things about PDL.
It sounds like two socialist republics fighting over the same ideology really. The PDL does not recognize the DDG and we vote to have them summarily kicked off the FSC now! (Flamenco Security Council) The the DDG fires back: "The insolence of the PDL will not stand, man. His aggression will not stand man!"
Then the DDG's furiously sulk back to the kitchen and fire up a huge doobie while the PDL's angrily go to Walmart to buy more nails files, CA glue and Vasiline.
Meanwhile everyone is coloring outside the lines.
The lessons we need to remember here are the ones we learned not in school, but in two gloriously philosophical master pieces: The Big Lebowski and Tropic Thunder.
Remember the part where Walter pulls a gun on a guy in a bowling alley because he won't change the score? The Dude says "Walter put away the piece!" Walter keeps the gun trained on the guy and says to the Dude. "It's a league game Dude."
We take life too seriously, like it is a league game. Life is not a league game. Life is retarded. And here is the secret of life: You never go full retard. Ever.
Tropic Thunder the scene where Downey explains going full retard.
So I'm going to put on my cowsuit now and get out my crayons. I have the special Luthiers Edition Crayolas in the 247 pack that comes with a bento box lunch and bottle of Chateux la Feet 1963 and free lifetime pass to The Louvre.
Enjoy and color inside, or outside the lines as you please.
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
It's probably not a good idea to place anyone on a pedestal and refer to him as "God," as some have with regard to their favorite flamenco guitarist. In the meantime, I will choose finger-painting over crayons. I wouldn't be surprised if Jackson Pollack started out with finger-painting as a young lad. Not that I see a similar destiny in store for me.
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to estebanana)
I can only comment as a fan and amateur guitarist, but I'd rather listen to Paco's stuff from the 70's than DDG and I'd rather listen to DDG to most (but not all) of Paco's later stuff...I'm no purist but I just can't stand flutes and congos and a lot of jazzy jazz
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to mark74)
quote:
I'm no purist but I just can't stand flutes and congos and a lot of jazzy jazz
...and worst of all, a bass guitar.
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
...and worst of all, a bass guitar.
believe it or not, there was a time when the guitar was not accepted as a suitable instrument for flamenco. perhpas we should just go back to banging rocks together
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to BarkellWH)
I have to admit I love the bass guitar in rumba gitano or rumba catalana or whatever its called, but in flamenco puro it can be off-putting I agree
How do you feel about the cajon...i like it much better than the bongos, congos and clave..no disrespect to my Cuban ancestors, but most of the Spaniards who created that hybrid stuff in Cuba were single Galician men who fell in love with African slave women and got into Santeria..its just not Spanish at all..
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to RibNibbler)
quote:
believe it or not, there was a time when the guitar was not accepted as a suitable instrument for flamenco. perhpas we should just go back to banging rocks together
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to RibNibbler)
quote:
believe it or not, there was a time when the guitar was not accepted as a suitable instrument for flamenco. perhpas we should just go back to banging rocks together
I'm not so sure about that. Certainly there was a time when flamenco was not accepted as suitable music for the guitar, but I don't know about the reverse.
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
RE: Diego del Gastor essay by Brook ... (in reply to RibNibbler)
quote:
so you think these people singing microtonal music just welcomed the accompaniment of a non-microtonal instrument without any protest...?
seems plausible as long as you don't think very deeply about it.
Oh c’mon - do you seriously think anyone was protesting about the guitar’s inability to play microtones? I can just hear it now.
THE CANTAOR PROTESTS
A Play in One Act
By Ramon Amira
Setting: Café Cantante
Cast of Characters: El Loco de Sevilla – Cantaor Juan el Cojo – Guitarist
The curtain rises on a stage in the Café. El Loco is sitting and Cojo is standing with his foot up on a chair, holding his guitar. He strums a few rasgueados. El Loco looks daggers at him but says nothing. Finally, after ten minutes of playing, El Cojo deigns to allow El Loco to start singing. El Loco sings a temple – Siguiriyas. El Cojo comes back in with a few falsetas. Finally El Loco can’t take it any more.
EL LOCO: Why are you doing this to me?
EL COJO: Doing what?
EL LOCO: You know damn well what. I’m singing microtones here and you’re playing that damn non-microtonal instrument.
EL COJO: Well, pardon me. According to Sr. Acosta’s theory of the dichotomy between microtonality and fixed intonation, a natural opposition and tension arises when they coalesce.
EL LOCO: Sinverguenza! Cabeza de piedra!
(He grabs the guitar and smashes it to the ground.
Now you can go get a violin and come back and play some microtones!
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