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Music for flamenco dance - listening guide...interesting reading
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Florian
Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia
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 Music for flamenco dance - listening...
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Music for flamenco dance - istening guide
The sound of movement
Silvia Calado, April 2004
It's a fact that's often overlooked in dance academies, but flamenco dance is inextricably linked to flamenco music. Underneath all the dazzling aesthetics, cante and guitar act as guide, inspiration and raison d'être of corporal expression - the dancer and the song are comrades in battle. To love flamenco dance is to love flamenco music. And before you get down to heel, toe and sole it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the sound that gives meaning to those steps.
A good starting point might be a few flamenco compilations. The first, of vintage cante, to get to know the roots of flamenco. A good example is the double album 'Grandes maestros del flamenco', full of legendary voices and guitarists of yesteryear, including Antonio Chacón, Manuel Torre, La Niña de los Peines, Manuel Vallejo, Ramón Montoya, Niño Ricardo and Miguel Borrull. As for the next generation, from the fifties onward, the best bet is a collection of the best quality remastered recordings from the vaults of Columbia, RCA, Zafiro, Iberofón, Vergara, Alhambra and Ariola. The triple CD 'Momentos cumbre de los grandes maestros del cante flamenco' takes a whistle stop tour of the key points of recent flamenco history, with every great figure from the period included, from Antonio Mairena through to Camarón, not forgetting Ramón Porrina, Turronero, Sordera, Fernanda de Utrera... the list is seemingly endless. As for modern-day flamenco, the most complete compilation might be 'Mucho flamenco', a double album featuring both established artists and promising newcomers to flamenco guitar and cante: Paco de Lucía, José Mercé, Carmen Linares, Cañizares, Enrique Morente, Pepe Habichuela, Remedios Amaya, Vicente Amigo, Estrella Morente, Arcángel, La Macanita, Marina Heredia...
The three titles mentioned here are complete catalogs in themselves, from which the listener can take his or her pick according to personal taste and preferences for musical styles, or artists whose music seems to fit best with their way of dancing. Bear in mind that most cantaores and guitarists, before they perform solo, spend years singing or playing 'para bailar', accompanying in dance companies or at flamenco tablaos. To cite a few examples, Chano Lobato was for years the voice behind legends such as Antonio and Matilde Coral, José Mercé spent many seasons as the cantaor of the Antonio Gades dance company, Chocolate sang for Carmen Amaya, as can be seen in the movie 'Los Tarantos', and even Camarón himself did his 'apprenticeship' on the Madrid tablao circuit, singing for dancers at these small informal venues before his meteoric career finally took off. And nobody knows quite how, but Manuela Carrasco managed to convince Chocolate to sing live for her as she performed a soleá during the première of 'Esencias' at the 2002 Festival Bienal de Sevilla. The most orthodox recordings of any of these artists could be useful to a bailaor.
It's also worth noting that most of the songs which have been danced to and which continue to be danced to today form part of a timeless popular folk tradition. Thus the inspiration which the lyrics provide the bailaor is the same as it was back in the days of Juan Mojama or La Niña de los Peines. There's the odd exception where bailaores get someone to write new lyrics expressly for a particular production, but for the most part the verses are chosen from the huge bank of folk poems. No royalties to pay, for one thing. So it wouldn't be a bad idea to start by browsing through the first collection of flamenco lyrics. This was put together by Demófilo - father of the poets Antonio and Manuel Machado - in 1881, although almost any cante flamenco album is a valid source, especially if the liner notes include a lyric sheet.
So what is the current state of 'cante para bailar'? The cantaores who currently accompany the leading figures of flamenco dance have a refreshing selection of discs to choose from. One of the vocalists best known for his work in this area is Guadiana. The cantaor from the region of Extremadura is a regular collaborator with the Antonio Canales company, as well as the songwriter for much of his music. It's no surprise to hear lines from his songs entering straight into the repertoire of his contemporaries. His latest album is a fine example: 'Brillo de luna'. The same wizard of baile flamenco has also worked on many occasions with cantaora Montse Cortés, whose recording debut is 'Alabanza'. The work of Segundo Falcón as a cantaor for dancers is also outstanding. He and Arcángel provided the voices behind most of the shows premièred at the 1998 Festival Bienal de Sevilla. For several years now the singer from Mairena del Alcor lends his services to Eva Yerbabuena, and their live performances together produce highly charged emotional moments. For the time being he has only one album on the market: 'Un segundo de cante'.
Another artist with a firmly established career in 'cante para bailar' is Enrique el Extremeño, who currently works with well-known companies such as that of Juana Amaya, Manuela Carrasco and Antonio el Pipa. The booming voice of this vocalist has been recently immortalized on the album 'Yo soy un pirata'. For a taste of cante from Jerez at the service of dancers, a disc by Antonio Malena is a must. This vocalist, together with bailaora María del Mar Moreno, performs wonders, especially when it comes to seguiriyas. Cantaora Mayte Martín embodies the neoclassical style, brimming with sweetness and sensitivity. She uses the repertoire from her own albums like 'Querencia' in performances alongside bailaora Belén Maya, in productions like 'Mayte+Belén' and 'Flamenco de cámara'. Another noteworthy female voice is that of Mercedes Cortés, part of the Cristina Hoyos company. She played an important role in this company's productions, including 'Tierra adentro'. The list goes on, but unfortunately not all those who work at singing 'para bailar' have recordings on the market. The market is crying out for recordings by Juan José Amador, a cantaor who is a key element for dancers such as Javier Barón, Juana Amaya and Merche Esmeralda. And then there are David Lagos and Rafael de Utrera, both yet to set foot in the recording studio... The gloomy state of the recording industry isn't on their side.
And the same can be said of the guitarists. The greats of every era did their time playing accompaniment for leading bailaores. Ramón Montoya played worldwide for La Argentinita, Javier Molina was guitarist for La Macarrona, Luis Maravilla joined the ballet de Pilar López in 1946, and also performed with La Chunga and with José Greco. And it was this bailaor who signed up a fresh-faced youngster named Paco de Lucía for his U.S. tour. The legendary guitarist from Algeciras also served a stint playing 'para bailar' on the Madrid tablao circuit and on tours like the Gitano Flamenco Festival which took him to Germany accompanying bailaores Toni el Pelao and La Singla, with Camarón performing vocals. In fact, the guitarist has never shied from 'toque atrás', always leaving space center stage for the occasional dancer on his world tours. Bailaor Joaquín Grilo from Jerez formed an integral part of the magnificent Paco de Lucía sextet, disbanded since Paco's latest album 'Cositas buenas'.
There are many more examples scattered throughout the history of flamenco. Mario Escudero made his début with Vicente Escudero in Madrid in 1944, and formed part of other dance companies like that of Rosario y Antonio. Perico el del Lunar was first guitarist at the famous Zambra tablao, and played across Europe and the U.S. enlisted in a group which featured bailaora Rosa Durán and cantaor Pericón de Cádiz. And then there's Sabicas who left for America with the legendary Carmen Amaya in 1936, never to return. A recording gem exists of this duo, one of the discs included in the pack 'Carmen Amaya. La reina del embrujo gitano', where she sings, dances, provides handclaps and plays castanets to the rhythm of the so-called 'Niño de las habicas'. The recordings were made in New York between 1955 and 1956, and also feature Juan Maya Marote and Pucherete on guitar.
The current 'toque para baile' scene is characterized by its range of approaches and creativity - it's the guitarist who generally takes on the task of composing the music for dance companies. On the one hand there are the guitarists from the Caño Roto barrio in Madrid, considered by many to be a school of their own. One such artist is El Viejín who, after playing for Lola Greco and El Güito, signed up with Antonio Canales's company not only as guitarist, but also as composer of his most successful shows. From the same breeding ground comes Ramón Jiménez, who played with Antonio Canales, Joaquín Cortés, Adrián Galia and Luisillo. Both guitarists together with Antonio Canales, Bernardo Parrilla and Ramón Porrina put together the project 'A cuerda y tacón' which "laid down an approach to building understanding between baile and guitar which has become a model for many others."
And the musical direction of many of the dance shows which are acclaimed worldwide falls to the lot of the guitarists. Unfortunately on only a few occasions their work is recorded for posterity; there are still outstanding composers and guitarists 'para baile' that have yet to release an album. Masterpieces such as 'Medea', composed by Manolo Sanlúcar for the Ballet Nacional de España are gathering dust in the bottom drawer of some record company. The legendary figure from the province of Cadiz now leaves a new legacy: the composition of Sara Baras's widely acclaimed 'Mariana Pineda', which can be heard as the soundtrack on the DVD. The bailaora's company itself recorded the music from her previous production 'Juana la Loca: Vivir por amor', composed by Jesús de Rosario, another talent to emerge from Caño Roto.
A newcomer to the scene is guitarist José Antonio Rodríguez from Córdoba, who created the music for the Compañía Andaluza de Danza's 'La Leyenda'. He's also the mastermind behind the music from 'Tiempo', a production the Spanish National Ballet left in the hands of bailaor Joaquín Grilo, which is unlikely to be released on CD. And there's no sign either that the music that guitarist Paco Jarana composes and performs live for Eva Yerbabuena, in shows like 'La voz del silencio', '5 Mujeres 5' and 'Eva' will ever reach the shelves of record stores, although it is possible to hear his style of playing on albums like Segundo Falcón's 'Un segundo de cante'. The same is true of Gerardo Núñez, who on many occasions has been in charge of the music in bailaora Carmen Cortés's shows. One such example is 'Salomé', which was never put on sale to the public. There is, though, another version for dance of the same legend on the market. Composed by Roque Baños and also featuring Tomatito, it was the idea of the Aida Gómez Company and film director Carlos Saura, who brought the production to cinema screens. The soundtrack is available on CD, and the movie can be purchased on DVD.
Joaquín Cortés is one of the few bailaores who's leaving a recorded legacy of his shows, both soundtracks and videos. One worthy example is the music for 'Gipsy Passion', composed by the multi-talented Diego Carrasco and performed by a musical cast made up of Ramón Porrina, Bandolero, Chaboli, Montoyita, Juan Parrilla, Charo Manzano, Chelo Pantoja, Ana Reyes, Juañares, Toleíto, Morenito de Illora, Antón Jiménez, Manuel Parrilla and Bernardo Parrilla, among others. The music from another of his recent productions, 'Live', is also available on DVD, allowing viewers not only to hear, but also to see how the music is performed, how the musicians contribute to the atmosphere on stage, and how the dance interacts with them. In fact, the company of this bailaor from Córdoba has given birth to a flamenco fusion group baptized Echegaray - such is the breeding ground that flamenco dance provides for flamenco music.
As for the latest generation of guitarists, there are a few newcomers to composition for dance who deserve a mention. One must surely be Juan Antonio Suárez 'Canito', who wrote the music for the production 'Más allá del tiempo' by bailaor Andrés Marín from Seville. For the time being, you can hear his work on the collective album 'Gerardo Núñez presents: The new school of flamenco guitar'. Another example is Daniel Méndez, who as well as playing for Antonio Canales, composed part of the music for Ángeles Gabaldón's 'Inmigración'. The music from this show, full of social comment, is only available on a limited edition promo disc. The creativity just keeps flowing. Music for flamenco dance is a scene which grows richer every day with new faces, new styles, new colors.
Should we? Must we? Maybe both. All flamenco dance fans should listen to, learn to feel, study the music... but they also have to learn to love it. Music to dance is like air to the lungs. We've given you a few ideas here, but the range of material available is as wide open as flamenco music itself. All that inspires and makes you feel something is valid, whether it's vintage or contemporary, whether it's performed specifically to accompany dance or not. Listen, listen and listen some more. An hour spent on foot technique in front of the mirror is just as important as an hour spent in front of the speakers savoring the cante of, say, La Niña de los Peines. Your ear guides your steps, the crying sound of an "Ay" provokes a sudden 'desplante', a melodic falseta sends arms and hands spiraling upward.
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Date Aug. 3 2004 14:11:13
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IF you can help I'll owe u one. 
Thats too much for me... Is there a summary somewhere? A hotlist of the important points?? 
did?.... you....? just revive it to tell me that you dont wanna read it ? 