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Help......I'm being help captive by a large hairy....uh....ape-thing? He's not mistreating me and he can actually cook a mean stir fry, but he constantly wants me to play 'Rompeseros' for him and I'm getting tired of it. Okay so perhaps he's not all that bad but personal hygiene isn't his strong point and he leaves too much hair in the drain!!! Actually, come to thing of it, he DOES kind of look like Jose Merce.....hmmmmmm.....that would explain the hair........
......HEY JOSE!!!! What the hell are you doing in the prairies???!?!?!?!?!??
No folks, I'm still around (hey Mike, how's it goin' eh?). I had just started a new job at a company that created a new department (for me) and life was just getting really complicated for a spell. I'm still here and I'm again playing after about a (regrettable) six month hiatus. Paco Peña is here next week with his group to put on a show and I'm again all fired up about flamenco. I eat breath and sleep the stuff, listen to it everyday all day (iPod Nano rules) at work. Now that the dust has settled, I'm sure to be here to be the foro's resident smart ass.
I saw Paco pena here in Holland last week. Didn't know what to expect from the mixture of classical choir and flamenco musicians ( three guitarists, percussion and four singers ) But it was a nice blend.
Jamey, welcome back! I was thinking about you recently because I finally upgraded my computer, got more RAM, etc. Not too many Mac users around here, you know! Glad you are back and doing the flamenco thing again.
The show was well done. I'm a big fan of Paco Pena so it was extra special for me. Paco Pena is the reason I took up playing flamenco in the first place (picked up his 1971 recording on a whim years ago and was completely hooked by the end of the first listen). Not too over the top and not under done as well. The dancers where excellent (the two men were but the woman was a little flat compared to a certain local bailora we have here in town).
I was actually surprised at how subdued Pena was. He didn't take over, he gave everyone in the troup ample room and never tried to steal the attention. The cantaores were great, very entertaining. One had a voice and style very similar to Miguel Poveda, while the other was a lot more coarse and gravel voiced (yet very animated and barely able to contain his enthusiasm). Both were quite young, perhaps early 20's. I was a little disheartened when I realized I had studied (but can't yet play) one of the pieces Pena played because of how effortless and relaxed he made it look. That Gerundino sounded so much louder than the other two guitars (and I really don't think it was the mics). That guitar just had tremendous volume.
All in all an enjoyable show. I even ran into "c" at the end as I left the theatre!
That Gerundino sounded so much louder than the other two guitars (and I really don't think it was the mics). That guitar just had tremendous volume.
Glad you enjoyed the show Jamey...
I've had a chance to hear Paco play close-up, (and I think Grisha will agree with me here)...The guy, though quite small (about 5' 2") plays with extraordinary strength and volume....It's not just the guitar. As Ricardo said a while ago on Nuñez..."the guitar just explodes in your face.." It's technique....nada más...
Ya this was a great treat for winnipeg flamencos This show was Flamenco and just flamenco no fancy lights or props Raw Jameys right the guys were extreemly powerful dancers I think the woman was perfect.. She played her part perfect... less agressive ... like a female dancer should be The one singer had the flu or somthing ...his voice was shot...but he was very entertaining Great complement of guitarists I liked the way Paco eased off and let the young guys go nuts for the bulerias Paco was great... played some old Sabicas farruca and his beautiful Petenera THE best flamenco show I've seen
c
good to meet you Jamey lets get together some time
I saw Paco Pena a couple years back, and actually wrote a review here--unfortunately Ron deleted it! I second that he was subdued, although to me it wasn't a positive. It seemed more of a lack of stage presence to me.
Anyways, I took a course with some Paco Pena students one time, and they all told me that he played extraordinarily loud. They both were laughing about it, they said you just can't believe how LOUD he plays.
One of them was really good, and was a classical player as well. During the time we were in Sevilla, he got an injury to his hand where the fingernail was pulling away from the finger, causing him a lot of pain. It had happened before, and he said that Paco told him it happened to him quite a lot too. Apparently it was caused by playing so hard.
OUCH! I think I'll just turn up the mic.
I don't know how they amplified the guitar at the show I saw, but it sounded beautiful. It was some kind of wireless system I think.
I couldn't actually tell how the guitarists were miked. There were mics hanging from the rafters about 6 feet or so above the performers' heads and a few on the stage floor to pick up the dancers' feet but other than that I didn't see anything. I don't know how they picked up the sound but whatever they used, the mics were very sensitive and picked up everything.
c, did you manage to see how the guitars were miked?
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