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Correct me if I am wrong, but, his playing reminded me of Manitas De Plata... when he wasn't playing with Jose Reyes and doing rumba....He would show off and play the way this guy did...
He would show off and play the way this guy did...
Yes, he would mix falsetas of different palos with questionable taste, however he had decent technique for playing the individual falsetas actually. The guy in the top of this post has not studied proper STRUMMING techniques yet, much less anything else.
Yes, he would mix falsetas of different palos with questionable taste, however he had decent technique for playing the individual falsetas actually. The guy in the top of this post has not studied proper STRUMMING techniques yet, much less anything else.
I see what you are saying I guess the comparison wasn't fair to Manitas
I see what you are saying I guess the comparison wasn't fair to Manitas. Kalo
Manitas knew how to play an audience for sure. My good friend and flamenco guitar guru Paco de Malaga once told me that when Manitas was performing, he would begin by sitting still, guitar poised, and silently looking at a point at the back of the auditorium. He would then suddenly begin playing with violent passion, as if his muse had just inspired him. It was all hokey, of course, but the audience thought they were witnessing the "primitive," inspired gypsy they imagined a flamenco guitarist to be.
I actually liked Manitas. I am just speculating here, but I imagine he did not take his charisma and showmanship too seriously, and he probably knew he was not a first-rate flamenco guitarist. But he has a certain appeal that some con-men have when they good-naturedly know that you can see through them. At least I would like to think of him in that way.
Manitas died on 5 November 2014, and his obituary in the Washington Post quoted Brigitte Bardot, in an interview with Agence France Presse, as saying, "Manitas carried with him all the joie de vivre and carefree attitude of my youth.” Not a bad way to be remembered by such as la Bardot.
Bill
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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."
Manitas knew how to play an audience for sure. My good friend and flamenco guitar guru Paco de Malaga once told me that when Manitas was performing, he would begin by sitting still, guitar poised, and silently looking at a point at the back of the auditorium. He would then suddenly begin playing with violent passion, as if his muse had just inspired him. It was all hokey, of course, but the audience thought they were witnessing the "primitive," inspired gypsy they imagined a flamenco guitarist to be.
I actually liked Manitas. I am just speculating here, but I imagine he did not take his charisma and showmanship too seriously, and he probably knew he was not a first-rate flamenco guitarist. But he has a certain appeal that some con-men have when they good-naturedly know that you can see through them. At least I would like to think of him in that way.
Manitas died on 5 November 2014, and his obituary in the Washington Post quoted Brigitte Bardot, in an interview with Agence France Presse, as saying, "Manitas carried with him all the joie de vivre and carefree attitude of my youth.” Not a bad way to be remembered by such as la Bardot.
I am pretty sure he took himself and his “arte” quite seriously. I know the Gipsy king vocalists call themselves “camaroneros” as if they are serious cantaores one and all. They of course know that their main gig is a commercial thing, not flamenco puro, but in their spare time they are doing their best at “flamenco”. Fandango, tango, siguiriyas, bulerias etc. Not being born in Jerez or Cadiz of course they don’t excel at Alegrias bulerias or solea, Rumba is their thing. In their minds it is not different than people in Huelva that focus on Fandango mainly or ONLY. The song “Serrana” is media granaina set to Rumba compas. The song La Doña was written for Bridgette Bardot, implying the love Manitas had for her.
Manitas is rumored by the Gitanos in his town to have fathered around 45 children. Despite what that implies (yes it’s gross), the children and their mothers admit the genetic connection to the deceased “patriarch” of that clan with GREAT pride. I personally know some gitanos that got out of a legal problem by appealing to the Patriarch years ago, who, Mob-Godfather-like, can actually override normal societal law. (Got the case thrown out of court apparently).
Far as I know, Bridgette doesn’t have any half-gypsy kids running around, but almost.
I am pretty sure he took himself and his “arte” quite seriously. I know the Gipsy king vocalists call themselves “camaroneros” as if they are serious cantaores one and all. They of course know that their main gig is a commercial thing, not flamenco puro, but in their spare time they are doing their best at “flamenco”. Fandango, tango, siguiriyas, bulerias etc. Not being born in Jerez or Cadiz of course they don’t excel at Alegrias bulerias or solea, Rumba is their thing. In their minds it is not different than people in Huelva that focus on Fandango mainly or ONLY. The song “serrania” is media granaina set to Rumba compas. The song La Doña was written for Bridgette Bardot, implying the love Manitas had for her.
I have a live recording of Gipsy's doing what they call their live version of Fandagos....To me it sounds more like Tientos or Tangos, but, i am not proficient enough to know whether I am right on this..
Wow, it sounds like Manitas was quite the lady's man. LOL interesting knoweldge about him and his playing that is for sure.
I have a live recording of Gipsy's doing what they call their live version of Fandagos....To me it sounds more like Tientos or Tangos, but, i am not proficient enough to know whether I am right on this..
Right, well from what I remember, they (Canut and Nicolas) would do fandango naturales and then go into tangos in their live shows, or sometimes they sing fandango then tonino would play a buleria guitar solo...that type of medley. The commercial machine that is Gipsy Kings is operated by people that don’t understand much about flamenco or maybe music in general. I mean, I think they get royalties and mechanicals for their songs yet, they didn’t write any of them. I wanted to clarify my statement earlier that “La Dona was written for Brigitte Bardot”...what I meant was the song they STOLE and changed into their version was dedicated to her. I am surprised they never were the focus of some lawsuits regarding intellectual property rights violation like Michael Jackson and others have been.
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