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I suppose if she starts appearing next to actual flamenco artists on the billing at "flamenco" concerts/gigs then its worrying.
Dont get me wrong Im not saying she shouldnt be allowed to do her thing, music is whatever we make it no? and genres must change and develop...but slowly please.
Good grief. Its absolute toilet! Who takes takes this seriously as flamenco?
I have mentioned this in other threads, but at the risk of sounding like Cassandra, I repeat it here. As interest in flamenco declines in Andalusia, Spain, and around the world, it will increasingly occupy an ever-smaller niche, to the point where it eventually will disappear except for a few individuals who keep it alive, much as groups such as the Folger Consort in Washington, DC keep Medieval and Renaissance music alive by mastering period instruments and playing pieces from those eras.
I fear that in time what we have known as flamenco will be absorbed into the miasma of so-called "World Music" and will lose its character, whether or not it is still referred to as "flamenco." The Barbarians are at the gates, and I'm afraid there's no holding them back. Sadly, we will be the poorer for it.
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."
Yes likely any golden age of flamenco is past, although it's probable some were saying exactly that 100 years ago.
But even with the increasingly questionable cross overs and the usually bad record production, currently there is still life in live flamenco puro. It seems there are still young people interested and participating in flamenco. E.g. In the many juerga videos on youtube (although mainly Camaroneros).
And there are still young people aspiring to be flamenco artists and entering competitions like Cante de las Minas etc…
Here’s a list of artists aged under 40 that I appreciate. Any other good young artists to recommend me?
Cante: Israel Fernandez Maria Terremoto Jesus Mendez Antonio el Turry Encarna Anillo Alonso Rancapino Hijo Esmeralda Rancapino
E.g. There are still 20 year olds like Pepe el Boleco singing in the puro tradition. Here with Antonio Reyes accompanying rather than singing (he didn't make my previous cante list as he's over 40).
I didn't mean to suggest that the demise of flamenco as a beloved genre of music was immediate. Interest in flamenco, in Spain and elsewhere, however, has been declining. Years ago, at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC, they used to put on a full week's flamenco festival annually, to include performances by guitarists, singers, and dancers. They stopped the annual flamenco festival about ten years or so ago.
Please note that I wrote above, "I fear that in time what we have known as flamenco will be absorbed into the miasma of so-called "World Music" and will lose its character, whether or not it is still referred to as 'flamenco.'" That there are young flamencos still performing today does not change my observation. If I am correct, it is a process that will play itself out over time. Nevertheless, I recognize that I may be wrong. Let's see where it stands, say, 20 or 30 years from now.
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."
Hello Bill I didn't intend to contradict your claim, which I think is valid. I am just highlighting some current young artists, and curious for more recommendations of upcoming artists.
Seriously. Piss off with the whole depressing fatalist 1970s were best fatalist BS.
I thought this was bad-ass...
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
Kiko Peña first appeared as a child, now age 26. I think this is a good example of what you are referring to Bill? He can sing flamenco but his recorded album is "una fusión de estilos donde predominan los boleros con notas jazzísticas y urbana bajo su personal voz flamenca."
Here’s another video. The collaboration between the two was not just a photo op. I don’t know what it says about the current state of Flamenco. What metric should we use: Record sales, streams on music apps, festival attendance, the number of new releases by recognized artists within the genre, the number of competitors and quality of competition at the concurso, the number of references to Flamenco in the media..?
Not posted in a while but just popped in and saw this thread.
I have the opposite opinion regarding the likes of Rosario La Tremendita, Rocio Marquez etc.
I think they are vital in keeping flamenco alive. I was at the promotional launch gig for Tercer Cielo by Marquez and Bronquio at the Mirador de Aixa in the Albaicin back in May and it was fantastic. The crowd was a mix of flamenco aficionados of all ages, and young alternative/indie types. If flamenco is going to survive it needs to crossover with other genres and draw in new fans like this. La Tremendita also attracts an eclectic audience and her live shows are great.
Before the pandemic back in 2018/19, I was working with some uni students in Granada and they were all raving about Rosalia etc. But quite a few of them had been turned onto traditional flamenco because of her. There was one lad who had become a huge Camaron fan after listening to Rosalia's 'Los Angeles' and then going on his own journey of discovery.
Just look at who Rosario La Tremedita is working with on her latest album: Rafael Riqueni, Dani de Moron, Jose del Tomate, Juan Requena, Yerai Cortes, Niño Josele etc. Without projects like this, many young people will never get exposed to these guitarists.
We need new flamenco, urban flamenco, fusion flamenco, indie flamenco, dance flamenco, avant garde flamenco, experimental flamenco or whatever other labels they come up with. Not to replace flamenco puro, but because all these roads lead back to flamenco puro. These acts can play alongside traditional flamenco acts one week and then hit the rock/indie festival circuit the next. These new forms will play a big part in keeping the flamenco scene alive and acting as a gateway to more traditional forms for the younger generations.
And it should be quite possible and acceptable to enjoy both the old and new approaches without judgement. I think the sneering from certain purist quarters does nothing to help the cause in the long run. These artists won't be to everyone's taste but let's not pretend that the flamenco puro scene would be thriving without these artists putting these projects together. Or that they are somehow responsible for killing off the artform.
As Rocio Marquez said recently:
"Flamenco codes are being incorporated into urban music and that brings it closer to young people."
And:
"Flamenco is a genre that rose from a mixture and there have always been debates and discussions, because it needs the strength of roots and tradition. I like to see it as two rails, which have to go hand in hand in order to open the way. A more traditional vision and a more experimental one, which have always coexisted."
as a former "young alternative/indie type" in my late teens, with phases of being into heavy metal in my early teens and punk/post-punk in my mid teens I have never been into "pop" music. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now.
It has been a constant source of dismay to me since getting totally hooked on flamenco that so many flamenco artists seem to want to dabble in the most corny/cheesy/schmaltzy soft pappy pop music, but hey, it's their culture, they can do what they like with it.
But I don't have to like it.
Enrique Morente said something like "purists are nazi's" but so is anyone who tells me I have to like Rosalia. I don't have to like Beyonce either. Or Britney.
And it's nothing new. Manolo Caracol was doing his "zambra" stuff in the 1940's.
It has been a constant source of dismay to me since getting totally hooked on flamenco that so many flamenco artists seem to want to dabble in the most corny/cheesy/schmaltzy soft pappy pop music, but hey, it's their culture, they can do what they like with it.
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