Tomatito

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Tomatito

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Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

Tomatito

Tomatito

A friend of mine recently got the Encuentro Tomatito video and lent it to me.

When I am no longer speechless, I will try and post some comments...

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2003 11:30:29

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

The BOY can play!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2003 17:33:49

eslastra

Posts: 134
Joined: Jul. 12 2003
From: Livermore, CA USA

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jon Boyes

Tomatito

A friend of mine recently got the Encuentro Tomatito video and lent it to me.

When I am no longer speechless, I will try and post some comments...

Jon

Those Encuentro videos can be source of inspiration and discouragement, if you know what I mean.

But yes, that Tomatito video is definitely not for the meek. I get a kick out of when he says "I'll now play it slow for you" but it's still faster than I can possibly keep up with

I love how he plays his Alegrias.

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Eddie Lastra

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2003 19:46:06

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Yeah Jon,
He's a really strong player with a brilliantly secure technique.
I love the bits of "Tomatito" technique he uses as well, like the drawing back of the whole hand to get that extra force on the ring finger every so often.
Impressive performer.

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2003 21:12:22

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Tomate's the best in my book. I wonder how many years I'll have to practise before I can attempt to learn the material from the videos?

_____________________________

Tom Núñez
www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 18 2003 21:57:04

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Tomatito (in reply to TANúñez)

Tom,
20.
or less, depending on how much you practice!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 3:27:57

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Michael that is very encouraging! I was thinking more like 35. So if twenty is the magic number then I can be like Tomatito when I hit 53 years old. I"m off the practice.

_____________________________

Tom Núñez
www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 12:59:18

gerundino63

Posts: 1743
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands

RE: Tomatito (in reply to TANúñez)

Hi Tom!

I red somewhere, that, when you happens to live in the year 2015, the people by then have a live expertation of 130!

So, we can easally get better than Tomatito is now!

HA,HA,HA,

I am off to practice too!!

Bye Peter.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 14:30:01

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

I had not seen or heard Tomatito properly before I saw this video.
Wow. Flabbergasted. Seldom has my flabber been so gasted

Awesome player. The Minera is beautiful, the Solea Por Bulerias is great but I haven't got any further than that because I keep rewinding the tape and watching the Bulerias material at the start, its so mesmerising. He is just so 'funky'. He waves bye-bye to the Phrygian mode and plays so much stuff outside that it almost sounds atonal in places, yet he yanks it back to the Phrygian mode with such panache. Same goes for the rhythm - chords all over the place contratiempo, slam bang back into the pulse by the end of the falseta.

Notice how he plays almost entirely with his eyes closed? A lesson for us all there, I think

. Imagine being able to think your way around the fretboard when you're playing material of that complexity.

I need to have a lie down.

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 14:34:22

Conrad

Posts: 533
Joined: Jul. 16 2003
From: Toronto, ON, Canada

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Great post Jon!

He is definitely a funky cat. On the new Paco de Lucia DVD he is interviewed and one gets the sense that he is one of the coolest and most playful characters out there in the world of flamenco. I'm gonna have to pick up this encuentro video you guys talk about!

cheers

conrad

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 15:39:12

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

That's a good point, Conrad... Tomatito is playful and that's why his playing sounds like it does (playful, not the virtuoso part). Paco was so rebellious, that's why his music was so different, so off-the-beaten path. And I would bet Vicente Amigo has a dark, brooding side to his personality that really shows in his music. And listening to Ron, I get the impression of bagpipes, I don't know why... :) Just kidding dude!

And Tom, you could play Tomatito stuff in 10 years if you practiced 4 hours a day!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 21:00:06

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Better yet, I could probably play Tomatito in 5 years if I leave my wife and kids, quite my job, sell my car, move to Spain and sell my soul. Hmmm??

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Tom Núñez
www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 23:04:23

Phil

Posts: 382
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Rota, Spain

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

quote:

Better yet, I could probably play Tomatito in 5 years if I leave my wife and kids, quite my job, sell my car, move to Spain and sell my soul. Hmmm??

How much are you asking for the soul? Mine is in pretty bad shape. I might could use a new one. However, it must be untarnished.

Phil

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 23:26:11

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Phil I'll give you a good deal on the soul. It's not untarnished but it's not totally tarnished either.

I've drank and smoked, told a few white lies to get myself out of trouble, spent 2 days in a Mexican jail, the two twin sisters back in 89', a rumble that broke out at a local circus. Oh those clowns were pissed, and the old bucket of water over the door trick in Catholic school. Nuns really know how to swat with a paddle let me tell you.

All in all there's still a lot of unused soul in this 33 year old one. All I need is enough to buy my way into Manuel Reyes' waiting list.

_____________________________

Tom Núñez
www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 19 2003 23:45:24

Phil

Posts: 382
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Rota, Spain

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

quote:

I've drank and smoked, told a few white lies to get myself out of trouble, spent 2 days in a Mexican jail, the two twin sisters back in 89', a rumble that broke out at a local circus. Oh those clowns were pissed, and the old bucket of water over the door trick in Catholic school.

Your sins are forgiven, say 10 Hail Marys and 2 Our Fathers. Now, as my old parish priest would say, tell me more about the thing with the twin sisters.

Phil

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2003 0:15:59

Thomas Whiteley

Posts: 786
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: San Francisco Bay Area

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Phil)

Phil;

The standard reply from a priest when you are attempting to discuss a problem is, "This too shall pass my son"! I am still hoping that is true!

And Monsignor Lyon thought I would be a priest!

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Tom
http://home.comcast.net/~flamencoguitar/flamenco.html

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2003 0:51:19

jotego

Posts: 13
Joined: Sep. 18 2003
From: Limerick

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

In that video Tomatito makes really funny faces every time he stops playing... it's impossible to show the video to a non-flamenco fan and get away without your friend mocking Tomatito's faces.

Other than that, the sense of compas and melodic tension, duende, he shows is awesome.

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Yo no maldigo al hombre que le domina un querer
que a mi me domino uno y no me supe defender

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2003 10:03:04

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tomatito (in reply to jotego)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jotego
In that video Tomatito makes really funny faces every time he stops playing... it's impossible to show the video to a non-flamenco fan and get away without your friend mocking Tomatito's faces.

'Guitarist gurning' is a well known feature of many genres, particularly rock.

Next time your friends make fun, show them some Hendrix videos or just about any heavy metal band.

I think Tomatito is quite restrained compared to some of those guys, who look like they could use some fibre in their diet to clear that constipation.

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2003 11:37:29

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Hi Jon,
I bet guitarists pull some pretty funny faces themselves when they attempt his material....probably expressions of pain and frustration.

Ol' Julian Bream is the all-time master of pulling faces in my book, though he's calmed it down a lot now!

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 20 2003 14:17:03

jotego

Posts: 13
Joined: Sep. 18 2003
From: Limerick

RE: Tomatito (in reply to TANúñez)

Oh come on, El zurdo, just after three years of practice some of his falsetas become easy to play even a compas

Some other, like the Alegrias in the video, will take longer, both to remember them and to play them at the right pace. The tangos are quite affordable as well; the 9th buleria falseta is the most difficult for me because the accents need to be very well controlled; the easiest one I think is number 5th but I'm saying the number from the top of my head now...

Of course, forget about playing that long Minera or even learning it, too many notes in a too much random way as to memorize it

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Yo no maldigo al hombre que le domina un querer
que a mi me domino uno y no me supe defender

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 21 2003 9:29:37

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Tomatito (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Perhaps he should wear a schoolboy outfit and a strut on a glass stage like AC/DC. What would a flamenco guitarist would get up to if they didn't have to sit down? Did they stand up, in days of yore, when playing was a little more "basic" with more chord work and less fancy stuff?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 21 2003 9:33:12