zata -> RE: Bulerías basic timekeeping. (Jul. 11 2004 12:44:15)
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quote:
When they say 'Bulerias al golpe' they don't mean BpS. I first heard the term a couple of years ago on one of the forums and finally figured out that that's what they call it when the guitarist taps out 1-2, 4-5, ...... on the golpeador, as a lot of older Bulerias were commonly played. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Phil, you are wrong, and I wouldn't say that so black-and-whitely if I weren't 200% sure. The sentence above, "I first heard the term....on one of the forums" says it all. There is an entire body of misinformation which in particular American flamenco aficionados cling to as having come down from Mt. Sinai along with the ten commandments. For example, there is no such thing as fandango 'grande' and taranto is NOT a taranta with rhythm applied. I've been living in Jerez for several months in an apartment that was lent to me for the purpose of carrying out this grant research, and taking full advantage of it, getting deeply into the Jerez ambiente, making friends and attending every possible flamenco happening. For six Mondays I was invited to participate in the Ondajerez flamenco radio tertulia (a sort of a round-table discussion), and by chance, the obligatory topic for all those programs was "bulería por soleá". We were four regular speakers and always one or more cantaor, either in person or via telephone. Among the guest singers asked to define bulería por soleá and the various labels it receives, were Joaquín el Zambo, Enrique Sordera and Antonio el Platero of the Agujetas family. Each one made it clear that bulerías por soleá, soleá por bulerías, bulerías al golpe and bulerías pa’ escuchar are one and the same thing , and that all those labels are all understood. That’s representatives of the Zambos, the Sorderas and the Agujetas, the three families credited with creating, developing and preserving this form, and the age range of the three men goes from 35-ish to 84. I personally interviewed Enrique Sordera in relation to the research and he confirmed the “bulerías al golpe” label, not by words, but inadvertently by saying at one point in his recorded interview: “conocí al Gloria cuando él ya era un hombre mayor…qué bien cantaba la bulería al golpe” (I met el Gloria [a legendary singer from Jerez] when he was an old man…he sang great bulerías al golpe). Enrique then goes on to sing in a low voice, a lengthy series of what most people here would call bulería por soleá, and explains he learned those cantes from El Gloria who apparently used the same label for them. It’s extremely tempting to say “bulerías al golpe” are those “tac-tac (rest) tac-tac” bulerías, and “bulería pa’ escuchar” is bulerías cante sung at a slower speed and intended for listening, not dancing…but neither of those definitions bears any similarity to the term as used in Andalucía by flamenco singers and guitarists over the last hundred or so years. It’s easier to assimilate the odd labeling if you hear what Joaquín Zambo had to say the night he joined the tertulia, as explained to him by elders who were eye-witness to the process. He said these cantes came into being around the turn of the century in the taverns of downtown Jerez. At that time the system of wealthy señoritos contracting artists for fiestas was just coming of age and was an important source of income for the gitano barrios of Jerez….sherry wealth finally was trickling down to the impoverished individuals who worked the vineyards. After a long night’s juerga when singers would gather for a “night-cap” in downtown Jerez, they liked to sing this rather subdued (in comparison to bulerías) and free-style form. Zambo in particular emphasized the freedom of the form which, like bulerías, absorbs other cantes, and has a do-it-yourself compás that highlights and relies on the importance of the 6-beat unit, as opposed to the neat format of soleá. It was a cante never accompanied by guitar or palmas, only knuckles on wooden tables…hence, the “golpe”. The label “bulería pa’ escuchar” harks back to the same scenario, since dance was not a part of those hung-over morning-after gatherings that helped the artists wind down. Excuse the long message…the intent is to circumvent the lengthy process of “so-and-so told me…”, then the confusing replies and people getting hot under the collar. I know from experience that the labeling of these cantes is one of those powder kegs no one wants to ignite. Estela ‘Zata’
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