NormanKliman -> RE: Solea - Rubato vs. Out of compas (Apr. 12 2011 11:54:06)
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quote:
Mairena is gone so we can't ever know. It's Manuel Mairena in the video, not his brothers Antonio or Curro Mairena, who died decades ago. About three weeks ago, Manuel was still alive but in poor health, as I mentioned. quote:
Now one thing I will disagree with Norman (for once) about. Regarding Oliver de Triana. My only reference is Rito y Geo again. To me he was not viewed as a "master" pro singer of Triana solea. On the contrary he was portrayed as a simple pot maker, and as an old timer and amature singer, was the only living representative of the long dead Triana tradition of cante. So, like Chozas, Joaquin's son, M. Torre's Tone deaf son, etc, was another example of amature pure cante that we are lucky to have captured on tape of long dead singing styles. Not exemplary professionals. From the way you describe him it sounds like we agree, although maybe we interpret the word "maestro" (not "master") in different ways. I didn't use the word "professional" in my post, but toward the end of his life Manuel Oliver was singing at all the festivals, making recordings and being interviewed. He's still considered by some to be a point of reference for obscure styles of soleá de Triana. I have to insist that his compás was awful, with added or missing units of two, three or four beats. It's an acceptable thing in some of the styles of soleá from Triana ("del Zurraque") and Córdoba, and there are obviously aficionados who don't mind it, but anybody with just a bit of solid afición knows that it's a fraud because it makes and breaks the cycles of the compás wherever it's convenient. Things develop over time and trends come and go, but soleá is not cante libre. An essential part of its beauty is the way that the compás fits the lines of verse and, in turn, the way the syllables are delivered within the three-beat units. You take that away and it's a cante libre that sounds a little bit like soleá. Strict adherence to compás doesn't have to sound stiff and rigid, unless of course the singer or guitarist feels that way inside because he's uncomfortable with that approach (more on this below). Anyway, the point I wanted to make is this: When people get together to sing it's so that they can have a good time. If a singer is going to be uncomfortable with rhythmically merciless accompaniment, sometimes it's a good idea to make allowances for erratic compás, just to keep the party rolling. But many singers, even some of the bad ones, can do amazing things when the guitar (or palmas) projects a strong and steady compás. I've spoken to veteran aficionados about the subject in a broad sense and some feel that singers like Manuel Agujetas, Chocolate and others who aren't known for having rock-solid compás often realign cantes in mid-verse to adjust to the guitar. I'm sure you've seen singers listen closely to the guitar after finishing a line of verse, nodding their approval when the cierre falls into place right where they expected it to. There's another kind of reaction, sort of a smirk that appears on their faces when things don't line up correctly. These are the situations in which I hear good singers adjust to the guitarist. Although none of this can be proven or even demonstrated, and in spite of my vivid imagination and habitual state of drunkeness when listening to cante, my conclusion is that many singers have much stronger rhythm than we guitarists. It's to be expected, as they have nothing in their hands and a voice as an instrument. So, depending on the party, I might try to make allowances for crappy compás (my preference is not to accompany those singers, provided that it isn't going to hurt anyone's feelings), but good things can happen when you insist on sticking to a consistent compás. Of course, every situation is different. Artists experiment, they get drunk, their personalities don't always mesh, etc. More importantly, the singer has to trust the guitarist and to be honest with himself. This is where rubato can be useful as well as aesthetically pleasing because if you help him to deliver those syllables in a more coherent way within the three-beat units, he's going to be more comfortable with the "unforgiving" elements of your accompaniment. My experience is that perfect compás is the most highly valued contribution to the best parties with the best singers. All of the gitanos I've heard who know how to sing have done so with strong and steady compás.
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