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Jon Boyes -> My first show with a dancer (Apr. 7 2005 11:24:51)
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Well folks, last night saw my first gig accompanying baile. 'La Tascas' the UK restaurant/tapas bar chain booked us to do two shows in April to 'test the water'.
I was so nervous about this that I haven't mentioned it on the foro. I can't remember the last time I felt so terrified about a gig - probably when I started working as a soloist a few years ago. All this has had happened much earlier than I'd ever expected, chugging out a few chords in dance class is one thing, but a whole performance? Yikes! To make things even more hair-raising, Mercedes (the dancer) was in Spain over Easter and we only had one rehearsal to put together the whole two hour show. Madness.
Anyway, I arrive at the venue expecting it to be half empty (its a Wednesday night) and its full! Whats more, most of the staff are Spanish (gulp - I hope they are not real afficionados, I will be eaten alive...). The bar manager sees my guitar case and comes over, chattering away in Spanish with a big grin on his face. I mumble that I don't speak Spanish and he is obviously suprised: 'Oh, I thought you were Spanish...'. More nerves - does this mean he thought I looked Spanish, or that he was expecting a Spaniard and now that I'm not, have I been written off already??
It takes me much longer than usual to set up my gear, as people keep interrupting me, then Mercedes arrives and she wants to chat too....
On with the show. We did three sets, with two short intervals. The material was a mixture of stuff - me solo guitar (or me with pre-recorded backing), Mercedes dancing to pre-recorded off-the-shelf material (eg Solo compas) with me doing percussion on the guitar and/or playing along, plus of course just me accompanying her. The idea is that in the long term we can use less pre-recorded material, although we will not ditch it completely as we don't have a singer and it works SO much better with the cante.
I kick off the show with three numbers by myself, two of my own plus Inspiration by the Gipsy Kings. Thing get off to a great start and there is plenty of clapping and cheering (phew). Mercedes makes her big entrance walking the length of restaurant amidst lots of 'oohs' and 'ahhs', and we launch into a Sevillanas.
The bar guys are great, clapping along to the music, jaleo etc. Really helps build the atmosphere. In the break, the bar manager comes over to me with a big grin shouting "Mariachi! Mariachi!"
Wait a minute, this isn't Mexican material...
I realise that he is making a reference to the Desperado movie, and as I'm kitted out all in black and probably over 6ft in my boots I am reminding him of Antonio Banderas. That's cool, its one of my favourite movies anyhow.
Mixing the sound gives me all sorts of problems, but nobody seems to notice or worry too much.
My favourite bits were probably Entre Dos Aguas (the first time I've played it with a dancer - wow!), a Sevillanas where one of the audience got up and joined in (one of Mercedes' advanced students) and the Farruca although my tremolo falseta sounds a bit weird played at baile speed (ie a lot slower). We also did this fun thing where she starts footwork very slowly, slowly adding palmas and contras and bulding to a fast bulerias rhythm. I try and keep up on the guitar [:D] - percussion, not chords, and it sounds great. I discovered you can get a great cajon-type thing going on a plugged in guitar by beating on the strings near the bridge (boom) and slapping on the strings on the neck in a syncopted groove. I must record this and upload it, I think it sounds really cool.
Well there you go. My first flamenco show over. We pick up our fee, say our farewells and the Spanish bar guys are all grinning madly, coming over and kissing Mercedes and warmly shaking my hand. The bar manager is still wondering around laughing, shouting out "Mariachi!". One of them chatters to Mercedes, gesturing over to me. I can't hear, but she laughs and says "Yes I think Jon is half Spanish."
Now I realise what I did was actual very basic in flamenco terms, and I would never cut it at a real juerga, but hey - I couldn't wish for a better compliment.
We are doing it again in a few weeks and the manager was impressed, so who knows...
Now I need a suitable stagename. Where's that thread on appropriate vegetables?
..and is my earring big enough? So much to worry about, LOL.
Jon
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