Richard Jernigan -> RE: your entrance into flamenco (Sep. 1 2011 20:11:57)
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1953 or 1954, heard Segovia on WGMS, the Washington, DC classical music station. Went to Rey de la Torre concert. I was a kid trumpet player at the time. 1957 at University of Texas met some students of Ed Freeman, the Englishman who taught real flamenco guitar in Dallas, Texas. 1957 schedule conflicts ruled out playing trumpet in University Symphony and Symphonic Band. Went to Paracho, bought a guitar and tried to take up classical. No decent teachers in Austin. How times have changed! Visited Freeman in Dallas. Decided he really knew what he was doing, but that we wouldn't get along. Ed was a really great guy, but very much "my way or the highway." I've never been any good at taking orders. Found accurate Mario Escudero transcriptions and worked on them with tips from my friends among Freeman's students. 1961 got drafted into U.S. Army. Had my parents ship me my guitar after Basic Training. While stationed in Maryland for a few months, went to New York on weekends, saw quite a few flamencos at Fidel Zabal's Club Zambra. Got to see Sabicas in after hours juergas, met him and talked a little. Really a wonderful guy. 1967 my new wife gave me a Ramirez 1a blanca. Started really learning how to play. Over the next few years learned all the published Escudero stuff, a few Sabicas pieces, some Niño Ricardo, Carlos Ramos, Ramon Montoya, Luis Maravilla, etc. Some transcriptions, some copped off LP records. 19?? Heard Paco's set with Fosforito, really liked it. Took a little longer to get into Paco's solo stuff. Maybe 1975, started listening to a lot more cante than solo guitar. 1975-1987 Over a period of years bought maybe two dozen Ramirez 1a classicals from Jose III at the shop in Madrid, sold them in the USA at a profit. Paid for my trips to Spain. 198? Bought a student model Bernabe classical from the shop on Arcos de Cuchilleros in Madrid. 1987 moved to Santa Barbara, California. Found a decent classical teacher. 1991 Bought a spruce/Brazilian Contreras doble tapa from Manuel Senior in Madrid. Moved to Kwajalein. Worked on classical a couple of hours a day. Played flamenco a couple of times a week when I got bored. Listened to all kinds of music: classical--all instruments and ensembles, jazz, rock, Mexican, Balinese and Javanese gamelan, flamenco mostly cante, etc. etc. etc. 2000 You can save a lot of money working at Kwajalein. Investments went pretty well, too. When I moved there in 1991 I was broke from a divorce and putting kids through college. Nine years later I bought an '82 Arcangel Fernandez blanca, absolutely, perfectly mint condition. Knocked my socks off! Wow! Also bought a '73 spruce/Indian Romanillos. Also Wow! Spent about half time on flamenco, half on classical. I've loved classical and a wide range of other musics since I was a young kid, played an instrument since I was little. Organized, wrote and arranged for a band when I was in high school. But it's flamenco that brings out the soul of the guitar. And so on... RNJ
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