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Thomas Whiteley -> RE: Guitarrist's sound (Oct. 15 2005 18:16:41)
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quote:
So here are my questions;
1) Has anyone heard the cd, and have felt the same?
2) could it be a case of the recording and not really the player?
3) Was his style more geared towards dancers/players and lost as a solo?
4) Is it possible to have such ability and yet not be able to express it?
I have the CD you mention plus many others as well as LP’s of Carlos Montoya.
Carlos was one of the best accompanists for singers and dancers. Just one person he accompanied was Carmen Amaya, and I have tapes I made of those events. I also have tapes of Carlos playing for many other singers and dancers and he was electrifying and at the same time never got in the way of the principal performer.
The story goes that Carlos lived in his famous uncle Ramon’s house, and Ramon refused to give Carlos any lessons or advice about flamenco. Carlos learned on his own and made a name for himself in Spain. He married an American who convinced Carlos to begin a career as a Concert Flamenco Guitarist, and he was the first to do so. So we owe something to Carlos regardless of how his solo playing may be compared to others.
We called Carlos, “the carpenter” (el carpintero), because of his style, and we refereed to Sabicas as, “the angel”, two very different styles. I knew Carlos and Sabicas and talked to them many times and received a great deal of advice and encouragement from both.
Carlos was a very humble person whom I consider a good friend and very talented.
As for how any performer approaches playing music is up to them. Some people can convey great emotion through their playing and others cannot. Flamenco happens to be a very emotional music form and you can either respect that or not.
I find that the vast majority of new flamenco guitarists think that flamenco is only about guitar and have no concept of compas, accent or feeling. Solo flamenco guitar is a music form that is enjoyed by many who know little or nothing about flamenco. It is as if some people have taken the preference from music which they grew up with from rock and roll and applied it to “flamenco”.
Over amplified music that includes fast picados and has no feeling is not my cup of tea. The term “licks” annoys me when applied to flamenco but it is commonly used by some all too often. Yet, others love flamenco in this form, so what can I say?
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