Mark2 -> RE: A new flamenco guitar vs used flamenco guitar (Feb. 8 2023 21:53:15)
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I saw Carlos perform, and am aware of his history of playing for dance-he was one of the top guys in his time. He did do all the things you mentioned, and all of those things were part of the presentation of some of the top flamenco guitarists of the time. I was introduced to flamenco by a record called "Giants of Flamenco" which featured Carlos and Sabicas. I bought the vinyl in the 70's. Sabicas played a rondena that started with the sound of an orchestra, then after it faded, you hear the sound of a rooster crowing, then Sabicas plays a rondena chord. The rooster was very flamenco.......It was the first flamenco piece I transcribed, and even today I still love the tune. quote:
ORIGINAL: BarkellWH quote:
A lot of soloists from that era did that little bit of showmanship, my teacher Mariano Cordoba included. Also the endless ligados while holding up the right hand so everyone could see you were "PLAYING ONE HANDED!!!" Whatever one may think of Carlos Montoya, he was a great showman from that era. He introduced a lot of us to the solo flamenco guitar. I first attended a performance in Phoenix, Arizona in 1960. He performed the "endless ligado" one-handed as described by Mark 2. He also performed a "Saeta" by crossing the fifth string over the sixth, holding them in that position with the left hand, and with his right hand performing a modified rasgueo that had the tempo of a snare drum. Along with the harmonics on the trebles, it was a pretty good approximation of the music accompanying the Easter procession in Seville. His extended tremolos were mesmerizing as well. The thing about Montoya is he could actually play flamenco well and in compas, and in his early years played for some fine dancers such as La Argentinita, but he chose to throw out the rules for the effect his playing had on the (then) relatively unsophisticated audience (including me) during his solo performances. Another showman was Manitas de Plata. Manitas knew how to play an audience for sure. My good friend Paco de Malaga once told me that when Manitas was performing, he would begin by sitting still, guitar poised, and silently looking at a point at the back of the auditorium. He would then suddenly begin playing with violent passion, as if his muse had just inspired him. It was all hokey, of course, but the audience thought they were witnessing the "primitive," inspired gypsy they imagined a flamenco guitarist to be. I actually kind of liked Manitas. I am just speculating here, but I imagine he did not take his charisma and showmanship too seriously, and he probably knew he was not a first-rate flamenco guitarist. But he has a certain appeal that some con-men have when they good-naturedly know that you can see through them. At least I would like to think of him in that way. Manitas died on 5 November 2014, and his obituary in the Washington Post quoted Brigitte Bardot, in an interview with Agence France Presse, as saying, "Manitas carried with him all the joie de vivre and carefree attitude of my youth.” Not a bad way to be remembered by such as la Bardot. Bill
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