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Ricardo -> RE: New Vicente Amigo album (Feb. 29 2024 13:52:31)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: metalhead
Exactly at that. Albeit I said in a more extreme way. Their music feels extremely commercial now, exactly at that. I fail to find the proper words and unfortunately offend people
It is ok to call it like you see it. But with these opinions, beyond just saying “don’t like it”, you end up revealing what you understand (or not) about what is going on. Flamenco is an OLD traditional art form, and you don’t just get to waltz in like Edward Van Halen and do whatever the hell you want, and pretend you are an innovator. In Rock or whatever, you are required to do that…other wise one similar riff, or you start tapping and you are a Van Halen wanna be, one fast scale or arpegio and you are “Yngwie’s clone”. Then let’s say you create something unique…well your next offering better be more new stuff or you are written off as losing the direction or not saying anything new, as if it is a bad thing. Yngwie had 3 albums and then 30 that recreate those over and over. At this point it should be commended that he did not “sell out” or change his formula, it is simply “his style”.
So in flamenco, there are huge constraints on what you can do. Paco carefully showed the way (and his contemporaries), but these guys are a unique case in the history of the genre. Many liked Paco to a certain point then “this is no longer flamenco” somehow. This thing Paco did is NOT a requirement of the genre. Old to modern players, one or two albums show a personal approach to all the palos of the tradition is MORE than enough. You set your thing in stone and it is Ok to forever repeat that. What is left is more of the same, because this is a living tradition of music expression. People complain about Vicente making new albums that are the same…this is freaking NORMAL. You don’t reinvent yourself in a TRADITIONAL art form.
When you hear a “wanna be” in flamenco, much of what you are hearing is not literally that, but rather, an artist expressing what NEEDS to be expressed to stay on track. Like when I criticized some new guys that refuse to rematar their falsetas…yes it was “unique” but now they are off the track with this thing IMO. Or when young artists hear an old guitarist doing the traditional arpegio and “he is a dinosaur”, that is hugely disrespectful and lacks a deeper appreciation. YES things have evolved, but there needs to be focus and discipline. Paco trashed so many new ideas deliberately because he knew intuitively he was going off the rails. Vicente came along and changed things in a major way for tocaors, and this thing needs to be contextualize and respected. Not liking that he rehashed some falsetas or whatever, to me is petty, and misses the bigger picture. He, like Diego del gastor or Melchor de Marchena have their place…and now Dani de moron. I don’t LIKE what he is doing now, but I absolutely RESPECT what he is doing that is different and relevant. I also don’t need to purchase every new Vicente Album, I get it, he was great, and that is his style. Same with Antonio Rey. But sadly for him, he entered the scene at a time music industry has changed drastically. Unlike if he appeared in the 80s or 90s, he can’t make a living from this unless he sells guitars etc. He has no choice but to go commercial routes otherwise get a day job. It sucks for him cuz, IMO, he was carrying the torch for a brief moment.
And Antonio had that bolero that is a Paco/Mclaughlin rip off. Perhaps he should have credited that track, but still, it is NORMAL to do that in this genre. That is how it stays a TRADITIONAL music.
Moraito is a Paco “wannabe” as much as he is carrying his family style (Morao de Jerez). Yes it his own “style” to play it slow and groovy, but it is the same note for note material that Paco created. Ben is of course a “wannabe” who happened to get lucky with a niche that blends two styles where in NEITHER genre (playing 90% covers) he would have been an important artist but it is the simple fact he BLENDS them, he is a force to be reckoned with – simply cuz nobody did it before. Paco Peña? Note for note N. Ricardo and Sabicas, and not as good. But his own way sure. PDL started out as a N. Ricardo clone until he met Sabicas (probably jealous cuz when he plays N. Ricardo he didn’t do it as precisely as this Paco kid LOL), and only THEN becomes his own artist. So sure, it is ok to not like someone, but there is distinction to be made about following in the footsteps of the maestros.
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