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Norman Paul Kliman -> RE: I have difficult with accompanying Bulerias (Sep. 6 2024 17:14:28)
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In addition to the solid corpus of soleás and bulerías por soleá that are sung por bulerías, there’s a nucleus of cantes festeros that seem to come from Cádiz and, to a lesser extent, from Jerez. They’re generally in the major-key “fiesta” style (A and E, going to D for the resolution, for example). Everyone has heard them sung by the Zambos, Macanita and others, although I think they’re more closely related to dancing. The kind of dancing where an old woman jumps up with a gleam in her eye, hikes up her skirt and ends up waggling her big old butt, much to the delight of locals and the consternation of foreigners. Good, clean fun that makes any outsider reassess his/her ideas of aesthetics.
The best artists in these cantes festeros are inevitably from Cádiz and outlying towns, including Jerez. When you get to Seville, they’re more likely to sing cuplé. Camarón and Rancapino are good, modern examples of Cádiz-bay exponents. A little further back in time: la Perla, Alfonso de Gaspar and even Aurelio Sellés, all from Cádiz, and, in nearby towns, Orillito in Chiclana, and María Vargas, la Sallago and others in Sanlúcar.
Looking inland, Jerez deserves special mention in this category, as tío Mingo Rubichi (father of singer Diego and grandfather of guitarist Domingo) is credited with creating several important cantes in this style that are still sung today. Manuel Morao, in his ghost-written autobiography, acknowledged the importance of tío Mingo, which says a lot. They say that tío Mingo (which is short for Domingo) had an exceptionally strong voice that could be heard several blocks away. He’s known to be the author of a good number of these cantes festeros, although his grandson Domingo says it’s hard to say if other, classic ones were his grandfather’s or if they came from Cádiz. Agujetas Viejo was tío Mingo’s brother and José el Chalao was his step-brother (this trio is the fountainhead of the Agujetas, Rubichi and Chalao clans). Agujetas viejo and his son Manuel recorded some of tío Mingo’s cantes, as did Garbanzo de Jerez (brother of Alfonso Carpio, who’s at the head of the Mijita clan). The aforementioned families, the Moneos, Negro del Puerto and the Chaqueta clan have common ancestors.
Further inland, Seville also deserves special mention: Pastora Pavón “Niña de los Peines” was among the all-time best singers of bulerías, as was Manuel Vallejo (grudgingly acknowledged by Mairena in Mundo y Formas), although they sang fewer of these cantes festeros and tended more toward straight bulerías and cuplés. Some of those cuplés are truly great: “Todo el mundo nos separa” (Bernarda de Utrera), “Cuando se entere el sultán” (Fernanda de Utrera) “Tres puñales” (Gaspar de Utrera), “Te doy más que me pides” (a very long one, like a romance, written by Enrique Montoya and recorded by Perrate de Utrera, Camarón and others), etc. However, as cuplés, they’re relegated to second-class status by gypsy singers in Jerez and maybe in Cádiz, too.
So, let’s identify some of these cantes festeros that are so closely associated with the province of Cádiz. I’ve put in parentheses the names of some of the artists who’ve recorded each example in audio and/or online video. The ones associated with Jerez are at the end. Notice that some of the letras have six-syllable verses.
The most popular, by a country (or nautical) mile, is this one:
(la Paquera, Terremoto, Macanita, los Zambo and many more artists)
Mi amante es pajarero
me trajo un loro
con las alas doradas
y el pico de oro
That same cante is sung with other letras, sometimes with small variations:
(el Gloria, los Zambo and others)
Dormía un jardinero
a pierna suelta
dormía y se dejaba
vaya que sí
la puerta abierta
hasta que un día
le robaron la rosa
que más quería
(el Gloria, los Zambo and others)
Al atravesar un barranco
dijo un negro con afán:
Dios mío quién fuera blanco
aunque fuera catalán
(Terremoto, los Zambo and others)
Esta noche me mudo
me llevo un chisme
la caldera me llevo
aunque me tizne
Another of these cantes festeros, one of my favorites, is this one attributed to Rancapino’s grandmother la Obispa. It ends with a reference to Fernando Poo (pronounced “POH-oh”), the former name of Bioko, an island off the coast of Africa. In very old newspapers, they used to publish the timetables of departing ships under a large heading that read: “Para Fernando Poo.”
(la Perla, her husband Curro la Gamba, Rancapino, María Vargas and others)
Páseme usted el Estrecho
que lo mando yo
en una barquillita
para Fernado Poo
Another one. The letra is really weird. Fernando de la Morena’s “cartapausia” may have originally been “cataplexia” or some other medical condition. I’ve heard at least one other version, sung by a woman I think, but I’m not sure who.
(Fernando de la Morena, Camarón with another letra, and other artists)
Tú eres negra y cartapausia
también quieres un quitasol
tú dices que no venías
porque no tienes dolor
Now, on to two of the many cantes that are associated with Jerez and tío Mingo Rubichi.
This one is also sung with a delightfully weird letra. It tells the story of trespassers or maybe thieves in a pear orchard being caught by the owner who is alerted to their presence because they’re noisily cracking open walnuts and eating them. I think the following examples are all the same cante, although each has distinctive details. If someone wants to provide links, maybe we'll see they're not all the same.
(Agujetas viejo, el Garbanzo de Jerez, los Moneo)
Al ruido de las nueces
vino el tío del peral
después que me quitó las nueces
encima me quiso pegar
(Manuel Agujetas recorded this variation with the “yay que yay”)
Y al ruido de las nueces
salió el tío del peral
con el yay que yay
con el yay que ya
encima quitarme las peras
encima me quiso pegar
con el yay que yay
con el yay que yay
con el yay que ya
(el Garbanzo de Jerez often sang the same cante with this letra)
Este borreguito
dime niña quién te lo dio
no me lo ha dadito nadie
dinerito me costó
para que vaya andando
para que vaya lo voy a endiñar
El Garbanzo also recorded the same cante with this letra. I know the words in the last line of verse only because I overheard someone ask Domingo Rubichi to decipher them. In el Garbanzo's version, it sounds like he sings “del colmenar” instead of "de gobernar." Although the latter is a better fit as a reference to politicians and civil servants, it appears that the jury’s still out on that one. “Cuellos tiesos” are those old-fashioned detachable collars. This version of the letra was recorded by Manuel Agujetas with Manolo Sanlúcar.
Por eso y por eso
la gente de gobernar prima
gastaba los cuellos tiesos
gastan los cuellos tan tiesos
gastan los
gastan los cuellos tiesos
gastan los...
El Garbanzo also sang the same cante with a letra that starts with “Realito.” I don’t understand the rest. The Moneos recorded it, too.
Another of these cantes festeros attributed to tío Mingo is this one, which many, many artists have recorded. It’s kept short and is used like a juguetillo to connect cantes or to conclude a series of them.
(el Garbanzo de Jerez)
Ahí viene el Pepe
con el carbón
carbón de caña
lo vendo yo
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