Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva, Tom Blackshear and Sean O'Brien who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
Posts: 833
Joined: Oct. 29 2006
From: Olympia, WA in the Great Pacific Northwest
Paco Toronjo's Siguiriyas/Fandangos ...
Paco Toronjo frequently did this thing where he’ll do a siguiriyas intro to his fandangos. I haven’t heard all of these recently enough to be absolutely certain, but I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t actually sing any siguiriyas letras. He just does a temple and then jumps right to a fandangos copla. The guitar accompanies por siguiriya in the intro and then follows him as soon as he switches to fandangos. It’s a cool effect. The transition manages to be seamless and surprising at the same time, and it creates an interesting melodic contrast.
I listened to Los Ulitmos Fandangos on my walk to work this morning and he does this siguiriyas intro on several of the tracks. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, but I think they do this intro thing on almost all the tracks on his record with Tomatito. So, he does it a lot, and it seems to be his “thing”, so to speak. It may be that I haven’t been attentive enough to notice in the past, but I can’t think of anyone else doing it.
So, anyone know what the deal is here? Is there any specific reasoning behind it, or is it just a little personal thing that he did simply because he liked doing it? Or was he just so drunk that he’d forget he was supposed to be singing siguiriyas and would slip back to fandangos all the time. Or do other people do this as well and I just haven’t noticed?
Posts: 833
Joined: Oct. 29 2006
From: Olympia, WA in the Great Pacific Northwest
RE: Paco Toronjo's Siguiriyas/Fandan... (in reply to srshea)
Alright, before all the bullfighting and Paco composition threads get everybody in a lather and get this place shut down, does anyone have any thoughts on this? I don’t think they know much about fandangos on the death metal forum…….
RE: Paco Toronjo's Siguiriyas/Fandan... (in reply to srshea)
Hi Adam,
I haven't listented much to Paco Toronjo, precisely because of those fake siguiriyas, so I don't want to say too much about him, but I get the idea that he did what he could.
You've probably heard some of those "medleys" from the Opera Flamenca period that combine several styles (tientos-malagueñas-poetry-bulería, for example). Pepe Marchena and Pepe Pinto recorded a lot of things like that, and both were talented and knowledgeable singers. Although Paco was 25 years younger than them, I think some singers of his generation might have been influenced by that trend.
So, without having listened much, I'd say that it might have been a way for him to broaden his repertoire.
Posts: 833
Joined: Oct. 29 2006
From: Olympia, WA in the Great Pacific Northwest
RE: Paco Toronjo's Siguiriyas/Fandan... (in reply to NormanKliman)
Thanks, Norman.
Yeah, Toronjo’s repertoire is anything but broad. Haven’t heard it all, of course, but I’ve got five or six records and they’re all fandangos, all the time. Those weird siguiriyas intros are the only exception, so far as I know. It’s a bit of a gimmick and it starts to get old after a while, but I like the effect and the contrast of melody and mood that it creates.