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Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
Singer recommendations?
Hi there guys, anyone can recommend me any flamenco singers to listen to? I'm starting to kinda get into it, when I use to hate the sound of it. I like to listen to how to guitar falls around/complements the singing.
I've been recommended Estrella Morente, Remedios Amaya, Jose Merce, Dquenda (can't spell it), Nina Pastori, Cameron of course,
Posts: 3471
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
Two of the great classics are Antonio Mairena and La Niña de Los Peines (Pastora Pavon). Pastora was in her prime after WW I and before the Spanish Civil War. Mairena was at his most prolific in the 1950s and 1960s. Both were "encyclopedic" singers, with tremendous repertoires.
Pastora was accompanied by Manolo de Huelva, Ramon Montoya, Niñp Ricardo, Melchor de Marchena and other greats. My favorites among Mairena's recordings include accompaniment by Melchor.
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
I often find that I love a singer live but don't like the over production in their studio recordings- Thankfully there's loads of good live performance on youtube.
Of course there are the classic singers and recordings but here are some recently made albums I like (although there's often at least one track on the album with production I can't get past!)
Guadiana (toque- Jesus de Rosario) 'Cuando el Río Suena' Monste Cortes (toque -various - including Caño Roto maestros) 'Albanza' Monste Cortes (toque- Diego del Morao) 'La Rosa Blanca' Juana la del Pipa, Dolores Agujeta & Tomasa La Macanita (toque- various but mainly Moraito) 'Mujerez' La Macanita (toque Diego del Morao) 'La Luna de Tomasa' Enrique Morente 'Suena la Alhambra' (quite produced but I still like it)
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
Here are nearly all of the best:
Very old (1909-1950s) Manuel Torre Pastora Pavón Antonio Chacón
Old (1930s-1970s) Aurelio de Cádiz Juan Talega Tomás Pavón Antonio Mairena Manolo Caracol
Classic (1960s-1990s) Manuel Agujetas Tío Borrico Tía Anica La Periñaca Chocolate Fosforito Fernanda y Bernarda de Utrera Rancapino Pansequito La Paquera de Jerez La Perla de Cádiz Terremoto de Jerez Camarón de La Isla
Contemporary Canela de San Roque Manuel Moneo Juan Moneo "El Torta" Luis El Zambo José Mercé
quote:
I like to listen to how to guitar falls around/complements the singing.
I know what you mean, but it's more interesting to see how the singer makes the verse fit the compás line by line. Talega, Borrico, Periñaca and Rancapino are good examples. It's worth the effort to find the letras and follow the words as you listen.
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
quote:
ORIGINAL: HolyEvil
thanks for that list, I actually only like the more contemporary singers with modern guitarist for accompaniment , but I definitely going to "try" out some of that old stuff. what I don't like about the old singing is that most of the time the guitar is really boring and basic. i'm more of guitar affinicao anyway
btw I cant speak spanish so I have no idea what they try to say anyone else got that problem? I really feel that I miss a lot...
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
A good place to start is the 1996 Carlos Saura film called 'Flamenco' - it has performances by many of the best living artists at that time all in one place, a great sampler. DVD.
We're missing el Indio Gitano on this list: cd with Gerardo Nunez called Naci Gitano por Gracia de Dios is phenomenal.
the current crowd: Jesus Mendez (nephew of Paquera) - great cd with Gerardo Nunez David Lagos Jose Anillo (his sister Encarna is great too) Antonio Rey
Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
There are some CD sets available (well don't know if you can find it in the stores, but I've seen the downloads) called:
Antología de Cantaores Flamencos (15 CDs)
Antología del Cante Flamenco (10 CDs)
They contain pretty much all of the artists Norman mentions. Norman's list is pretty much what you should expect to see on a syllabus of cante flamenco.
Posts: 357
Joined: Dec. 5 2008
From: New Jersey USA
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to NormanKliman)
Let me put in a strong vote for: Rafael Romero, Manolita de Jerez, Rosario Lopez, Jose Menese, and Jose de la Tomasa. Jose de la tomasa is beautifully accompanied (on YouTube) by Ricardo Miño--check out his Malagueña on YT.
Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
thanks for all the replies guys. and WOW.. I just found out that Enrique Morente has Pepe Habichuela as his guitarist.. I'll definitely check out those albums.
what I don't like about the old singing is that most of the time the guitar is really boring and basic
But its in these old recordings that you learn the basics about cante, not so much in the more modern overproduced production. And remember that the guitar is supposed to accompany the singer, not the other way round.
I myself like a good combo singer/guitarist without to much extra:
Camaron/Pdl Camaron/Tomatito. Tio Borrico/ Cepero Manuel Soto Sordera/ Cepero Paquera de Jerez/ Parilla de Jerez Poveda/Chicuelo Carmen Linares /P. Habichuela
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
LMAO Doitsujin!
When I started listening to Flamenco, about a year and a half ago, I thought that I would never be able to appreciate the singing. It sounded like shouting and noise to my American/Westernized ears. However, the more I listened to it, the more I seem to have acquired a taste for it. A little at a time I feel like I am "getting" Flamenco, and it has become like a drug addiction to me. As I have said before, when I am listening to Flamenco it is almost euphoric, and when I am not listening to it I am thinking about it and wishing I was. I just finished my first semester of Spanish and every now and then I can pick out a word or two, but I certainly have no idea what they are singing, for the most part. I often muse that I can literally go a couple weeks at a time listening to music and never understanding the lyric of any of it!
FWIW, I really like El Pele, Enrique Morente, and I think that Estrella Morente's voice is like heaven! I love Vicente Amigo and I really like his CD with El Pele called "Canto". Also, despite not getting rave reviews from hardcore traditional Flamenco connoisseurs, Vicente's latest CD, Paseo de Gracia, has some great singing on it, in my opinion.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to NormanKliman)
quote:
Contemporary Canela de San Roque Manuel Moneo Juan Moneo "El Torta" Luis El Zambo José Mercé
I suppose I still am so off the right mark then, Norman, my favorite so far is Enrique Morente and perhaps closely followed by Diego El Cigala -easy bets for starters? Neither made your list
Posts: 3471
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
Second the motion for Enrique Morente and Rafael Romero "El Gallina"--and all of Norman's suggestions. Add Bernardo El de Los Lobitos, who is on one of the big anthologies.
For those unfamiliar with gypsy naming conventions, Rafael "El Gallina" is neither a grammatical error nor gender confusion. His mother was known as "La Gallina"--"The Hen". "Rafael El Gallina" is a contraction for "Rafael El de La Gallina".
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to HolyEvil)
Hi GJ, I'm glad you brought that up because my list focuses on artists who are closely associated with the area between Cádiz and Seville. Of course, it's all just music and this is just my opinion, but the reason for the bias is that I place more importance on certain cantes and the kinds of singers who excel in those cantes: tonás, siguiriyas, soleás, bulerías por soleá, bulerías, cantiñas, and probably a few more. What's left are the fandango-based cantes (fandangos, malagueñas, granaínas, cantes mineros and cantes abandolaos), the "ida y vuelta" cantes (guajiras, milonga, vidalita, rumba), and others (garrotín, farruca, etc.) Of course, it wouldn't be flamenco without all the different cantes, but I think the first group I mentioned is a little closer to the core than the others.
The "contemporary" category of my list has little to do with contemporary flamenco, other than the fact that the artists I named are still singing the same old cantes.
Of the artists mentioned so far, the only ones I might include on the list are Rafael Romero and Manuel Sordera.
A better approach would be to list the best artists in each style of cante.
Posts: 357
Joined: Dec. 5 2008
From: New Jersey USA
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to NormanKliman)
Maybe I'm just getting older (more mature?? Probably not!!), but I find I'm enjoying Cante Andaluz more and more. After the Sturm und Drang of Terremoto, Agujetas and company, the relative calm and precision (and vocal control) of a well-sung Malagueña, Cartagenera or Taranta by a master such as Niño de Almadén or José de la Tomasa can be a welcome contrast. Cante Gitano is often an emotional bath, a thrilling, chilling bath, and after a long one, it's nice to come out into the garden in the late afternoon and enjoy the gathering twilight. Cante Andaluz excites another part of the brain entirely.
RE: Singer recommendations? (in reply to gj Michelob)
Hi GJ,
quote:
Which one would you recommend as a contemporary artist excelling in “solea”?
All of the artists I mentioned (all categories) excel in all of the styles of the first group of cantes that I described, the only exception being cantiñas. For example, José Mercé and El Torta sing great alegrías but artists from Cádiz are "longer and deeper" in those cantes.
quote:
Also, if I may… are you a music critic, historian, biographer?
Freelance translator, full-time aficionado and part-time drunk.