New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist Interviews In English

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AljibeDeMadera

Posts: 11
Joined: Jan. 31 2015

New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist Inter...

Hi Everyone,

I thought some people might be interested in a new book of interviews with modern and contemporary flamenco guitarists that has just been published in English. It is 300 pages and includes interviews with Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlúcar, Serranito, Gerardo Núñez, Tomatito, Enrique de Melchor, among many others. It is published by Oscar Herrero Ediciones and has been available previously in Spanish as "Contra las cuerdas." Pablo San Nicasio, a flamenco journalist and guitarist, performed all of the interviews except one (a previously unpublished interview with Paco de Lucía from 1971). It's an amazing book, definitely worth a read.

You can get it here: http://www.oscarherreropublisher.es/publisher/books-ed/strings-attached-1/

If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask—I translated it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 14 2015 16:14:08

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1889
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to AljibeDeMadera)

thanks! looks very interesting, ordered a copy :)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 14 2015 17:29:23

DavRom

Posts: 310
Joined: Jul. 16 2015
From: De camino a Sevilla

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to AljibeDeMadera)

i went to purchase it from the U.S. thru paypal and the €22 book price turned into $56.37

€26 shipping is more than the book itself. too bad

put it on Amazon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 14 2015 23:27:41

xirdneH_imiJ

Posts: 1889
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to DavRom)

18 within europe...steep, but i want to have this book :)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 15 2015 9:22:10

El Frijolito

Posts: 131
Joined: Feb. 27 2016

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to AljibeDeMadera)

Are you involved with the sequel as well?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 27 2016 23:54:44

AljibeDeMadera

Posts: 11
Joined: Jan. 31 2015

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to El Frijolito)

They haven't decided to have the sequel translated as of yet—I believe they have to see if the first volume sells well enough to make it worth translating the second volume. I mean, obviously it is worth translating, but these things take a lot of time and money to do so the publisher needs to know they can at least cover costs.

By the way, if anyone knows a store that might be interested in helping widen the book's distribution, please do get in touch so we can continue to diffuse flamenco to English audiences!

(Side note: I saw Vicente Amigo at Carnegie Hall last night—absolutely incredible. Funny that I wasn't able to see him when I lived in Spain but was able to see him here. Spain has a problem with flamenco's lack of popularity among the general population as well.)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 5 2016 16:54:05

Ricardo

Posts: 14797
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to AljibeDeMadera)

I got the iBook and read it the other day. Very good interviews. Most of them come from the excellent magazine Acordes del Flamenco. I grew up on guitar magazines as a kid, these are simply the perfect thing for guitar nerds like me with great photos interviews transcriptions and lessons. I was able to pick up several back copies when I was in Spain last. I really wish I had a subscription years ago. Anyway, the only problem for some people would be that it's in Spanish.

Back to the book, there was a general depressing attitude about the general problem with flamenco guitar being marginalized in Spain. Although there are a couple of positive interviews from Enrique del Melchor and Manolo Franco...generally the second half of the book. But looking at the two Gerardo interviews we see how quickly things have changed for the worse. (His first article is very positive and bright, the second rather depressing to hear the state of things).

I want to point out my favorite quote from the book was from Tomatito discussing his last album (Soy Flamenco) that people say he is the compas master por buleria, but playing with a click was very challenging, and the slow buleria turned out to be the most difficult one for him. Further he uses the precise metronome markings (130bpm being his normal fast speed buleria and 110bpm being the slow one for him), which tells me two things. 1. He is very aware about precise tempos of his pieces, and 2. He feels the buleria quarter note as the beat (the half note as normally notated in transcriptions that make buleria look the same as Solea compas, or 12,2,4,6,8,10 etc) rather than the dotted quarter, which is super important for relating the compas to both students and musicians from other disciplines that want to understand the music.

Anyway, the translations were excellent. Cheers.

Ricardo

_____________________________

CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 5 2016 17:14:26

frhout

Posts: 453
Joined: Apr. 28 2005
From: France

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to xirdneH_imiJ)

It is probable that they send by Chronopost, one of the most expensive ways to send something not weighing a lot and not having too much value.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 6 2016 11:32:53

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

there was a general depressing attitude about the general problem with flamenco guitar being marginalized in Spain.
....we see how quickly things have changed for the worse. (His first article is very positive and bright, the second rather depressing to hear the state of things).

Not to hijack this thread but its not just flamenco in Spain that is being marginalised. Music in general is harder to see live in Spain today.
The Junta have decided for some random reason that live music is now a crime except in establishments with 100 per cent sound proofing
and music licence. In Nerja a denuncia (a criminal charge) was recently put on ALL establishments including restaurants and the flamenco tablao to
make live music a crime payable with a fine of up to 3000 euros. Consequently only 2 venues in town have live music now.
It used to be the case that anywhere could have live music up to 12.00 midnight and you only needed a licence for large groups, certainly not a guitarist
or singer in a bar. A bar can be fined now even if a customer starts singing!!!
This is a crazy state of affairs that is Killing all musical culture in Spain and especially flamenco which often arises spontaneously in bars late at night.
As things stand today I could steal a car and get less punishment than playing flamenco guitar without a licence.....

_____________________________

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 6 2016 11:59:01

Piwin

Posts: 3559
Joined: Feb. 9 2016

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to Pimientito)

quote:

The Junta have decided for some random reason that live music is now a crime except in establishments with 100 per cent sound proofing and music licence.

The people I met in Granada Capital often pointed to gentrification and the massive arrival of relatively affluent foreigners as the culprit of this. The idea being that the people now buying property in the South want the beautiful location without any of the noise. Since these are the people that are bringing in the money, the Junta is willing to do anything to please them. I don't know to what extent this factors in nor if it is the case everywhere, but it seemed like a plausible explanation. It's a really sad state of affairs in any event.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 6 2016 12:57:31

Ricardo

Posts: 14797
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: New Book Of Flamenco Guitarist I... (in reply to Pimientito)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pimientito

quote:

there was a general depressing attitude about the general problem with flamenco guitar being marginalized in Spain.
....we see how quickly things have changed for the worse. (His first article is very positive and bright, the second rather depressing to hear the state of things).

Not to hijack this thread but its not just flamenco in Spain that is being marginalised. Music in general is harder to see live in Spain today.
The Junta have decided for some random reason that live music is now a crime except in establishments with 100 per cent sound proofing
and music licence. In Nerja a denuncia (a criminal charge) was recently put on ALL establishments including restaurants and the flamenco tablao to
make live music a crime payable with a fine of up to 3000 euros. Consequently only 2 venues in town have live music now.
It used to be the case that anywhere could have live music up to 12.00 midnight and you only needed a licence for large groups, certainly not a guitarist
or singer in a bar. A bar can be fined now even if a customer starts singing!!!
This is a crazy state of affairs that is Killing all musical culture in Spain and especially flamenco which often arises spontaneously in bars late at night.
As things stand today I could steal a car and get less punishment than playing flamenco guitar without a licence.....

Jeez it's becoming like America !

Seriously, that sucks. The bars I play in here all have licenses, and new places opening up with potential simply seem too lazy to want to go through the trouble of getting all that together if they already have some decent amount of customers. Other venues simply don't want to pay artists very much. Yet food and drink prices keep going up, customer turn out going down. In general. Where I play I am lucky we are packed, and one place lets us do juergas after hours, by closing the doors of course, but it is simply because of the relationship we have with the GM. No wonder Spanish musicians want to work outside. And all this after they declare that flamenco brings in a lot of tourism. Stupid.

_____________________________

CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 6 2016 15:57:46