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We’re going to Seville in the first week of April. Is there anything happening that we should take care not to miss?
I’ve been there maybe 6 times before. I know where the tablaos are. What I’m after is that bit of local knowledge about one-off events. The capo-carving convention run by septuagenarians who don’t do the internet and who advertise their event by putting up posters in the bars they drink in where everybody already knows about it. That kind of thing.
Look up the peñas flamencas and ask in advance when's the next gathering of aficionados or show. Or just stroll by friday-saturday at 22-23 in the evening.
I am also interested in the recommendations for sevilla, but it seems like it's becoming a bit like granada, just shows, which are often for tourists. Flamenco puro is hard to find and I would like to discover more.
The Peña Torres Macarena turned out to be a great tip.
We were there Sunday to Thursday, so alas hanging about on a weekend night wasn’t an option.
Monday, we went to Luis Postigo’s Casa de la Guitarra. Excellent stuff, focussed on the music. A dancer did her thing in two numbers and she was good, and the show started with a couple of guitar solo pieces, but otherwise it was all about the cante. He was top notch, quite mellifluous, no hint of Cameronismo.
Tuesday, we thought we’d try somewhere we’ve never been so we went to a new tablao, the Alvarez-Quintero. http://tablaoalvarezquintero.com We were encouraged by a blurb in which they discourage people from bringing small children, insist on silence and generally exuded seriousness about their art. In the event, we found that the auditorium is also the access to some holiday apartments, so at two points in the show, families with suitcases arrived and trundled through the middle of the proceedings. This was not the worst of it though. The singer seemed to be right off his game. The second piece was a guajira. This was preceded by a long conversation with the guitarist that seemed to be about the choice of key. When they finally set off, he had a go at some melismatic effects—and missed them completely. He was clearly off key. Horrible. Generally they didn’t seem to know each other and were having the preparatory conversations onstage. The star of the show was the dancer, who worked hard to rescue this shambling mess.
Wednesday, we went to the Peña Torres Macarena. This was great. It’s not exactly the closed world of intimate flamenco as described by Donn Pohren or Gerald Howson. It has a website with an invitation in English and there was quite a crowd of foreigners. However, we were outnumbered 4 to 1 by locals and members. It’s a clubhouse with a bar and all the best seats reserved for members, as is right. It reminded me of a workingmen’s club, only much less boozy. All ages present. They could easily have held a meat raffle. The show was excellent, traditional stuff, with an appreciative audience who knew how to behave. When we arrived it was officially standing room only but with encouragement from a friendly Spanish woman we were able to grab some seats. The compère laid down the law with some homilies about knowing how to listen, and a reminder that this place is not about selling food or making announcements in three languages.
In the fin de fiesta there were three generations onstage, and someone was being called for... who turned out to be the hardworking dancer from the Alvarez-Quintero. It was a bonus to see her dancing for the joy of it in the Peña surrounded by her relatives, having watched her struggle to rescue the previous night’s disaster.
Judging by tripadvisor we were just unlucky with the show on the Tuesday—but the venue is still a problem even on nights when the performers have their acts together.
Meat raffle?! Bringing your London ways to the cradle of flamenco... :-)
Can I ask what you mean by 'Cameronismo'? I get the sense (from other posts too) that he is seen less generously than these guys in Algeciras might do. La Negra too.
Good resume of Torres Macarena, thanks.
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sounds like something I could come to recognize over time, he's got a budding "sello proprio"
sounds like another thousand Camaron-sound-alikes that I can't really tell apart.
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