The Carbonería (Seville), always hospitable, saw an unusual turnout at noon this Saturday, September 27th. The reason was compelling: José Luis Ortiz Nuevo presented a new book. In this case, to be exact, a reissue of his fundamental Pepe the Matron, whose release in the Demófilo collection marks 50 years. An emblematic title that marked a before and after in the life and professional journey of The Poet, and now returns to the shelves of new releases thanks to the Athenaica Publishing House.
Accompanied by the journalist Francis Marbleas well as by Manuel Romero al cante y Pedro Barragan On the guitar, Ortiz Nuevo broke the ice with the cry of "Let the music be the first thing heard!", and of course the music splendidly accompanied the entire event, in which there were anecdotes, reflections, jokes and, as it could not be otherwise, cante Well, Mármol began by recalling that Pepe el de la Matrona was the first in a series of biographical works that would expand the Archidon native's bibliography, and he didn't hesitate to describe it as "a very humanistic book, because it places man at the center."
For his part, the author recalled that his meeting with the master of cante It happened “when I was just a child. I met Pepe shortly after meeting Dying, through my teacher Andrés Raya, around the year 69, and shortly after he was paid tribute with a recital by Morente himself, with Shake and the guitar of Perico the one with the mole".
From that moment on, he recalled, “I fell in love with the person and the character, and he let himself be loved. He might have preferred a more technical book, ‘the soleás are these and these, the seguiriyas are these and these…’ But I was already fleeing from the doctrinal, from the classificatory, from the idea of writing a book of flamencomania. Pepe gave me satisfaction and allowed me to direct my life toward something interesting.”
Born on July 4, 1887, José Núñez MeléndezPepe el de la Matrona made his debut at the early age of 12. In 1906 he went to Madrid to sing in Naranjero and in 14 he decided to go to Havana for coffee. He lived off revelry and parties, and met all the legends of the flamenco: Don Antonio Chacón and Manuel Torre, to Pastora Pavón and his brother Tomás… And, at a time when travel wasn't so common, he was able to showcase his art in the most diverse places, from Spain to Mexico, via Cuba, the United States, Canada, and France. His life, masterfully captured by Ortiz Nuevo, is a blend of genius and adventure told with great doses of affection and tenderness.
"At a time when travel wasn't common, Pepe de la Matrona was able to showcase his art in the most diverse places, from Spain to Mexico, via Cuba, the United States, Canada, and France. His life, masterfully captured by Ortiz Nuevo, is a blend of genius and adventure told with a great deal of affection and tenderness."
“Meeting him was healing, I'd almost say sanctifying,” the Archidó native asserts. “I used to see him as the equivalent of a psychiatrist's visit, and when I left, I wanted to take on the world. Pepe captivated me with his way of speaking, his joy, his intelligence, his harmony… He possessed a refined, rich Andalusian language, with a rhythmic intonation.”
"Estrella Morente"He has no shame," Ortiz Nuevo adds casually, "he imitates me now, speaking for Pepe el de la Matrona. But he always spoke with reason; it was one of the phrases he always had at hand: things, for him, had to have a reason."
The biographer focuses on some personal aspects of great significance in the life of Pepe el de la Matrona, from his excessive fondness for alcohol – “He drank a bottle of aguardiente a day,” he said, “I have never met anyone stronger in my life” – to the decisive role played by his mother, “who was a civil guard in civilian clothes, but gave him all the encouragement he needed,” and whose profession lent him his stage name.
The event, as is the volume's, could not be missing from the witticisms, so many and so hilarious that they cannot fit into this chronicle. Ortiz Nuevo recalled, for example, the Sevillian artist's curious recipe for ending capitalism: "The only way is for workers not to have children. No children! Zero children! Let the capitalists have the children, that way they exploit each other."
Or that time when, while on tour with Vicente Escudero In the United States, a certain Malay critic tried to take away her merits, claiming that her success was only due to the suit she wore, and not to her vocal qualities. The next day, Pepe from La Matrona asked to put on the costume on stage, and asked: “What? Does the costume sing?” ♦
