Listing all the milestones in the career of this illustrious son of the Santiago neighborhood of Jerez would be an almost overwhelming task. Suffice it to say that he began playing at the age of 8 with Xavier Molina and in just a few years he was already on stage. His guitar has accompanied the greatest artists of various eras and stylistic schools, from Manolo Caracol o Antonio Mairena, to La Paquera de Jerez o The Pearl of Cadiz and with special mention of his discography with Jerez earthquake, his brother-in-law.
His biography highlights the passage for 15 years, as lead guitarist, in the company of Antonio Ruiz Soler placeholder image, with which he toured almost the entire world. In his final years, he worked as a renowned producer of shows such as those Thursday Flamencos in which almost all of today's Jerez figures made their debut. Later, in 1987, he founded the company Manuel Morao & Gypsies of Jerez With great international success. While he has amassed countless awards and recognitions, the most recent being at the Velá de Santiago in his hometown, Manuel Morao is the precursor to a family line of extraordinary guitarists, like his nephew. Moraito, his son, Diego del Morao, his grandson Pepe del Morao and others like Manuel del Morao o Fernando de la MiniA whole school of life and art.
Appendix: Tío's soleá Borrico with Manuel Morao. Rite and geography of the cante (TVE, 1971)
To join in the congratulations that are coming to Uncle Manuel for his 96th birthday, I am going to rescue a chapter from my series Watching videos, to appreciate the full depth of his graceful touch flamenco in step-by-step commented sequences.
The shot corresponds to the mythical series of companions José María Velázquez Gaztelu y Pedro Turbica for RTVE Rite and Geography of Cante, corresponding to the chapter Soleares 2 and recorded on December 4, 1971. And here it is:
In the scene, recorded at the La Canariega vineyard, a lifelong meeting of cabales is recreated, in which personalities such as José Vargas the Monkey, Manuel Agujetas, Juan Romero Pantoja the Handsome, The Shag and brothers Juan and Manuel Morao, guitarists.
A Uncle Gregorio The Borrico He is accompanied on guitar by Manuel Morao and, as is usual in his repertoire for this cante, Borrico It starts with a series of bulerías to listen to classics, in the way the typical lyrics are said in Jerez To the one at the Royal Gate, but this time using the letters Pbecause he has to pay for it y Because you remember that day.
He immediately launches into the soleá itself and, as it could not be otherwise, says the cantes of Beans with I ask you, my Jesus.He lives it intensely, hence he cuts the final verses even though some previous elongations typical of the form he used are perceived. Thomas Pavon, evident for example in the undulation that he executes in the 'I' of the first verse as if holding the vowel.
The next stanza is Your love and my love which he resolves by remembering the Cadiz styles of Mellizo, which he takes advantage of so much by adding depth to the initial outline of this style, something more musical. When Borrico It is when he becomes so involved that existential difficulties appear, as mentioned so many times before.
It is very curious and worthy that they pay attention as at the end of the cante, moves his eyes 'in time'.
Finish with the brave Mellizo in What fatigue I have with all the flavor and the swallowing rage of the world, as the poet would say Manuel Rios Ruiz.
→ This description belongs to the book CD One Hundred Years of Uncle Gregorio El Borrico (1910 – 2010) The Paths of the World Editions Cante. For the exhaustive analysis of all the canteThe wisdom of Alfredo Benítez, the transcription of José María Castaño and the documentation of Gonzalo López were counted on.
