Who, in the flamencoDon't you know a gentleman of the guitar and elegance named Manolo Franco? Manuel Franco BarónManolo Franco, born in Seville in 1960, became known at the highest level as the winner of the 1st Giraldillo del Toque at the 3rd Art Biennial flamenco from Seville in 1984, unanimously, with a jury of the caliber of, among others, Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlucar, serranito, Juan Habichuela, Mario Escudero y big felixand competing against guitarists of the caliber of Pedro Bacán, Paco del Gastor, José Antonio Rodríguez o Rafael RiqueniDo all these names sound familiar? The success at the Biennial is commemorated in a sonnet entitled From Oriente Street by the poet and lyricist Jose L. Rodriguez Ojeda, a poem that appears in the libretto and whose final tercets read as follows:
The first Giraldillo: concession
not at all casual or temporary.
His work continues, and the passion
She will always remember her.
I am referring to Manuel Franco Barón,
Manolo Franco, now part of history.
From then on, everyone wanted him to accompany them to cante: Orange from Triana, Jose Merce, Carmen Linares or one, Calixto Sanchez, with whom he formed a true artistic partnership.
Until his recent retirement, he was a professor at the Rafael Orozco Conservatory of Music from Cordoba, in addition to being a professor at the Cordoba Guitar Festival courses, the Seville Biennial or Fundación Cristina Heeren from Seville. He has been recognized with other awards, such as the Radio Sevilla Concert Guitar Award, Best Accompaniment at the 2002 and 2004 Biennial, and the National Chair Award of FlamencoJerez logia in 2003, among others.
He released his first album, beautifully titled, CisternPublished by Pasarela in 1986 and reissued in 2009, it contains beautiful compositions with evocative titles, something that, as a philologist and lover of poetry, always fills me with joy. Bitter Taste of Roses, Colombian; Silver Moon, joys; Regards (Dedicated to Maestro Antonio Osuna), soleá; Cistern, bulerías; Palosantoseguiriya; and Looking for LoveTaranta. Here's a sample, the alegrías, palo with which he has always amazed when accompanying artists and performing his falsetas:
It's taken a long time to deliver his second work, but we finally have it. Its title refers to a street in Seville. East Streetfor years Luis MontotoIt contains nine compositions: Like the morning light, tangos; Cristina and Manuel, joys; Coral, guajira; The color of my sound, farruca; East StreetSevillanas; Field of the Martyrs, seguiriya; La SerenaColombian women; Minueting, and In green and gold, Medley. Manolo Franco's guitar and musical direction are joined by the voices of Angeles Toledano, Mercedes Abenza, Sonia Miranda, Pure of Pure y Churumbaque, as well as the percussion of Agustín Henke, the electric bass of David Galloso, the Cuban tres of Raúl Rodríguez, the arrangements of Pura's Child and the castanets of M.ª Carmen García. Let's see.
Like the morning light: walks Tangos, with hints of rumba and chorus, luminous, radiant.
Cristina and Manuel: joys of rhythmic fluidity, color and intimacy, I liked it very much. It reminds me of Manolo Sanlúcar, that marvel of everything, filtered through his personal style.
Check out this delightful album:
Coral: guajira airosa, alegre, con puntos precisos muy virtuosos.
The color of my soundThe farruca is enveloping, with an intimate, warm sound. It speaks to you in your ear, filling you with a sweet and melancholic melody in harmony with the paloFinally, tremolos and scales, a display of the composer's skill.
East StreetSevillanas, in which he is very skilled and mixes rhythmic styles.
Field of the Martyrs: seguiriya or seguiriya-serrana, with a faster, more frenetic tempo, with palmas Intense. A display of technique and knowledge flamencoÁngeles Toledano sings a seguiriya:
I'm dying,
I'm dying to see you,
I don't want time to pass
I will see you soon.
La SerenaColombian women with a tango-rumba feel, with palmas and percussion. A harmonic and melodic luxury, feeling flamenco, a calm tempo that invites listening and enjoyment.
MinuetingA musical beauty somewhere between a minuet, a zapateado, and a bulería. A display of creativity. One of my favorite compositions. Palmas to this cut, like those that accompany the touch.
Enjoy it right now:
In green and gold: medley of bulerías, with The Moorish cloth and the lyrics "The fine cloth in the store… Then the zorongo," What a fuss, and Green eyesIn short, a choral, festive theme, as a way of bringing this track and the album to a close.
These compositions are studied in depth in the words of the libretto by Francisco J. EscobarProfessor of Literature and a composer himself flamenco. It places him within the Sevillian school of guitar playing, characterized by precise meter, expressive power, and appealing melodic phrasing. It is in this style that they shine. Nino Ricardo or happily among us Rafael Riqueni, places our author in a «A captivating universe between music and life, with unique spaces of Seville in the background».
A luxury for the flamenco Manolo Franco, always great at accompanying, a difficult art, and great at concert playing, master of a musical language and flamenco First-rate. Congratulations, and we eagerly await your next work. Let's hope it doesn't take so long this time. ♦
→ Manolo Franco, CD East Street, 2025.
