For any seasoned fan, the second half of the last century produced a crop of artists of undeniable quality, voices destined to form an important chapter in the history of canteBut the fact of having to make themselves known during festival season flamencoThis would cause him no small number of difficulties.
It should be remembered, in this regard, that they had to carve out an unlikely gap between the Antonio Mairena, Juan Talega, Phosphorite, Dog from Utrera, Fernanda and Bernarda, La Paquera de Jerez, The chocolate, Orange from Triana, Manuel Mairena and so on. And on the other hand, because they had to compete with the Lebrijano, Camarón de la Isla, Jose Menese, The Goatherd, Jerez Shoelaces, Curro Malena and so many other voices that, with evident drive, were demanding a place among the great figures of that time.
In this landscape we place the Moorish flamenco singer Diego Clavel (La Puebla de Cazalla, Seville, 1946), who, apart from dealing with those mentioned above, had as generational adversaries none other than the Juanito Villar, Calixto Sanchez, The Jerez Monkey, Maria Vargas o ReeferAmong the many, the situation, which was becoming complicated to unsuspected extremes, indicated that sticking one's neck out was little less than a heroic act.
Our protagonist, whose first name is Diego Andrade Martagón and nicknamed after his grandfather, Little carnationBecause of his reddish hue, he began, like all those of his time, in competitions, but his name became widely known especially after he won the 1970 contest of Mairena del AlcorAnd from there, festivals, record recordings, concerts, plays, folk recitals, television programs, lyricist, awards, and something very substantial: dusting off styles lost in time and contributing melodies to the canteclassics.
More organizing and contextualizing the cante"With a view to the future" is an idea that, in my opinion, began with Diego Clavel in 1987, when in his work Heartbeats It broadens the diversity of its followers, since it was previously linked to the seguiriya of Mr. Manuel Molina from the Mairena competition. With this album, however, he wins everyone over equally because it marks a turning point, since he even revives the Malagueña from Paca AguileraThis motivates him to study effectively and thus improve his singing performance.
I believe that from that point on, the hunger for knowledge unleashed a frenzy of learning. From so much listening and absorbing, Clavel compiled a collection of malagueñas in 1990-91. Thanks to the man from Periana. Jose Tellez, its publication is offered to the Provincial Council of Malagaand contacts the music producer Anthony White, from the Antequera-based record label Cambaya-RecordsIt was during the festivities of the Universal Exhibition of Seville –Expo'92– that the Moorish singer released his first anthology to the market, The Malagueña through the ages. 31 Malagueñas.
"Diego Andrade Martagón, Diego Clavel, began in competitions, but his name became widely known after winning the Mairena del Alcor competition in 1970. From then on, he participated in festivals, record recordings, concerts, theatrical works, flamenco recitals, television programs, worked as a lyricist, received awards, and something very substantial: he revived styles lost in time and contributed melodies to the canteclassics»
They are two LPs recorded with the guitars of Manolo Franco, Paco Cortes y Fernando Rodríguezrespectively, and all lyrics by Diego Andrade, and in which as many variants appear as the title indicates, 31, not forgetting one of his own making, Nobody can take it from meThis leads us to the conclusion that in this anthology, what the singer invents is more significant than what he transforms. Evidently, and as reflected in the archives, there were those who asked: “A foreigner mastering these styles? Burn him at the stake!”
But without deviating from the stated purpose, it must be noted that Diego persisted in offering a living example of how the revival of occult forms can speak directly to a diverse audience, such that the premiere of his Flamenco mass sung on August 29, 1993 in the Santa Lucía Church, of Santander, or how in October 1996 he showed that he was a tireless fighter and open to any proposals that sparked his interest, such as the CD Poem of Bullfighting, in which, supported by Pedro Bacán, Antonio Carrion And Fernando Rodríguez pays tribute to the centenary of the poet Gerardo diego through 16 bullfighting poems.
But continuous improvement and a desire for self-improvement are impulses that attest to his personal growth, hence at the beginning of 2001 he once again astounds us, as he achieves the feat of republishing his anthology of malagueñas, but this time with 47 variations, a true heroic achievement thanks to a relentless research effort, with which he places himself at the top of the malagueña composers in the history of the flamenco.
Clavel publishes The woman from Malaga through the ages, an unusual anthology on two CDs with the unexpected number of 47 styles – an increase of 16 from those published in 1992 – of which two are also new creations –Faith y Nobody can take it from me–, plus two women from Malaga and the Canary Islands included on the CDs From the East, as well as that of Caribbean Sea, which he already recorded on the album To my brothers, and those corresponding to Canary, Old Fosforito and of Concha the Peñaranda According to Pastora Pavón.
Preserve and disseminate the canteUnderstanding those who came before us undoubtedly requires knowledge and a broad understanding of history. flamenco sung, but also the ability to evaluate and select the appropriate variants to provide the fan, or the follower, with the information they demand.
And guide the sympathizer of it jondo To improve his interpretive skills and compile what others did not do is the role of Diego Clavel, who at the end of 2003 shows us the hidden depths, leading us by the hand Through the corners of Huelva (A dream come true), an anthology which, on a double CD, collects sixty fandangos from the different areas of Huelva, being accompanied by Antonio Carrión and Paco Cortés.
These are, therefore, five dozen styles that develop a pluralistic meaning for addressing local content from a comprehensive territorial perspective. That is to say, from the sonic score of the spaces it contains, without neglecting the protagonists, those voices that have emergedpeñaIt played a crucial role in the development of its expressive modes, which Clavel adopted as his own, thus contributing to the musical and territorial cohesion of Huelva and its province. ♦
* To be continued…
