As a very young child, Sebastián would hear his mother hawking berzas and tagarninas (a type of berza) while, in the background, the rhythm of the bulería would resonate in the brevity of his being. Those open echoes of the old San Telmo beach with distant murmurs of Campillo and La Hoyanca.
The beginnings of The Cabbage Boy with the artistry, At the young age of twelve, these experiences were not easy at all. But they would be a true Flemish university where the experiences add up to three times four. flamencoAt that time, they called those hours of outdoor living 'making a living,' knowing that the outcome was always uncertain. Every night, young Sebastián went to Rosaleda Park, where inns like El Altillo, Maribal, and Benjamín sat like glowing islands, awaiting young gentlemen. "That's what there was," he once told me. Uncle Deafness referring to that environment of the Bermuda Triangle of the González Hontoria.
Linked to those long early mornings, there were some parties in the wineries of the Jerez area, led by Manuel Morao, who would also recruit him for his famous Thursdays Flamencos. Sebastian AcevedoHe soon emerged as an absolute master of rhythm and beat. This heightened skill led him to perform in several companies, including some appearances with his countryman. Lola Flores, to cite a significant example. Then, in the 70s he participated in numerous festivals, especially the Bulería Festival in his native Jerez, sponsored by the Chair of Flamencolodge. A sunny institution that would grant him with all the merits the Niño Gloria Cup around those days.
"It can be said of El Berza that he was a consummate bulería specialist. Juan de la Plata himself went so far as to say that, after La Paquera and Terremoto, hardly anyone had ever mastered the rhythm of bulería with greater accuracy. He even personalized some turns when he wove together some couplets with great sheer flair."
It's curious how some performers have specialized in a single, specific style, overshadowing all the others in their repertoire. It could be said of El Berza that he was a consummate bulería specialist. John of the Silver He even said that, after The Paquera y Earthquake, hardly anyone ever matched the rhythm of the bulería with more veracity. He even went so far as to personalize some of the turns when he wove together some couplets with great sherry-like ease in a dizzying manner.
Already in my book From Jerez and its cantes (Almuzara, 2007) I highlighted a detail that supports everything mentioned above. In the shared LP Buleria Festival (CBS, 1971), under the production of Manuel Rios Ruiz, appears on up to four tracks. A very noteworthy detail, considering that his vinyl partners were none other than Terremoto, Romerito, Sordera and his son Vicente, Lorenzo Gálvez, Juanata, and José Vargas el Mono, along with the guitars of Manuel and Juan Morao.
Precisely, I compiled all this material at the request of Sebastián himself and I added some recordings that came to me from a festival in Bornos in which he participated with Manuel MoneoThat crystallized in a Bujío Producciones album remastered in La Bodega studios in Jerez in 2004 with the title Los canteto the rhythm of El Berza in buleríasA year earlier, I took him to the show The Venerables at the 2003 autumn festivals, which I organized as a prologue to a performance by Antonio Núñez 'Chocolate'I'll be sharing a podcast of the series very soon. Caminos with all these records, unfortunately already in his memory.
Unfortunately, he was sidelined from the stage due to a blood clot, and we barely caught a glimpse of this great Jerez native who passed away last October 8th at the age of 85. May his Cristo de la Expiración, the eternal Manijero del Campillo of Jerez, rest in his holy glory!
