After dealing with Latin jazz in Calle 54 or Brazilian music in In the miracle of Candeal, perhaps it was a matter of time that Fernando Trueba will take care of the flamencoAlthough he confesses to being a complete layman in matters jonda, his long friendship with Child Josele has led to a project entitled Bajaní, produced by Womack and La Goota, which has just been presented at the South International Series Festival from Cádiz.
“It's something that stems from my collaboration and admiration for Niño Josele and his musicianship, his way of playing and opening himself up to other music, of understanding other musical worlds,” comments the veteran filmmaker. “After a series of albums together and a twenty-year relationship, I began to think that I would love to make a film with him.” a journey that began in the flamenco and then off to jazz, then to Brazil… And so it came out Bajaní". For his part, the Almería native recalls that Trueba "didn't want to approach it as a documentary; he didn't want me to speak, but rather the music. It was a complete, magical experience, a dream come true."
"It was a tremendous musical beauty, with so many musicians there, so much emotion... I didn't know you could do so many things with the guitar, I swear" (Niño Josele)
Although Niño Josele is well known for his creativity and his interpretive solvency, there is no doubt that Bajaní It has been a supreme challenge in a career that has not exactly been short of challenges. Of course, measuring oneself, as has been the case, with gigantic talents like those of Caetano Veloso, Rubén Blades, Ron Carter, Kenny Barron or Marisa Monte, along with such familiar presences as the sisters Estrella and Soleá Morente, has demanded a much greater effort from Niño Josele than usual. “When I set the bar for myself to play with the maestro Paco de LucíaAnd with Enrique Morente, and then with Chick Corea…I thought there would be no bar. When the maestros leave, you're a bit lost, wondering what you can do next… Until Fernando came along with this idea and gave me the answer. At first, I thought, this is impossible. How can the flamenco guitar play with these musicians?
“And it was something that required something very different from records, where you can record, continue… Fernando wanted each take to be recorded in a single day, so he had to give it his all. "Let it be like the last song of your life," he told me. "How difficult!" he sighs, while the filmmaker nods at his side: "It was about never letting my guard down, being present in each song as if it were the only one that would appear in the film."
As for the series' repertoire, the Almeria native says, "There are some very special things." "One of the songs, the one Caetano sings, is Because of the Beatles, and in English! The song Ron Carter plays and Rubén Blades sings is a soleá of mine, with lyrics by Rubén. We were working on an album together, and the first song that came out was this one, and we decided to include it in the film. I had a blast with Ron because he didn't understand the soleá, but my son José explained the rhythm and the bass line to him. But I swear, when that man understood what it was... Look, I've seen a lot of people play the double bass, but this is something else. There were times when I didn't know if it was free jazz, if I was playing with Miles Davies, something amazing."
"I've found happiness, the joy of making it, and the humility of putting cinema at the service of music... And one thing I discovered with Calle 54 is that cinema helps you hear. You can listen to a record or a concert, but when you see the details on the screen, your mind lights up and you understand everything better." (Fernando Trueba)
“Everyone,” concludes the guitarist when asked about the fact that jondo was blurred, "they wanted to make some detail flamencoThey've taken on a part they've never done before. "I go to their place, and they come to mine. And it all came together so naturally!" There's a moment when Caetano, I swear, sounds like Enrique Morente to me, and Marisa sounds like a flamenco singer to you. Oh Ruben, how can a man with so many registers sing?
When assessing the mark left by the filming of Bajaní in each of themNiño Josele states that “it has been a tremendous musical beauty, with so many musicians there, so much emotion… I didn’t know you could do so many things with the guitar, I swear”; while Trueba adds that he has obtained “happiness, the enjoyment of making it, and the humility of putting cinema at the service of music… And one thing I discovered with Calle 54, and cinema helps you hear. You can listen to a record or a concert, but when you see the details on the screen, your head lights up and you understand everything better.” ♦
