If there is a date on the calendar in which I try to leave some afternoons free, it is the one that coincides with the Lebrija SnailIt is one of those summer festivals that hook you when you go for the first time, because it is true that the kindness of its city council –Pepe Martinez y Bridget– and the organizing committee invites me to return. Another reason why I like to take the car and travel to this blessed town in Seville, which is so closely linked to Jerez thanks to the farmhouses and gañanías that date back centuries, is because of the careful program of events that they offer over the ten days. It's more than attractive, from its exhibitions to the conferences and shows. And its neighbors, how pleasant and friendly!
At the Bar Miano begins each day, and usually ends. In #FromWithin, our section, we like to share those nice details that make a festival more or less unique. Well, in this bar, opposite the Casa de la Cultura, that is, near Mantillo SquareThe heart of the activity, it brings together fans, artists, journalists, and more. A pre-event tapa with a beer is a must. It's essential, since there's no bar where the shows are held, a great idea for those who want to listen and not have to put up with the occasional drunk shouting.
I had dinner there one night with the dancer Concha Vargas, after the conference by Alfonso García dedicated to the anniversary of the Caracolá, with Ines Bacán and its tremendous seguiriya, Isabel Malena remembering Juaniquí and El Chozas, or the young woman Manuela del Moya making the cantes of La Perrata. Curro Vargas was at the sound, which invited Jose Valencia to sing the anthem improvisedly Free of Juan El Lebrijano, Concha comes out barefoot to do what only she is capable of doing.
I also witnessed on another of the nights I attended the triumph of Juanelo with a very complete recital and a continuous homage to Lebrijano, even in the form. He is a singer with a future, has extensive knowledge and, above all, the greatest desire in the world to be there. He commands the stage and is very mindful of respect for the audience. Among his guests, the dance of Fernando Jiménez He shone in ballads with an artistic conversation typical of the gypsy life of yesteryear. In Lebrija, they like that, the arm movement and the waist, and a little less so, the feet. Then he came on stage. Manuel valencia to The Three Shores, by Jerez native Manuel Valencia, a true testament to supreme quality. It's a guitar with personality; he's managed to sound like himself; his strings reflect the Jerez school, but his bass already bears his name. Both as a composer and concert performer, and as a dance accompaniment (The choro, racial and with power) or to cante (david lakes y David Carpio, two sound columns from Jerez), sounds with an unexpected corpulence. All those who accompanied him maintained the level demanded by Valencia himself, betting on the black label from the first to the last sip of art. That night, by the way, I didn't end up at Miano, but on the rooftop of the Peña Pepe Montaraz to Antonio Moya, Juanelo himself, the companion Kiko Valle…Have you heard him sing soleá?
"José Valencia, obviously moved and extremely grateful, dedicated everything to his family, children, wife, mother, etc. His mother kept pride and happiness in her eyes.. (…) It's like opening a book and learning from every part. He's a long-winded singer; he delves, digs, safeguards, reinterprets, respects, and connects.
And life gave me the gift of being able to attend the final night. It wasn't in my plans because a personal matter prevented me from doing so, but in the end the stars aligned and I attended the grand evening dedicated to José Valencia with the Golden SnailAll the papers were sold, and its people embraced him at every turn. He deserved it; he carried the name of Lebrija around the world with overwhelming dignity. And he still carries it; it's the current flag. Tere Peña, with that voice that I admire so much, and Alfonso Garcia They took charge of the offering, and they were very successful. They gave the evening the solemnity it deserved, but without forgetting that they were with family. We greet many who follow our work, now friends, and the director of the Biennial. Luis Ybarra...
Manuel de Paula He's always attentive to every move. He's an institution that, luckily, lives in his hometown, and the municipal government values him as such. He's usually quiet, observing, smiles when something amuses him, and smokes a cigarette from time to time. He's traveled the world, but in his old age, what he wants is to have the warmth of his hometown.
Well, José, obviously moved and very grateful, dedicated everything to his family, children, wife, mother, etc. His mother kept pride and happiness in her eyes. Then he celebrated with the Study on the cantes from Lebrija, with all that entails. It's like opening a book and learning from every part. He's a cantaor of depth; he delves, digs, safeguards, reinterprets, respects, and connects. Anabel Valencia He also had some notable moments in his two appearances. Forgive me, everyone who participated in the recitals I attended, but this isn't a typical review or chronicle, as I always say.
I'm talking about sensations, details, emotions. A slab was also inaugurated on the plaza floor to perpetuate José and the mayor's Caracol forever. Pepe Benito BarrosoHe told me that this kind of gesture would be the norm in the coming years. By the way, and I hope I don't forget: I thought the sculptor's work was great. Augusto Arana as a sketch of what will be the monument to John Peña Lebrijano, in the central Plaza de las Monjas and which is expected to be inaugurated, if all goes well, at the next edition of the Caracolá, also coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the death of this genius.
