One cold November afternoon, the 19th, I picked up Maria Vargas at his home in Jerez so that he could accompany me to record a special program of Temple and Purity in Mairena del Alcor, on the occasion of Day of Flamenco (November 16). The flamenco singer would be the guest artist on the recording, sponsoring a new edition where other artists would participate, such as Caracolillo de Cádiz, Remedios Reyes, Juan de Mairena and Antonio CarriónTaking advantage of the move to the birthplace of Antonio Mairena, who gave Mary the Columbia Trophy back in the day, the Casa del Arte He wanted to receive the teacher to pay her homage and take a photograph of her hands to include them in the Walk of the Flamencowhere others like Fosforito, Matilde Coral, Pepa Montes or Ricardo Miño.
So, we arrived in Mairena around six in the evening, to spend at least an hour with the friends of the organization that, together with the Town Hall, organizes the flamenco cultural week each year around the competition final and the festival. There was interest in having María Vargas present, and I know there is also interest in having that allegorical testimony of Manuel Morao: her footprints. They greeted Maria with hugs and lots of love, and we prepared to go upstairs so that on the upper floor of the Peña Let's have a coffee, a slice of cake and chat for a while.
Maria, who is – to put it affectionately – a matriarch for ExpoFlamenco From the very beginning, she has maintained a close relationship with most of the staff at this publication. From the moment she got in the car, around 4:30 in the afternoon, until she got out, after midnight, she didn't have a single bad word, a single demand… She was incredibly accommodating. She was always ready to laugh. She was eager to live. And let's not forget that she's a great artist from an era when attention to detail was valued, and she appreciates it. Before we set off for Mairena, she gave me a bag of quince paste so I'd have something to eat when I got home in the early hours.
"A moment to remember was created. Justice was being done for one of the most important flamenco singers in history." cante Gypsy, who is still alive and eager for more. (…) She spoke of her passion for the canteHis time performing at festivals with the biggest names, when he inaugurated the Tablao Canasteros in Madrid.
Ramón de Mateo, grandson of Matthew SoleaHe accompanied us. He is a restless young man, very fond of canteYou can talk to him about what the soleá was like. Juan Talega, the seguiriya of Uncle Joseph or the Malaga girl from TwinHe's about eighteen and already gives some recitals, combining his first steps in the profession with his studies. He's very respectful, an old soul, and that's why he likes being with older people. In the Casa del Arte Flamenco by Antonio Mairena They were waiting for us, especially Maria, the president of the sameManuel Jiménez Ríosand members of its board. Then the town's mayor arrived, Juan Manuel López Domínguez, as well as the councilwoman of Flamenco, Gloria Rosario Guilléand the companion Kiko ValleOf course, the sculptor and religious image maker from Mairena. Ventura GómezHe was in charge of the precious ritual and of creating the artwork. There, María was happy, like a little girl with new shoes. She remembers the posters she shared with the Mairena family, with Antonio and his siblings. She said she couldn't remember the last time she had been to the master's homeland…
She was beside herself. And those of us who were there felt the same. It was a truly memorable moment. Justice was being done for one of the most important flamenco singers in history. cante Gypsy, who is still alive and eager for more. Once we finished there, we walked to the Calixto Sanchez Municipal Theater to record what we discussed at the beginning. María was the last to leave; what better way to end than with a grand finale? She spoke of her passion for... canteHis eternal memories of his father and the rest of his family. His time at festivals with the greats, when he inaugurated the Tablao Canasteros MadridHer dedication to cooking, which allows her to escape for many hours of the day so that her family can eat well: "I make everything from the most traditional to the most sophisticated dishes." She sang a series of bulerías accompanied by the guitar of Antonio Carrionwho was also present celebrating his fifty years on stage, so it was a great moment.
We wanted to stop for dinner, but it was after eleven and she wanted to get home as soon as possible, as did Ramón and me. And so we drove to Jerez, her telling us more and more anecdotes, showing us photographs of her granddaughters, thinking about having a glass of milk before bed… Legend of cante Or a humble and simple gypsy? Both at the same time, María Vargas.
