When the [unclear] was inaugurated five years ago in San Fernando (Cadiz) Interpretation Center Camarón de la IslaThe fans' desire was that this building not be limited to being a museum container in the static sense of the term, but a living and stimulating space. The conferences held this weekend to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the genius, in which some thirty speakers participated, including scholars, journalists, musicians, and people close to the flamenco singer, have achieved that purpose and demonstrated, in passing, that José Monge Cruz It remains an inexhaustible field of exploration and reflection.
Under the direction of Carlos Rey Mier e Ismael AlcinaThis meeting began with an intimate look at the figure of Camarónthrough his daughter. Beyond the legend that has grown over the years, Rocío Monge He remembered the human being and the father who “had chocolate milk and muffins for breakfast and was dying for a stew with rice,” but also the strangeness of recognizing him “in the Santillana Social Studies book, there was a photo of Camarón with TomatitoBut above all, what prevails in her memory, even though she was only 9 or 10 years old when she died, is the straightforward man, "because he was like that from the moment my grandmother gave birth to him." It was Camarón de la Isla from the moment he woke up, but in La Isla and La Línea he was simply José".
The first day offered other moments of great interest, such as the recollection by the journalist Juan Jose Tellez made of the legend of time and of his encounters with Camarón, “who sang like no one else to Lorca, Fernando Villalon and Omar Kayyam without knowing who they were,” or the one they made about such a unique figure as The Island's Flathead the Chair President FlamencoCádiz logia, Guillermo Boto, the singer Manuel Lucas, Guitarist Victor Rosa o Antonio Romero, President of the Peña which bears the name of the singer, as a companion of adventures and generation of José Monge Cruz.
The day was completed by the musicologist and director of the Academy ExpoFlamenco, Faustino Nunez, speaking of the tandem Paco de Lucía-Camarón as a historical contribution from Cádiz to the renewal of jondoand the fusion of two unique personalities as “the miracle of flamenco made flesh.”
About the origins of Camarón The guitarist spoke at length Paco Cepero, the writer Enrique Montiel and the manager of Venta de Vargas, the singer's second home, Lolo Picardo, while the new sounds of flamenco The songs from the 70s were analyzed by Ismael Alcina with the bassist of the legend of time, Manolo Rosa“The idea of Ricardo Pachon It wasn't about bringing musicians together flamencoYes, but to people who came from other places and contributed other things. And Camarón He trusted him blindly. All his ideas seemed good to him, all his topics seemed beautiful to him, he was delighted.” Trini de la Isla he put the finishing touch on cante , the Jesus Castile I would do it the next day.
"We need to stop with the myths. A Camarón I knew him, and he wasn't called a legend. His name was José Monge Cruz. He was called an artist. He was called a musician. He was called a wonderful person. I was recently reading Fernando de Triana, and at one point he says that Manuel Torre was a legendary flamenco singer, and adds: "What harm the legend did him" (José María Velázquez-Gaztelu)
The second day started strong with the intervention of the professor of Anthropology Cristina Cruces, in which he reviewed the life of [name/title] in four seasons CamarónFrom his island childhood to stardom and the explosion of camaromania, to conclude by speculating about a possible vocation as an evangelical pastor if Camarón He wouldn't have left so soon.
Francisco PerujoFor his part, he performed a dissection of Camarón From an image and branding perspective, to determine that “he was never just a flamenco singer. It cannot be explained solely from the flamencoIt is an unprecedented communicative phenomenon, becoming a distinct icon of Spanish culture, elevated to the status of a media star, especially after his death.”
The day also provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of Camarón in the statement of Flamenco as a World Heritage Site with Mari Ángeles Carrasco, in the events surrounding the awarding of the Golden Key of Cante posthumously, but also in the possibilities of carrying the flamenco to the classroom or to explain it through children's books.
Finally, the poet and journalist José María Velázquez-Gaztelu, in dialogue with the flamenco singer from Huelva ArgentinaHe explained how “in our time, of Mairena's neoclassicism, of academic perfectionism, suddenly a different voice emerges, a different interpretive style and a different attitude that was reflected in the way of dressing, styling hair and relating to the public, with an enormous musical openness and breaking down barriers: it emerges CamarónIt was the early 70s. José was brilliant, inspired, captivating, with perfect pitch and a fresh and innovative approach.”
However, the creator of the television series Rite and geography of cante, who recorded the artist from the Island at that time, asserted that “we have to stop with the myths. A Camarón I met him, and his name wasn't legend; it was José Monge Cruz. He was an artist, a musician, and a wonderful person. I was recently reading... Fernando de Triana, and at one point says that Manuel Torre He was “a legendary flamenco singer,” and adds: “The legend did him so much harm. The legend gets in the way; it puts a veil over the person.”
And he concluded, as usual, with humor: “Well, here in San Fernando, they gave me the Legend award of Flamenco Last year. I can't say anything, but my name really is José María Velázquez.” ♦
