The Authentic Fandango Dancer

Not everyone will acknowledge the immense contribution El Cabrero made to the fandangos of Huelva, but the credit is his and there's little room for dispute. He defended them with the courage that characterized his entire life, and he studied them with care and appreciation.

The fandango of Huelva – and I will only refer to this one cante His, although he was a well-known flamenco singer – enters into mourning today with the passing of Joseph the GoatherdThat's how it should be, because he was the one who sang it, spread it, and defended it against all odds wherever he performed, and this palo It constituted the most categorical basis of his success.

It is important to remember that in many of the festivals held in the 70s and 80s, singing fandangos was tacitly prohibited, because their organizers considered it a cante minor or, in any case, because it did not fit into the narrow canon of what those people understood by flamencoSometimes, people would remind him at the foot of the stage that the organizers of this or that festival didn't want him to sing those songs. But José sang them anyway. He sang them because he liked them and because he had seen the audiences' reaction, who welcomed him with fervor. And he never backed down, even when he shared the bill with the biggest names in the flamenco scene of the time (because the flamenco It has fashions, fashions that last thirty, forty years and pass, like almost everything in life). To such an extent that the prevailing Mairena faction had to give way: he remembered his life partner Elena Bermudez A month ago an article in which Miguel Acal He acknowledged that “before, fandangos were hardly even allowed; now they are the main attraction (at the festivals). In 1980, El Cabrero was a newcomer to the festivals, compared to the established figures of the time, but he had such popular appeal that he was able to break the ban imposed on the cante "For fandangos at the major classical festivals because he refused to abide by the rules." And he imposed it, backed by the powerful decision of the public.

"The story of flamenco He will be repaid. His records, the videos of his performances, and the collective memory that appreciated him remain. The fandango of Huelva transcended the 20th century and is today a cante alive and vigorous thanks to contributions like that of El Cabrero, don't forget it."

The fandango has always been a cante which an elite group of fans viewed with prejudice and shrouded in controversy. An elite that, nevertheless, embraced and legitimized at the time, without hesitation, palos such as the farruca, the praviana, the vidalita or the milonga, for example, rather than the fandango, which is the source and origin of a good part of the sampler flamencoParadoxes. It's the same fate that befell/befell their performers, dragged into rejection by that elite, which isn't the majority but is certainly influential. But who dictates people's tastes? And the people, as I recalled Pepe Marchena —another controversial fandango dancer— what he has always loved most is the fandango. For many reasons: for its popular simplicity, because it is a format of cante which wonderfully conveys the emotion (and the cante (it must be emotion and not just chanting), and because it has a hundred ways of expressing itself, a hundred melodies with which to tell any story in five verses. For all of that, José was the most powerful and persistent voice that the fandango had throughout his life. That is one of El Cabrero's great merits and one of the great contributions he made to the fandangos of Huelva, because they had never before clearly crossed the borders of Huelva and the surrounding provinces with such skill and influence. No one—except Paco ToronjoHe—who, incidentally, was never invited to participate in any of the major festivals—set the bar so high. From this, it cannot be inferred that the shepherd from Aznalcóllar was received by the Huelva flamenco elite—again, the elite—with the appreciation he deserved. Not everyone will acknowledge the immense contribution El Cabrero made to the fandangos of Huelva, but the merit is his and admits little dispute. He defended them with the courage that characterized his entire life, studied them with care and appreciation, took care to capture their essence, remained faithful to the local way of singing them, and added lyrics with magnificent social and personal messages. There wasn't a town or village with fandangos that he didn't scour, searching for authenticity. He spoke with those who knew, to educate himself and immerse himself in the truth of this canteHe met with local guitarists who added a special touch with their local flavor… As an ambassador, he brought a universal appeal to audiences generally unfamiliar with these styles: he broke down barriers—I emphasize this—and dominated the stages. What a great salesman, and what great merchandise.

The immediate perspective often lacks the breadth that history will surely provide. Those who periodically take on the task of reviving popular musical heritage without altering it are proverbial workers who extend its value for several more generations: they are essential for continuity. The history of flamenco He will be repaid. His records, the videos of his performances, and the collective memory that appreciated him remain. The fandango of Huelva transcended the 20th century and is today a cante alive and vigorous thanks to contributions like that of El Cabrero, don't forget.

Text: Miguel Angel Fernandez Borrero