As happened with the National Music Award that went to a couple of years ago Juan Manuel Canizares, the news that Antonio Serrano has conquered the National Prize for Contemporary Music has been met with absolute silence on the forums flamencoNeither the specialized portals nor the networks of the most influential commentators have echoed an award that should fill all of us who love this art with joy. I don't know if many don't consider it sufficiently jondo, or if the fact of having stepped on other musical grounds implies his tacit exclusion from the club (that poor Rome that, by not paying traitors, does not stop impoverishing itself), but the truth is that the Madrid harmonica player has, among other merits, that of having broadened the sound horizon of flamenco with very valuable and enjoyable contributions.
I confess that I discovered Antonio Serrano when he already had a more than remarkable command of his instrument, when at the end of the 90s he left the audience speechless in the Café Central in Madrid (now in danger of imminent closure, alas!) accompanying the New York pianist Joshua EdelmanWe didn't know then that Serrano had already graduated with honors at a very young age, making his debut at the United Nations with the help of the teacher Larry Adler, together with Barbara hendricks y Plácido Domingo: what you might call starting off on a high note. Or that he'd already left ample examples of his expertise on a couple of previous albums. The truth is, you didn't have to be a genius to see that there was a potential virtuoso here, and a tremendously versatile one at that, conscientiously prepared to play on very different fields and score goals on all of them.
In order not to make the list of his musical merits endless, we will focus on the strictly flamencoYes, and there the stage with the teacher shines with its own light. Paco de LucíaThe Quien He accompanied the formation of the last sextetSerrano solved the difficult task of replacing a piece as important as the wind instruments. Jorge Pardo, adding very special sounds and nuances to the maestro's repertoire. It is said that Paco was reluctant to include "the harmonica player" in his troupe, but not only did he end up accepting him, but he also incorporated the keyboard and turned it into one of his melodic engines. We probably can't hear the old versions of Zyriab o Love song without thinking about Antonio Serrano's harmonica.
"Antonio Serrano has spent his entire life perfecting his skills as a musician, and also playing chess, two things that perhaps have more to do with each other than they seem. This National Music Prize is the culmination of a journey, the well-deserved checkmate of a maestro whom this town flamenco The one who was speaking to me among the skyscrapers owes him, at least, a toast.
But let us also listen to it in such delightful pieces as The afternoon is caramel de Vicente Friend, the Walk of the sad de Diego Amador, the lingerie I met you in spring of Hope Fernandez, or duets with Chano Domínguez, Niño Josele or Javier Colina, to amaze us with Serrano's ability to fill any composition with surprising colors, tones and details.
El flamenco It has been, yes, just one of Antonio Serrano's many musical lives, but not just another. Although before and after these adventures he continued to move through jazz, tango, folk, pop and classical music, jondo has remained forever in his essence as an interpreter, and more importantly, the flamenco has gained a new instrument, completely alien to the Iberian tradition, but which no longer causes any surprise on the lips of people like Diego Villegas or other young talents. I would say that, even when he does that lighthearted version of the final theme song Sesame Street I have heard him sing a tune that can elicit cheers.
"The flamenco It is a music in which it is difficult to be accepted, you need the flamenco “I love you so you can love him,” she confided to me in a New York hotel, while waiting to take her clothes out of the communal washing machine. “In fact, I don’t even know if I love him yet.” flamenco or to the flamenco"I like their respect for music, their commitment, how they face life's problems with music, with joy, with optimism, with heart. It's the soundtrack of a people. I fell in love through that people."
Antonio Serrano has spent his entire life perfecting his skills as a musician, and also playing chess, two things that perhaps have more to do with each other than they seem. This National Music Prize is the culmination of a journey, the well-deserved checkmate of a maestro whom this town flamenco The one who was telling me about him among the skyscrapers owes him, at least, a toast.
In addition to congratulating Antonio Serrano and vindicating all his work, I take this opportunity to say that in this account of what Antonio Serrano did in the flamencoI miss his collaboration with Fernando Terremoto Jr. on his posthumous album "Terremoto" (Bujío, 2010, out of print and very hard to find), on the flamenco version (as expected) of the Argentine tango "Cambalache" with Alfredo Lagos on guitar. Long live that harmonica/bandoneon.