Imagine an afternoon in Cádiz: the easterly wind retreating, leaving a clear atmosphere before a gentle westerly wind blows. Merced CenterIn the heart of the Santa María neighborhood, the theater filled with an enthusiastic audience who were seated with their usual friendliness by the staff. And ahead lay the anticipation of an hour and a half of cante Of the best kind. Could you ask for more? Yes: that the singer was... Jose Valenciaand that he bring a new repertoire. That way we'd have the perfect afternoon.
That boy we met years ago as Joselito from Lebrija is today one of the unavoidable names of cante jondoAn artist who, in addition to his well-known qualities as a performer, possesses a courageous character, one who doesn't shy away from risks. And although he hasn't always hit the mark, he has always honed his aim.
Now he appears with a new repertoire, entitled With hierarchy, based on lyrics by one of his ancestors, Rafael Fernández Suárez, The Kid from Jerez, and musically directed by another uncle of his, whom he idolizes: Manuel de PaulaThe album hasn't been released yet, but the singer is already testing it out live with the ever-faithful accompaniment of the guitarist who knows and accompanies him best, the man from Malaga. John Requena.
In an almost reverential silence, José began by warming up with a soleá, followed immediately by abandolaos. Valencia's deep, nuanced voice shone in the taranta, while in the outstanding tientos-tangos, with the assistance of Manuel y Juan Diego Valencia at palmas —“President and vice president,” the artist jokingly repeated—, what shone was his mastery of timing, his way of entering and exiting the constraints of the rhythm at will. His voice seemed to transfigure itself in the wink to Tango of the muleteers of the longed for Juan Peña The Lebrijano.
"That boy we knew as Joselito de Lebrija is today one of the essential names of cante jondoAn artist who, in addition to his well-known qualities as a performer, possesses a courageous character, one who doesn't shy away from risks. And although he hasn't always hit the mark, he has always honed his aim.
By that point, those who hadn't heard José Valencia live before already knew he was a prodigy of vocal power and technique. In this writer's opinion, sometimes excessively controlled, too much in control of his own voice. It happens with some flamenco singers, both male and female; one longs to see them unleash themselves more often (even when beneath that unbridled passion there's also a technical artifice, which we're eager to believe). In any case, hearing, for example, those deeply moving malagueñas, as if connected to ancestral wisdom, makes us forgive José Valencia. the venial sin of meticulously mastering the vibrations of his throat.
When it came to discussing the cantiñas, he recalled that Fernanda and Bernarda's aunt, Fernanda La ViejaHe once told her that these cante"They are nothing but joys, to which his father, PininiHe gave it his personal touch.” That’s how he wanted to do them, right in the Bay of Cádiz, where it’s always nice to hear other flamenco styles, with Requena’s six strings playing tricks alongside him, and dedicating them to a friend and fellow musician like Encarnita Ring.
Thus we arrive at the seguiriya, in which Valencia, on the other hand, wanted to look towards Jerez, and finish with bulerías from Lebrija with the lyrics of a romance by the aforementioned Nene de Jerez, this time dedicated to two companions from the time when they were all, almost teenagers, in the company of Antonio the Pipe: Rosario Toledo y Anna Salazar.
All of those mentioned were present in the auditorium, along with other distinguished exponents of flamenco from Cádiz, like the multi-instrumentalist Dieguito Villegas and the flamenco dancer Eduardo GuerreroIn the end, José Valencia received applause and a standing ovation from the audience, who felt they had participated in a near-perfect afternoon and evening. Could one ask for anything more to be happy? A plate of snails?
Credits
With hierarchy, by Jose Valencia
Cadiz Cycle is Flamenco
Centro Flamenco La Merced, Cádiz
April 30th 2026
José Valencia, cante
Juan Requena, guitar
Manuel Valencia and Juan Diego Valencia, palmas
