The walls of La TertuliaThe legendary Granada venue, the bar, is a testament to almost half a century of culture in the Nasrid capital. Poets, painters, singer-songwriters, rock musicians, theater people, and creators of all stripes and backgrounds have graced this place for 46 years. Also, the flamencoYes, of course. And among them, standing out among the numerous framed photographs, was one who came to make La Tertulia his second home: the maestro Enrique Morente.
Now that the historic venue has announced its closure, due – according to the businessman – to Tato Rébora, its visible head during all this time – to the change in the habits of the clientele, who have ended up going to bed earlier and consuming fewer drinks, it is worth remembering that time when the cabals of Granada, in addition to the tablaos, peñaThe caves of Sacromonte met at this sanctuary of the Pintor López Mezquita Street.
When Rébora met Enrique, many decades ago, at first he was nothing more than a friendly customer, until someone told him: “That guy you like so much is one of the best flamenco singers around.” It wasn't easy to impress the promoter of La Tertulia, who one day might have in his establishment... Rafael Alberti o Mario Benedetti reciting poems, and another receiving Paco Ibanez o Joaquín Sabina.
But Morente's charm was irresistible: "I found the questions he asked very appealing," Tato recalls. "You'd answer him, he'd have a couple of whiskeys, and after a while he knew more than you. He had an incredible ability to articulate the information you gave him and learn, to absorb everything that came his way."
This was certainly the case with La Tertulia's most select clientele: in one photo, the maestro can be seen conversing with one of the great poets of the Generation of '50, Angel GonzálezHere with other younger people, like Luis Garcia Montero, o Javier Egea…And even with the judge Garzón“Morente was very endearing, he had a wonderful sense of humor, he learned from everyone and everyone learned from him. He was magnetic,” Rébora continues. “In fact, when Enrique arrived, La Tertulia would be packed. I’m convinced they called each other from one of those old green telephones, back when cell phones didn’t exist. ‘Hey, Enrique’s around here.’ It was word of mouth, and they’d come running, of course.”
“Morente was just a friendly customer until someone told him, ‘That guy you like so much is one of the best flamenco singers around.’ It wasn’t easy to impress the promoter of La Tertulia, who one day might have Rafael Alberti or Mario Benedetti reciting poems in his establishment, and another day receive Paco Ibáñez or Joaquín Sabina.”
He was not, of course, the only one flamenco who frequented La Tertulia. Through him also came Vicente Friend o ArchangelTo name just two very close ones. Faces like those of the Granada guitarists can also be recognized in the photos of the venue. Miguel Ochando o Pepe Habichuela, the percussionist Rubem Dantas or the popularizer Faustino NunezOr the flamenco singer and writer Juan Pinilla, who starred in La Tertulia's first recital after the lockdown, accompanied by the guitar of Jose Fermin Fernandez.
However, one of La Tertulia's greatest contributions to the music of Lower Andalusia has been its role as a connector to Argentina's quintessential music, the tango. And Morente—who even appears playing the bandoneon in one of the photos—also played a prominent role there. As Tato Rébora recalls, a biennial of Flamenco in Buenos Aires, which had Enrique as its first programmer. And in Granada he conceived the Tango Festivalwhich is now 38 years old, and whose first edition was closed by Enrique himself with a recital of cante"He was a very open person," she recalls.
So fruitful was the idol's connection to tango that the second and third Buenos Aires Tango Biennials were named after Enrique Morente. “After his death, I took his three children to the entrance of the theater in the Argentine capital, with a huge sign that was Enrique's eyes and the legend: Enrique Morente's perspective on Buenos Aires. Can you imagine the torrent of tears we shed?”
Tato and his Tertulia's relationship with the Morente family was always fraternal. “They considered me family, and I went to their house weekly, which was always visited by flamenco“s,” he states, while showing a painting signed by Aurora carbonell, the singer's life partner. “I also accompanied him many times to Madrid, on nights of Candle, in a recital of Columbus Center… I will never forget when Enrique heard someone say 'Morente is singing today, let's see if we can find something that isn't flamencoHe got very angry and said, 'He's going to get it.' When it was time to leave the stage, he changed the guitarist's entire setlist to play cante"They're not traditional, but downright ancient."
When it came to genius, chess was never far away. At the entrance to La Tertulia, the small marble table where Morente set up his chessboard is still there, on the left. “Recently, a journalist recalled seeing him sitting alone. He thought that his opponentcante He would have gone to the bathroom or something, but Enrique told him, 'No, until anyone arrives, I'm playing with myself. Learning.'
Tato Rébora was also present at a gathering of stars at La Tertulia with Joan Manuel SerratJoaquín Sabina and Miguel Rios“When Sabina, with his characteristic irony, said 'the truth is that we are talented artists,' to which Miguel Ríos replied: 'Yes, because the only genius of our generation was Morente.' He was number 1 among his colleagues.” ♦
