I have already used the title of this obituary article on numerous occasions, at least since the festivities of the first Malaga Biennial in Flamenco (2005). What I never thought was that I would turn to him for the farewell of Luis Soler Guevara, whom I don't know if I knew before I was born, because the truth is that I remember him all my life, especially after he left his position as head of Urban Planning in the Algeciras Town HallThat was when many gluttons began to take note that such an illustrious man from Malaga was not made to float among corruption or to survive comfortably among filth, and even less so by letting himself be carried away by the current of deception.
After so many decades of shared experiences, I've come to the conviction that no matter how strong the wind blows or how many sails change, Luis Soler's intentions still sail on the same ship returning to the dock of coherence, the port that gathers the waves lost in the sea of confusion. And all because our protagonist was marked by waiting, for if the river of cante It rushes through rugged terrain, but Luis didn't care, because there is no mighty river that doesn't eventually find its way to the sea, an attitude that can only be achieved with tenacity, willpower and effort, which is what makes men leaders.
It goes without saying that while in every society and throughout history there have been individuals and groups who have managed to turn their ideas into a battle to be won, there have also been those, like Luis Soler, who have cared—without asking for anything in return—about the dignity of the culture that best represents us. flamenco, for the inclusion in the system of the most vulnerable artists and for the rescue of those who, burdened with oblivion on their backs, gave a special splendor to this Andalusian heritage.
This commitment, which when assumed firmly and with a spirit of inquiry we call responsibility, is the central axis of the life of our protagonist, Luis Soler Guevara, a native of Málaga, where he was born in November 1944, and where he began his career as a child in the flamencoa passion that he expanded in Algeciras, where he arrived in 1967 thanks to the architect Joaquín Cuello in whose studio he had worked in Malaga since 1963, and which he combined with his political commitment, since as number 2 on the PCE lists he was Deputy Mayor, Councillor for Urban Planning of the Algeciras City Council in the period 1979-1983, that is, in the first democratic elections, and with the incalculable value of not rubbing elbows with contractors, nor building a villa and nor charging commissions, for the simple reason that I am referring to a decent person.
As a public official, Luis coordinated an unusual political action in these times: promoting government activity in service to society –hence his first General Urban Development Plan, which was approved unanimously–, healthy debate, developed in the climate of cordiality demanded by good men, and the effective contribution to the spiritual enrichment of his leftist colleagues from an analytical and critical perspective, the only way to refine sensitivity to the problems of others, to strengthen the responsibility inherent in the position, and to determine commitments to oneself and to society.
"It was from these experiences that Luis Soler would gain momentum to become a staunch defender of the authenticity of this art, eventually becoming a self-confessed Mairena enthusiast and one of the most renowned researchers the world of Mairena has ever produced." flamenco in recent years, especially since, together with his paternal nephew, Ramón Soler Díaz, he won the III Antonio Mairena Journalism Prize»
There are many more actions that make up the political achievement of Luis, who, from his activism in the Communist partyHe also possessed sufficient autonomy and character to act in scenarios that, although of strong interests, could never penetrate the security that this admired man from Malaga granted to the sense of the public, which together with the creativity of ideas, responsibility, tolerance and affection in his vital relationship with others, gave a vision that, surely, leaves the new generations perplexed.
After leaving politics months before the end of his term, but with his bank account overdrawn and an unparalleled track record, it's fair to say that the city didn't recognize these virtues. He had a rather mediocre time. He returned to Málaga and, as a draftsman, worked in Joaquín Cuello's architecture studio until 1994. But he became unemployed and started selling encyclopedias.
Later, in 1999, he signed an administrative contract for the distribution of the flamenco In Algeciras, towards the end of 2005, due to the negligence of those who claim to represent what they offend, while we were putting a dot on the i's in the Congress on Pastora Pavón 'Girl of the Combs', He was relegated to the oblivion of unemployment when he was only five years away from retirement, so, seeing that nobody would give him a job, he was forced to return to Malaga, where he has just said his final goodbye.
This is the untold story of this hero who fought for democracy until it was defeated by the tyranny of cronyism. But what's important to emphasize here is how the quality of a researcher is never accidental, but rather the result of intellectual effort and the recording of memories. Soler arrived at flamenco through his experiences, especially thanks to his father's unwavering passion, Ramón the Stick, which was liked by few others cante by soleá, and from his godfather, Pepe Yuste, a renowned artistic representative of Malaga, Granada and Cordoba in the 20s and 30s.
It was from these experiences that Luis Soler would gain momentum to become a staunch defender of the authenticity of this art – remember, for example, his rescue of, among others, Uncle Mollino (1989) – until becoming an avowed Mairenist and one of the most accredited researchers the world has produced flamenco In recent years, especially since, together with his paternal nephew, Ramon Soler Diaz, obtained on January 30, 1992 the III Antonio Mairena Journalism Prize, an award for which I had the great honor of presiding over the jury and which we granted unanimously thanks to his incomparable work Origin and evolution of the seguiriya and the soleá in Antonio Mairena.
It was precisely this work that allowed him to continue delving deeper into the master's work. Antonio MairenaTo the point that, after eight years of analyzing the complexity of his styles and time in which we acted as a privileged witness, putting our personal archive at his service, his most accomplished work up to that point was published, Antonio Mairena in the world of soleá and seguiriya (01-08-1992), a volume that elevates him alongside his nephew Ramón and which has been, and continues to be, an essential reference for all fans, researchers and critics of flamenco.
→ To be continued…
