Rereading the magnificent book of Manuel Herrera that her daughter gave me when I was in Los Palacios, I find these wise words of José de los Reyes, The Black Man from the Port of Santa María: "To sing gypsy you don't have to be gypsy, but you do have to know how to sing gypsy." That ballad singer rescued by the much-missed Luis Suarez Avila He used 'Gypsy' as an adjective in that interview. And here, in my opinion, is the biggest misunderstanding of the many that flood the frequent discussions among flamenco music fans: confusing, I believe intentionally, that is, having tried to confuse people between the adjective 'Gypsy', that is: singing, playing or dancing 'Gypsy', and the noun, being or not being 'Gypsy' as a condition for singing, playing or dancing. flamenco as God commands.
If we go back to the year 1847, the first time the word appears written flamenco, at least until today, in relation to a genre of singable music, specifically on June 6, was in the Madrid newspaper El Espectador in a press release titled "Singer Flamenco", referring to the Cadiz native and nephew of Antonio Monge The Planet, Lázaro Quintana. There we can read quite clearly: "The singer of the gypsy genre," literally. Given that Lázaro, who probably wasn't even a gypsy, was, and this is what matters to us in the context we are discussing, a pioneer in the interpretation of songs of the gypsy genre, that new type of music, as described in that advertisement, which was performed that night in Madrid, we see that Gypsy refers to the gender, not to the person who performs itAnd it turns out that a century or so later, a singer, not at all suspected of trying to sweep aside his caste, José El Negro, had his words corroborated by the news from 1847: "To sing gypsy, you don't have to be a gypsy, but you do have to know how to sing gypsy." And so, dear readers, we're about to enter a mess from which we'll see whether we can emerge unscathed, or not.
At another point, the natural wisdom of José de los Reyes firmly states that the canteThe gypsy traditions are the seguiriya, the soleá, the martinete, the bulería, the alegría, and the malagueña. Oh no! There you have the Cádiz cantiña and the supreme Malaga fandango as cantes gypsies. Of course! He says that because gypsies are the ones cantes, music, the way of interpreting melodies, harmonies and rhythms, and not who does them. And knowing how to sing gypsy is singing well the seguiriya, soleá, alegrías or the malagueña del Canario, although whoever does it cante is named Kawasaki.
"What can I say? I never look at the DNA of anyone who sings, plays, or dances. It would never occur to me to choose between Handel or Scarlatti because one is German and the other Italian, or to choose between Mozart and Haydn because they are from Salzburg and Vienna respectively."
I like Herrera's book because it lets the artists speak, although almost all of them are gypsies. Manuel's tastes and preferences were in that direction. paloAnd these teachers, most of them well into their senior years, are the voice of experience and usually don't hold any tricks or gimmicks. There's always learning there, or at least clarification of ideas, and listening to the voice of experience is almost always a highly recommended exercise.
And now comes the crux of the matter: what does gypsy singing really mean? For many, and in my opinion, wrongly, it has to do with timbre. I've already expressed this idea in another article. You have to have a hoarse voice, a voice of stone, that is, one that is the antithesis of the cante de Jose Tejada Martin, for art Child of Marchena, which in general, in the ears of the fan, represents the height of cante…let's say payo. For those who are of that opinion, to sing gypsy you have to have the voice of Manuel Agujetas, Alonso Núñez Rancapino, Gregorio El Borrico, Aunt Anica La Piriñaca, Fernando Terremoto, atavistic voices, of immeasurable depth, those that when they sing seguiriya their mouths taste of blood, according to the poetics of the world jondo, which usually comforts the racial dreams of those who believe that if you are not a gypsy you cannot sing flamencoA matter of taste elevated to the level of being or not being. And I ask myself: How many Roma surnames do you have to have to be considered a Roma in Andalusia, the paradise of mixed races? Because the great Lola from Jerez, who for many remains a paradigm of what it means to be a gypsy, apparently out of four grandparents only one was, although his art, his voice, his dance, that of "don't miss it", could not be more gypsy, as a qualifying adjective.
A few days ago, while doing my bookworm work, I came across an advertisement for the Ballet by José Greco about a performance in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1966, where the "famous gypsy guitarist" is announced Paco de Lucía", and a long time ago I found a New York chronicle where they highlighted the gypsy mastery of Antonio gadesFor chroniclers, "gypsy" was an adjective, a way of describing the playing and dancing of two non-gypsies. It's not the verb "to be," it's the verb "to sing," "to play," or "to dance." If you're a gypsy, do you know how to sing "gypsy" better than someone who isn't? Not always. Chacon for malagueñas he was a prodigy and according to El Negro he is a cante Gypsy. He was also Don Antonio great for soleá, seguiriya and cantiñas, and no one can take away from him the fact that he was the beacon that illuminated the path along which the flamenco for a century, a path traveled by Pastora, Tomas, Mojama, Snail, And till Camarón He is indebted to that Jerez titan who some daring people who had never heard him sing went so far as to describe him as a singer, denying him the flamenco category of cantaor, because he was gachó.
"You can be fine, palo Cortao, oloroso or Pedro Ximénez, they all have their tradition, that is to say: they know how to transform the old into the new, with deep roots, much deeper than questions of blood, lineage, and other purity of blood so overvalued today.
And that's where we are. As is natural, we each have our preferences. It's a matter of taste, and, as I often say, there are different versions for all tastes. Personally, I have a weakness for Vallejo and by Thomas PavonBy Camarón y Dying, by Caracol and Marchena, by Mairena y PhosphoriteBy Shake y PansecoBy Antonio Reyes y Mayte MartínWhat can I say? I never look at the DNA of anyone who sings, plays, or dances. It would never occur to me to choose between Handel or Scarlatti because one is German and the other Italian, or to choose between Mozart and Haydn because they are from Salzburg and Vienna respectively.
It's all a question of tradition. To sing well, it seems essential to have been forged with the precious metals of the depths, and these are found in the most diverse homes, and no one would think that racial issues could intervene in such an exquisite and sophisticated natural selection. You can be refined, palo Cortao, oloroso or Pedro Ximénez, they all have their tradition, that is to say: they know how to transform the old into the new, with deep roots, much deeper than questions of blood, lineage, and other purity of blood so overvalued today.
