Opinion is divided amongst aficionados of flamenco guitar as to the worth of Manitas' playing. For some, he is the greatest flamenco player the word has ever seen, and others think him overrated, overly flamboyant and disrespectful of the flamenco form. I am no expert on flamenco (or anything else for that matter), but for me, there is a passion and intensity in the music of Manitas de Plata (Little Hands of Silver) which transcends genre, there is a spontaneity and an exhuberance that is life affirming. This is a joyful noise.
It's strange how elastic time has become, or maybe has always been. I've been posting here at Snap, Crackle and Pop for just over three years now so I thought it was HIGH TIME for a little mix - around my musical world in 75 minutes or so.
Here is the tracklist, and you'll find that clicking on the artist's name will take you to the original post. Handy eh?
A couple of weeks ago I picked up a few old Spanish singles at a boot sale and I thought I'd share them here.
Flamenco is the product of the collision of the musics of the European Roma with those of the Sephardic Jews and the Moors in Spain. These distinct cultural groups found common ground during the years of the Spanish Inquisition when all were persecuted by the Christian ruling classes. The musical cultures mixed after the Moors, Jews and Gitanos were exiled from the cities of Southern Spain and moved into the mountainous regions in the 16th Century.
"...the beasts were at the rack in the stables and the travellers were at the other end in the kitchen, separated from the stable by two stone steps. At that time, this was the normal arrangement in nearly all Spanish inns. The whole building was but one long room of which the greatere part was occupied by the mules and the lesser by the humans. But it was all the merrier for that. As the zagal saw to the pack animals, he kept up a steady stream of repartee with the innkeeper's wife, who replied with all the liveliness of her sex and station until the more serious minded innkeeper came between them and interrupted the exchanges. They soon started up again, however. The inn rang to the sound of the castanets played by the maids, who danced to the raucous singing of a goatherd. Travellers made each other's acquaintance and invited each other to supper. Everyone gathered round the stove, said who they were, where they were going and sometimes told stories. Those were the good old days; now our inns are more comfortable, but the boisterous social life which the travellers of those days led had a charm I cannot describe to you."
Jan Potocki The Manuscript Found at Saragossa
These singles all look like they date from between the early 1960s to the early '70s and they were possibly produced for the growing tourist market, as this was the time when General Franco started to build the large resorts around the golden coasts of the Mediterranean. But I could be wrong.
Tracklist:
01 Sevillanas - Juergo Gitana
02 Malaguenas - Alfonso Labrador y Cuadro de Baile
03 Fandangos de Huelva - Roque Montoya, Beni de Cadiz y Soledad Jordan
04 El Porompompero (Rumba) - Manolo Escobar y sus Guitarras
05 Fandangos de Huelva - Juergo Gitana
06 Sevillanas - Alfonso Labrador y Cuadro de Baile
07 Alegrias de Cadiz - Juergo Gitana
08 Soleares - Cuadro Flamenco
09 Ave Maria no Morro - Manolo Escobar y sus Guitarras
10 El Primer Bautizo (Bolero Flamenco) - Manolo Escobar y sus Guitarras
11 Tarantas - Cuadro Flamenco
12 Te Canto Con Mis Guitarras (Vals Bulerias) - Manolo Escobar y sus Guitarras
13 Sevillanas - Roque Montoya, Beni de Cadiz y Soledad Jordan
14 Soleares - Roque Montoya, Beni de Cadiz y Soledad Jordan
15 Tientos - Roque Montoya, Beni de Cadiz y Soledad Jordan
Absolutely stunning gypsy flamenco recorded live at the festival of Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue region of France. During the '60s and '70s, Manitas de Plata (Little Hands of Silver) was one of the most famous flamenco guitarists in the world, playing the Carnegie Hall, the Royal Variety Performance and at a United Nations gala. For purists, his music was too raw and unpredictable to be considered as flamenco, but the improvisational flair of his performances and his ecstatic immersion in the creative moment make for engrossing listening. Here's some footage:
And just for a treat, here's another clip from Tony Gatlif's moving film about the Rom people, their journeys and their musics, Latcho Drom:
Tracklist:
01 Eglise Maure 02 Sara La Noire 03 Hommage a Baroncelli 04 Benediction de la Mer Side 2 Senor Carcelero - Galop de Camargue - Fandango de Manero et de Jose - Chant du Berger - Sola Lagrima
Picked up this wonderful recording of flamenco music from a local boot sale recently, and what a treasure it is. The album was released in the late '50s, but it was recorded at the annual Gypsy pilgrimage to Saintes Maries de la Mer way back in 1955. Some breathtaking performances on this disc and all the music is performed amidst a real carnival atmosphere. Here's what the sleeve notes have to say:
Gypsy Music recorded at the Festival of Les Stes. Maries De La Mer, 1955
These recordings of Flamenco music were made at the festival held in May each year by the Gypsies at Les Stes. Maries de la Mer in the South of France. In recording this festival, it was hoped to find some link between the Flamenco type voice-production and the songs of the wandering Bauls from Bengal, whose vocation is to never remain rooted in one place for any great length of time, but to roam throughout India singing religious, philosophical and amorous songs.
The researchers wondered how a recording machine would be taken by the Gypsies; perhaps they would resent it as an intrusion on their festivities. But from th moment of arrival at the festival they were accepted with a warm, naïve delight, mingled with childish shyness on the part of some of the women, although very few were at all reluctant to sing in front of the microphone. The music and dancing of these people is so powerful that one is hardly aware of material surroundings beyond the thick sound of many people clustered round the groups of singers and guitarists. Although the Gypsies come not only from Spain, but also from France and Italy, difference of language was no barrier to communication between them; it was very beautiful to see the way their music forms a strong link and means of expression between the different races.
The recordings were taken under rather difficult conditions. The Microphone was taken from one group to another, as they sang and danced night and day in the streets and arena, intoxicated by alcohol and the rhythmical fire of their music. Although there is a certain spirit of rivalry between the different groups of Gypsy musicians, they become as one, rushing to surround the singer, clapping hands, stamping feet, shouting encouragement, caught up in the throb of the music and the lust of the dancing. There is a brutal, savage quality in the wild strangely long drawn out cry of these songs and in the sadness of the Cante Jondo.
Side 1:
Artists: JUANITA PIRRIS, MARINA GARRETTA and party
(All the pieces of music on this side of the record were performed by the same group singing in front of a constantly increasing audience who helped the music to grow more and more lively, also adding the necessary atmosphere to this spontaneous ensemble. The language is Spanish.)
BULERIAS: Love song by a group of Spanish Gypsies now wandering in the South of France. The song is alternated with instrumental interludes, and while the singers, both men and women, performed, the Gypsy audience took active part in the performance by clapping the rhythm. The accompaniment is on guitar.
Just to whet your appetite, here's a couple of great clips from Tony Gatlif's moving film about the Rom people, their journeys and their musics, Latcho Drom:
The music is, of course, for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear then go out and try and buy stuff...or something, give money to a down on his luck musician, or sponsor a good busker, it may be the start of something beautiful.
If any of the zips die, then post a comment and i'll try to repost. And leave comments, abuse, name calling, any response is welcome.
I think all of the albums posted are currently unavailable, but if this is not the case we'll remove the offending files.
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