Flamenco night at Cafe Bonaparte. April 16, 2008
Carlton Ashton and Behzad Habibzai at Café Bonaparte. April 16, 2008 8:06pm
It's 5:45am on Thursday as I type these words. Last night (Wednesday) was very chill--spent the evening listening to my friends perform for a small but appreciative crowd. i.e. myself, Jason Vera y Aragón and our new friend that we just met, Catherine. Don't get me wrong, business was good. There were quite a few other tables in this tiny tiny place filled with paying customers, but they were more into their own conversations than in the show itself.
I sat at the end of bar the whole evening--it's the prime spot for taking photos. For the short period when the two tables directly in front of me were unoccupied, I took advantage of the situation and snapped off a bunch of shots. What follows is a random selection.
Carlton Ashton and Behzad Habibzai at Café Bonaparte. April 16, 2008 8:06pm
Bear in mind, that I couldn't move around much: it seemed like every two seconds a waitress glided past me. There'd be a quick blur of black in my camera's viewfinder and they'd be gone. Earlier in the evening, I'd sense their presence out of the corner of my eye as they stood waiting for me to take a pic and uttered a quick, "Go ahead." As the evening progressed, they learned to stop asking to pass by and simply went about their business.
Carlton and Behzad. April 16, 2008 8:06pm
For those of you who haven't been here yet, this show features cante and guitar solos. It's not likely to be as popular as a show featuring dancers. But I still highly recommend that you do come. I'm not going to lecture you about the importance of cante in flamenco. You'll all figure that out eventually.
Carlton and Behzad. April 16, 2008 8:13pm
But there will be nights when more flamencos (performers and aficionados alike) will show up (perhaps even taking over this rather small venue) and if the ambiente is just right, a juerga might ensue. And you never know when that might happen. Better to just come out to Café Bonaparte more often and just "happen to be there" when it does!
Carlton and Behzad. April 16, 2008 8:14pm
The food here is pretty good and so are the wines (at least the ones that I've tried so far). I prefer red and almost always order something Spanish, usually a tempranillo served in one of those especially large wine glasses that allow it to "breathe" and open up its flavors. I'm no expert but as a flamenco performer I've hung out at Spanish restaurants and bars long enough to pick up a few things about wine appreciation.
Carlton and Behzad. April 16, 2008 8:17pm
Like it or not, alcohol is almost always a part of flamenco parties. Now I'm not encouraging you to go out and get drunk, but as long as you're old enough to consume alcohol, do order yourself a glass of something Spanish (or not), take a few sips, savor it and loosen up. It might help you overcome your inhibitions and get up and perhaps dance that little patada of bulerías or Sevillanas that you just learned in class. OK, so maybe you're not the next Eva or Farruquito but more importantly you'll be putting to use what you've learned and most likely will have a good time doing it. In my opinion, that's what's it all about: having a blast expressing yourself!
Carlton and Behzad. April 16, 2008 8:18pm
So what's new in the flamenco scene? A lot more local tablao shows are featuring cante. For the past six years, Café Citron was the only place to go if you wanted to see a show that consistently featured a flamenco singer: namely Gerard Moreno. But other places are starting to bring in singers from time to time: Las Tapas, Cabanas and Tapeo. Some of the singers who make their appearance at these places include: José Oretea, Carlton Ashton and Hector Márquez. Thing is that since they are occasional guests (usually volunteering their services), you never know for sure when these singers will be there, you just have to go to these venues and take your chances.
Actually there is one other venue (aside from Citron) that features a flamenco singer every week: Vinoteca on Sunday nights. Hopefully the day will come when more of the local restaurants will realize the entertainment value of regularly hiring a flamenco singer for the tablao show. In the meantime, we should do our part and support cante performances like the one here at Café Bonaparte. It's usually once a month on a Wednesday night.
Carlton and Behzad. April 16, 2008 8:19pm
Four years ago, flamenco singer José Merce made his debut in DC with guitarist Moraíto. Both are big names in flamenco. But since this was a cante concert, ticket sales were very poor. That's just the way it is here in Washington DC: dance concerts will always sell better than cante concerts. OK, enough ranting. You get the idea. Trust me on this: whether you're a dancer or a guitarist, learn to appreciate cante and you'll be able to experience flamenco on a deeper level.
Don't forget: this Sunday April 20th is the DC area's biggest local flamenco event: Centro Español de Washington's Feria de Sevilla at Strathmore in Bethesda.
OK, time for me to go to bed. :-) It's supposed to be another warm and sunny day with temps in the upper 70's, so make sure you get out of the office and enjoy it! Ciao for now.
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