Dancer Ginette performing alegrías with singer Hector Márquez and Mateo Romero on cajón, March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

It's 11-something am on Monday as I type these words. I'm loving the freedom of mobile computing: right now I'm at a Starbucks sipping a tall café americano and nibbling a blueberry muffin as I work on this blog. :-) I get two hours of free WiFi here which is a perfect motivator for me to finish up my web-related work quickly. So let's get to it.

As you already know so well, it's been a rough winter business-wise: customer turnout has been pretty low at a lot of flamenco venues. Fortunately, these venues have simply cut back on the budget instead of dropping the shows altogether. While it does cost money to hire flamenco artists, we do bring in business. Goes with the saying: "You gotta spend money to make money!"

The pics you see here are from a few weeks ago at Cabanas where I've been performing since September 2005...that's almost 4 years! This is one of those venues where the budget has been cut back temporarily. It's a one dancer show for now and as business picks up, we'll go back to the two dancer format. In the warmer months, the Georgetown Harbour is the place to be. I can't wait until the temperature gets high enough that we can open up the patio doors and feel the warm breeze onstage as we perform!

Guitarist Miguelito playing the intro to bulerías. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

Mateo and Hector warming before the second show. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

The past couple of years have been especially good artistically for the DC flamenco community. While we've always had flamenco singers in the area, we've never had as many as we do now...well, not that many. But enough that we have flamenco singers at just about all the shows on a more or less consistent basis. In case you're new to the area, some of the singers that you can typically find performing at a DC area tablao include Gerard Moreno, Carlton Ashton, José Oretea, Hector Márquez and Nazareno "Naíto" Meli.

I don't have to explain to you how inspiring it is to have flamenco singing in a show. But it's good and bad. Thing is: once you get used to having cante, it feels, shall we say, less inspiring when there is no singer. And we still do have occasional shows in DC without cante. For years, us DC area flamenco guitarists had to carry the whole musical load for flamenco shows because there just weren't enough singers to go around—or as was the case most of the time, there was no entertainment budget that included a singer because until recently, the audience seemed to like the show without cante anyway and sadly they sometimes still do. But in a way, it made us guitarists stronger as musicians.

Miguelito playing the intro to Sevillanas accompanied by Mateo on cajón. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

But as the years go by, everything changes. And now that we have flamenco singers performing just about everywhere here in DC, it's not very likely we can ever go back to the guitarist/dancer show format. But occasionally whenever I have to perform without cante, thanks to my previous onstage experience, I can deal with it just fine.

A beautiful portrait of Ginette playing the castanets. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

Ginette dancing Sevillanas. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

Ginette dancing soleá accompanied by guitarist Miguelito. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

Hector singing soleá. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

One other thing that I'm enjoying now, after being active in the DC flamenco scene for 17 years (!!!) is seeing a new younger generation of flamencos grow up. As you can see in the next pic, I'm sharing the stage with performers who are (almost) half my age. I love it. Surrounding myself with younger flamencos is always inspiring. Reminds me of how I was when I first got into flamenco as a college student.

Miguelito and Los Jovenes Flamencos: Mateo, Ginette and Hector. March 20, 2009 (photo by Bella)

OK, my free WiFi time is about to run out, so I better wrap it up. I've already said this before, but we need your support at local flamenco shows. While business is picking up, it's still relatively slow. Even if you can't come regularly, please spread the word and tell your friends about DC area flamenco shows. We need all the help we can get. Thanks!

PS tonight, I'm performing at Cafe Citron (shows at 7:30pm and 8:30pm) with dancer Sara Jerez and singer José Oretea. Ciao for now!

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[Editor's note: this is a guest review by Ken McNaughton. Thanks Ken!]

On Saturday February 28, 2009 at the Alden Theatre in McLean, Virginia, Estela Velez’s company, Furia Flamenca, presented a show called “Lorca: Flamenco Poetry,” based on poems and songs of Federico García Lorca.

Figure 1. Romance de la Luna.

In May of 1997 I spent a week at Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Southern France for the annual Pilgrimage of the Gypsies (Rom). Each day I would mix and mingle in the streets in cotton pants and shirt, listening and dancing to the music and absorbing the atmosphere. Around midnight I would return to La Roulotte, my tiny pensione across from the church where an effigy of their patrone Saint Sara is kept wrapped in multiple robes prior to the annual procession to the sea. This all captured in “Latcho Drom” (1993) directed by Tony Gatlif, and some of my 1997 photos are posted on the website of La Patrin

Figure2. Arrest of Antoñito el Camborio.

The featured guitarist I photographed under “Music and Dance” is J. “Chico” Bouchikhi, founding member and original spokesperson of the Gipsy Kings, who married into the Reyes family and co-wrote their big hit “Bamboleo” and some other songs. When I went to sleep each night there would still be a group of Slovenian Rom playing violins in the courtyard outside my ground floor window. In the room above, a Rom mother, grandmother and two daughters from a camp in Nice had been accommodated at the request of the priest.

Figure 3. The Goring and the Death.

The day I left town I asked the girl in the record store what CD souvenirs I should buy. She suggested three—one by a local Rom in the Nuevo Flamenco style; “Descubre El Flamenco,” which my friend from Barcelona, Nuria Quella, described as “a bunch of the old guys;” and “Los Gitanos Cantan a Federico García Lorca.” I never get tired of listening to this last CD.

The words are by Lorca (1898-1936), Spanish poet, dramatist, theatre director and martyr of the Spanish Civil War. There are ten tracks and five singers, with five songs by José Monje Cruz (1950-1992), known as “Camarón” (Shrimp) and one track, “Verde,” by José Ortega Heredia, known as “Manzanita” (Little Apple). I thought the use of this last song for an extended finale in the performance of “Lorca: Flamenco Poetry” was an inspired choice.

Figure 4. Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejias.

The Furia Flamenca show was designed by Estela and danced by her company. Before curtain time, Torcuato Zamora came into the lobby to greet a distinguished looking group of Spanish speaking guests, looking every inch the silver fox in his ruffled white shirt. I told him if he played as well as he looked we were in good hands, to which he replied modestly, “I think you will enjoy the show.”

Figure 5. (l-r) Antonio Castro-Ossorio, Torcuato Zamora, Andrea Vercoe, Guillermo-Juan Christie, and Jorge Porta.

Most of the musical arrangements were by Guillermo Christie, a fine guitarist who told me after the show that he rarely plays out—it was Lorca who brought him out on this occasion (Fig. 5). His father told me that Guillermo runs The Guitar Gallery on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC. Torcuato played guitar and wrote the music for “Anda Jaleo,” which was sung by Margarita Ossorio. Margarita was born in Madrid; her son, Antonio Castro-Ossorio, played cajón. Andrea Vercoe played a sensitive violin and sometimes added palmas, and Jorge Porta was the lead male voice. For one song, Guillermo tried his hand with hammer and anvil. Margarita and Jorge recited the poems in Spanish over the music.

Fig. 6. Casidas de Palomas Oscuras.

The spacious Alden stage features a luminous plain backdrop that can change color and this was used to great effect. The musicians were bunched to the right rear and, with a bright blue backdrop, Estela floated out in a voluminous white costume for the opening Soleares, “Romance de la Luna” (Fig. 1). The second piece, Tangos de Málaga, was “Prendimiento (Arrest) de Antoñito el Camborio” danced by Estela’s brilliant student Daniel Paredez, with the principal dancers dressed like soldiers (Fig. 2). Then came “Muerte (Death) de Antoñito el Camborio,” a Martinete with Daniel and the whole company. These three pieces were from Lorca’s “Romancero Gitano,” or Gypsy Ballads.

Fig. 7. Sevillanas del Siglo XVIII.

There was a brief pause, during which Daniel was revived to play the matador in a Tientos duet with Estela, “La Cogida y la Muerte” (The Goring and the Death, Figs. 3 and 4), followed by “La Sangre Derramada” (Spilled Blood) a Soleá por Bulerías with the principal dancers, and then a Caña with the whole company. These three pieces were based on “Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejias,” described as Lorca’s greatest elegy, for his friend, the famous bullfighter, who died in the bull ring at five in the afternoon. Every second line of the poem rings out hypnotically:

“A las cinco de la tarde.”

Lorca argued that great art depends on a vivid awareness of death, connection with a nation’s soil and an acknowledgement of the limitations of reason. Now we had the serious business out of the way, Estela arranged a lively second half, still based on Lorca’s poems. There were six pieces, each with colorful costume changes and coordinated shoes (Figs. 6 and 7). The finale, Tangos with the whole company, was “Romance Sonámbulo,” a poem called “Verde” set to haunting music by Manzanita who sings it on my CD with an unforgettable broken style. The poet speaks of green wind, green branches, the boat on the sea, the horse on the mountain, and the girl who is waiting at home—a poem of longing, of distance, of bitterness and danger. And always the insistent chorus:

“Yo te quiero verde, ay, ay
Yo te quiero verde.”

“Green, green, I love you, yes, yes
Green I love you.”

Jorge Porta did a fine cover version of this song, with Margarita Ossorio doing back up vocals, accompanied by the two guitars, violin and palmas. This was a most ambitious program, delivered with great aplomb by all concerned (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. Dancers and musicians take a bow.

PHOTO CREDITS Photos 1, 2 and 4 by Kaveh Sardari (sardari.com); photos 3, 6 and 7 by Shana H. Creech; photos 5 and 8 by Ken McNaughton ().

COPYRIGHT This work is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any medium without written permission from the author, Ken McNaughton, 3778 College Avenue, Ellicott City, MD 21043; phone/fax: 410-418-9340; (March 3, 2009).

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Marylin, Claudia, Dario, Marcela and Miguelito at Bodega's outdoor patio. March 14, 2009 12:30am

It's 3:30pm on Monday as I type these words. For the first time I'm working on my website in a Starbucks using a netbook. It's so liberating to finally get out of the house! In any case, my battery is about to poop out so (as usual) this will be quickie blog entry with minimal commentary.

Last Friday (the 13th!!!), my friend Naíto hosted a juerga at Bodega in honor of local guitarrista Ramin to celebrate his birthday. I was doing my usual flamenco gig with dancer Ginette Perea and singer Hector Márquez a few blocks away at Cabanas so I didn't arrive at the juerga until 11pm (it started at 9pm) and as expected the party was already in full swing (albeit in the cold) at the outdoor patio of Bodega. It wasn't so bad since there were some outdoor heaters, not to mention the inner warmth generated by the delicious sangría. :-)

Singer Hector Márquez accompanied by Naíto on guitar in Bodega's Matador Room. Other faces I recognize include Milagros, Jason, Antonia (waving), Denise, Angela, Daniela and Mutsuko. March 14, 2009 12:33am

While Hector and Naíto migrated the party indoors, I remained in the patio with a few dancers and played a few sevillanas (sans cante) for a few coplas before we all headed to Bodega's Matador Room to join the bulerías jam session in progress.

I wasn't really in my usual photojournalistic mode that night, but I took a few portraits of the people who made the effort to come out on this cold night...

Jason Vera y Aragón and Antonia. March 14, 2009 12:41am

Marcela and Marylin. March 14, 2009 12:42am

Claudia, Marcela and Marylin. March 14, 2009 12:42am

Denise and Marco. March 14, 2009 1:06am

Dario, Claudia, Marcela and Marylin. March 14, 2009 1:06am

Ximena, Mutsuko and Milagros. March 14, 2009 1:10am

Ximena, Milagros and Miguelito. March 14, 2009 1:34am

Antonia and Denise. March 14, 2009 1:38am

With having many performers as friends, the ongoing dilemma with scheduling parties is finding a night when everyone is available to come. José and César Oretea (aka Duende Camarón) were performing at La Tasca Old Town until midnight and finally arrived at 1:00am and contributed their musical gifts for the final hour of the juerga until 2:00am when we all finally left the premises and went our separate ways. Fun night!

César, Ramin and José in front of Bodega. March 14, 2009 2:27am

P.S. As for tonight (Monday), I'll be performing at Café Citrón with singer José Oretea and dancer Sara Jerez and most likely going to Ozio afterwards. See you there!

P.P.S. Lately I've been learning some falsetas by José Tanaka via YouTube. Check it out!

P.P.P.S. This weekend Virginia Commonwealth University (aka VCU) is presenting its first Flamenco Festival featuring Paco de Málaga, Marija Temo, Edwin Aparicio et al. Checkout the blog entry about when yours truly performed at VCU in 2007.

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Singer/guitarist José Oretea at La Tasca Old Town. February 28, 2009 12:18am

It's noon on Sunday as I type these words. Got up a short while ago. No big surprise, right? You're probably assuming I partied late...yet again. But the truth is that I went to bed early, ok actually around 2:00am last night. And I so needed to catch up on sleep cuz I had been literally going out every night this week.

Here are some pics from La Tasca in Old Town Alexandria where rumba group Duende Camarón performs every Friday night from around 10pm to midnight. Enjoy!

Duende Camarón members José and César Oretea. February 28, 2009 12:25am

Early that evening I was doing my usual Friday night gig at Cabanas with dancer Ginette Perea and as usual hung out with friends over there before heading out to Old Town Alexandria.

My friend and I arrived at La Tasca in Old Town around 11:30pm assuming we'd only catch the last few songs for the night. But the crowd size was pretty decent, considering the cold weather, so they played a bit longer.

The crowd. February 28, 2009 12:26am

It's true: I see Duende Camarón perform several times a week as it is. Can't help it. They're really that good!

La Tasca regulars, Roxanne and her brother (also a local flamenco dancer) Jason Vera y Aragón. February 28, 2009 12:27am

José. February 28, 2009 12:31am

César. February 28, 2009 12:32am

César. February 28, 2009 12:32am

Another shot of the crowd. February 28, 2009 12:35am

José. February 28, 2009 12:40am

Hanging out after the show: Theresa (a Los Angeles-based flamenco dancer), Roxanne, Ismail and José. February 28, 2009 12:56am

I couldn't say no when my fellow flamencos wanted to party afterwards. I was already sleep-deprived as it is and we ended having a late night jam session until 5:00am. But my ride had to leave at 8:00am so I only got three hours of sleep. Needlessly to say, there was NO way I could go out and party Saturday night (apologies to my Armenian friends) and so I ended up staying at home and sleeping. I did squeeze in ten hours of restful sleep so I'm caught up now! :-)

More info about José and César can be found at Duende Camarón website.

Coming up next Sunday March 8, 2009: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana at the Reston Community Center.

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