Innovating flamenco guitarist Manolo Sanlucar announces retirement

NERJA The setting inside the caves at Nerja, a very flamenco venue, could hardly have been a better spot from which to announce his retirement from the stage. Manolo Sanlucar, a master guitarist, who, together with Paco de Lucía, is considered the most innovative of a significant generation of flamenco guitarists. The announcement came as a surprise to the audience, though it had been mooted for some time among his closest friends and associates. As he stood on stage after his performance of the symphonic version of 'Medea', a piece originally created in 1987 for Spain's National Ballet, Sanlucar was visibly emotional as he made his decision known. He started by saying that this was not one of his best concerts, for which he apologised, and ended up announcing his retirement, adding that he will be meeting all his contracted appearances through next year.

Really good flamenco guitar at Mingo

JIMENA Manolo Téllez is bringing his flamenco guitar to Mingo on Saturday, July 20, from 10pm. He specialises in the lively rumbas and sevillanas (to which you will want to dance, won't you?).

Flamenco Festival takes London

Top performers also came to the International Music Festival in Jimena, sadly lost

LONDON (New York Times/InTransit/Valerie Gladstone) Feet will be stamped, guitars strummed and cries of love sung as the Flamenco Festival returns to Sadler’s Wells on Tuesday through  Feb. 19. Now one of the city’s most popular festivals, it features the guitarist Vicente Amigo [who came to he International Music Festival in Jimena], the soulful singer José Mercé, and dancers as varied as the formidable, legendary Manuela Carrasco [also came to the Festival] and the young iconoclast, lovely Olga Pericet. On two gala evenings, Carrasco, Pericet, Rafaela Carrasco (no relation) and Carmen Cortés join forces in an explosion of fiery movement, demonstrating the varied forms of today’s flamenco. The Antonio Gades company will also perform the late choreographer’s dramatic, folk dance interpretation of Lope de Vega’s play, “Fuenteovejuna.” At the other end of the spectrum, the young and alternative flamenco group La Shica merges hip-hop, reggae and bossa nova in the experimental piece “Supercop.” “Every year I put together entirely different line-ups so that audiences get an idea of the wide variety of artists now making their mark in flamenco,” said Miguel Marin, the presenter of Flamenco Festival London. “There’s nowhere, other than Spain, where you can see so many different styles and such a high caliber of performer in this art form.” [This festival, with similar lineups, will also be performing in New York, Boston, Miami and other US venues, supported by the Instituto Cervantes]

Flamenco show presented in Jimena to tour America

El Indiano in Jimena, 2008

LA LÍNEA David Morales, the Flamenco dancer of La Línea who now also offers classes at the Instituto Cervantes in Gibraltar, presented a show called El Indiano at the 2008 International Music Festival of Jimena. It was a great success there and everywhere it went. The show brings the rhythms and sounds of South America (e.g. vidalitas, colombianas, tangos and milongas, to name but very few) and joins them with flamenco, not so much in 'fusion' but in  a'there and back' format that is difficult to explain but certainly worth seeing. However, you will have to make a trip to South America towards the end of May in order to do so. Morales is taking El Indiano first to Buenos Aires and other large cities of Argentina, then on to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil - all places the show has been on stage but which are demanding more. This time he will be offering a fresh show to which he has added and taken out pieces under the same concept. Before that, though, he has a date at the Falla Theatre in Cádiz on May 12th, to take part in the Iberian American Festival there. Good friend that he is to Jimena (and to this writer), we wish him the best of luck.

XXX Jimena Flamenco Festival next weekend

JIMENA This year marks the 30th anniversary of Jimena's annual Flamenco Festival. Until now, it was one of the most popular such events in the Campo de Gibraltar, attracting rising stars of the Andalucian flamenco firmament - but now, in what should be its celebratory 30th year, it is somewhat diminished, no doubt we will be told for lack of funds, though we venture it is for lack of political will and skill. In any case, the 'festival' features Marta González Sevillano (voice), Pedro Campo Quintana (guitar) and Salvador Campo Quintana (percussion) as the headliner, with local cantaores (singers) Gabriel Jiménez and Jaime Martín accompanied by Manolo Cortés on guitar. Scheduled for Friday, September 2, at the square by the railway station, and starting at 11pm. (Check our UpComing Events calendar now at the foot of this page.)

Jimena's own flamenco dancer, Lucía Álvarez Howard (La Piñona), chosen to compete at major festival

(Photo: (c) Alberto Bullrich)

Regular readers will know her, but newer ones may not (catch up here). Lucía Álvarez Howard, known as La Piñona in flamenco circles, has just been selected to compete in what purists consider the utmost competition of its genre: Festival Internacional de Cante de las Minas en La Unión, in Murcia. Lucía, 25, the youngest daughter of Katharine Howard and Álvaro Álvarez, was born in Algeciras and raised in Jimena. She has recently returned from a tour of Japan, and has danced in Kenya, Holland and other places outside Spain, and, of course, all over this country as well. The competition schedule has La Piñona dancing on Friday, August 12. The La Unión festival is well known for giving young singers dancers and instrumentalists that much needed push toward stardom, so let's wish our Lucia all the very best.

Flamenco in Jimena this Friday

Coming this Friday, May 13 to the Peña Flamenca in Jimena: Manuel Peralta (singing) and Antonio Peralta 'El Cuco' on the guitar. The concert  is a tribute to Juan Martínez Vilches ’Pericón de Cádiz’and organized by the Provincial Federation of Flamenco Clubs (Peñas). The concert is scheduled to start at 10pm and entrance is free.

María Montilla comes to Jimena’s Peña Flamenca

Flamenco singer María Montilla comes to Jimena’s Peña Flamenca this coming Friday, April 1 to offer a concert starting at 11.30 pm. The young cantaora was born and raised in Algeciras. Coming from a traditional flamenco family, María is making a name for herself in the area and beyond. It is an opportunity to see an upcoming star and enjoy 'El Mejor Ambiente Flamenco'.

Los Barrios Horse Fair opens today

LOS BARRIOS This years's edition of the Salón del Caballo del Campo de Gibraltar y la Pasarela Flamenca (Los Barrios Horse Fair and Flamenco Fashion Show) got under way at noon today with the official inauguration. Some 50 exhibitor offer their wares, including harnesses, carriages, riding clothes, artwork, food and, of course, Flamenco fashion. The weekend programme encompasses various horse-related activities, including a carrera de cintas (ribbon race, at 4pm), doma vaquera (Spanish dressage, 5pm) and a horse & dancers show at 8.30pm (tickets: €15 adults and €8 children). On Sunday, there are more horsey things starting at noon, followed by a horse & carriage parade at 2pm. The Flamenco Fashion exhibition continues throughout the weekend, too.

Head teacher is also a 'flamencologist'

ALGECIRAS (Press release) Juan Rondón Rodríguez, head teacher at CEIP N.S. Los Ángeles in Jimena, is also a writer and researcher specialising in Flamenco. As such and as we write, he is at a press conference prior to presenting his third book, Corruco de Algeciras (Editorial La Hidra de Lerna, 2010), about Algeciras cantaor (singer) José Ruiz Arroyo, known as Corruco, who was born in La Línea in 1910 and died in Teruel in 1938 where he was shot  fighting as a soldier in the Nationalist Army of Spain's Civil War. The book presentation is scheduled for 8pm at the Fundación Municipal de Cultura José Luis Cano in Algeciras. (Note: In personal conversations with Rondón, he eschews the description of himself as a 'flamencologist', defined as a person 'studious of the musical art of Flamenco', which of course he is.)

Flamenco is designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO

SPAIN (Agencies) UNESCO yesterday designated Flamenco an Intangible Cultural Heritage, together with other Spanish things such as the Mediterranean Diet (at present fighting a losing battle against fast food), the Mallorcan Canto de la Sibila (which we admit we hadn't heard about either until now but will enlighten ourselves so we can enlighten you), Falconry (not exclusively Spanish but very popular here, called Cetreria) and the Castells they perform in Catalonia (those human towers topped by a child, but you knew about those). The elevation of Flamenco to World Heritage status had parties going on all over Andalucia and many other places throughout the country, as, we suppose, there were for the other intangible things. Wonder how the party for the diet was...

XXIX Festival Flamenco de la Estación de Jimena

The 29th edition of the annual Flamenco Festival at Estación de Jimena (a.k.a. Los Ángeles, and how we wish they'd make their minds up about what the place is called!) takes place on Friday, September 3, on Plaza Práxedes Gómez (by the railway crossing). Starting at 11 pm, tickets are €5. Local knowledgeable aficionado Andrés Macías (the Estación's builder's merchant) will be presenting a programme headed by the cantaora (singer) from Sevilla, Rosario La Tremendita, who also brings the Lydia Caballero dance troupe. The usual 'taste of Jerez' is provided this year by Jerez al Natural, and local talent comes by highly experienced cantaor José Bueno 'El Niño de los Brezos', accompanied on the guitar by Manolo Cortés, whom many of us have seen at the Oba bar and elsewhere in Jimena.

XVIII Full Moon Flamenco Festival at Castellar

The 28th edition of Castellar's Full Moon Flamenco Festival is coming up on Saturday, August 14, starting at 10pm. Mayor Francisco Vaca has apologised that this year it will only be for the one night. However, the quality of the music, in all its Flamenco facets, is excellent. The venue, inside the ancient castle, seats only 250, so if you want to attend, head right now for the Town Hall or the Alcázar Hotel, where you can get a ticket for €20. The opening act is cantaor José Lérida 'El Pañero', who began singing in public only last year, though he is 38. He comes from a long line of Flamenco singers, from the Triana vein. He is followed by Lidia Cabello, one of the new generation of bailaoras (dancers) and who began her career under the topmost star Cristina Hoyos. After that comes Macarena de Jerez, one of the purest voices of today. Closing out what is sure to be a wonderful evening is bailaor David Palomar, whose young age belies a career that includes dancing at the Bienal de Sevilla (can't go higher than that), with guitarist Vicente Amigo (one of the very best in the world) and the Palau de la Música in Barcelona as well as at the Teatro Real de Madrid.

Campo faithful head for El Rocío

The local media is full of reports on the brotherhoods heading for the annual El Rocío pilgrimage. Some 350 people left from La Línea alone, another 400 or so from Algeciras, and we know of at least two from Jimena who are joining up with others on the way to cross Doñana National Park towards Almonte and La Blanca Paloma. (What's all this about? Find out in our Special FLAMENCO Issue of DominGo coming soon!)

Flamenco Stars for Haiti

LA LÍNEA
Flamenco dancer David Morales, of La Línea, is bringing together a host of top line singers and dancers in aid of Haiti, to raise funds for a children's refuge there. The charity show is scheduled for tonight March 18 and tomorrow, 19th at  the Palacio de Congresos at 9.30pm. Among the flamenco stars are María Toledo, Chiquetete, Eva la Yerbabuena, Arcángel, Tomatito, La Tobala, Diego Carrasco, Moraito Chico, Carmen Linares and Cecilia Gómez, among several others. It was announced this morning that famed dancer Farruquito will be taking part tonight. Morales was in Port-au-Prince in November last year with his show Indiano; he says, "When I saw the disaster I felt morally obliged to do something about it." All income goes directly to Infancia sin Fronteras y Mensajeros de la Paz. This is a chance to see the best flamenco while helping the victims of Haiti's earthquake. (Click on image to enlarge and see who's on when.)

Flamenco dancers and singers for Haiti

Flamenco dancer David Morales (photo), of La Línea, is bringing together a host of top line singers and dancers in aid of Haiti, to raise funds for a children's refuge there. The charity show is scheduled for March 18 and 19 at a venue to be specified (probably the Palacio de Congresos and probably at 9pm - watch this space!). Among the flamenco stars are María Toledo, Chiquetete, Eva la Yerbabuena, Arcángel, Tomatito, la Tobala, Diego Carrasco, Moraito Chico and Cecilia Gómez. Morales was in Port-au-Prince in November last year with his show Indiano; he says, "When I saw the disaster I felt morally obliged to do something about it."