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I have a tendency to include references, appositions, and other errata in my text as I write. As I realize that not everyone cares for such digressions, however, I generally "hide" them in scripts. To access this "additional information," just click on the boldfaced text. To expand all errata at once (brave soul!), click here.

 

 

 

Mailbag: Listening for Compás (2/2)

[part 2 of 2--read part one here]

Cante Accompaniment
If you’ve spent much time hanging around flamencos or flamenco sites, you've no doubt heard (or read) volumes on the importance of knowing how to accompany cante (flamenco singing). I won’t take issue with this here (after all—who am I?), but let’s face it: for many people who play flamenco casually and for their own personal edification (and why not?), what are the chances that you will be accompanying a singer any time soon?

If you are in a position where you need to accompany cante, good for you—it is a very fulfilling pursuit. If you're not in this position, though (and even never hope to be), there is still a strong case to be made for learning how to listen to cante and cante accompaniment. The case is this: cante is the root form of flamenco, the "source," if you will. Even if you don’t ever plan to support a singer, having an idea of how flamenco song is structured will help you make sense of how solo flamenco guitar is structured. With that, I give you list number three.

  1. Camarón: Rosa Maria
    (with Paco de Lucía on guitar)

  2. Camarón: Paris 1987
    (with Tomatito on guitar)

  3. Jose Serrano & Antonio El Agujetas: Two Cries for Freedom

  4. Esperanza Fernandez: Recuerdos
    (Paco Fernández, Miguel Ángel Cortés, José Antonio Rodríguez on guitar)

  5. Jose Mercé: Aire
    (with Moraîto on guitar)

 

For those of you really new to flamenco, Camarón is the flamenco singer—sort of like what Elvis is to Rock n' Roll (minus the sequins). It is true that flamenco cante is an acquired taste. If you don’t "get it" right away, don’t worry too much about it. Listen to what you enjoy and come back to it later. It may take a while, but eventually it does make sense and an appreciation will sink in.

On both the Paco and Tomatito accompanied Camarón discs above, you will also pick up on falsetas that come up later in each of these guitarists' solo playing. It’s interesting to hear these themes in different contexts—it gives you a sense for how solo flamenco guitar is related to accompaniment and how the two evolve in tandem.

The Jose Serrano & Antonio El Agujetas disc is an interesting case: these two singers had been serving prison time for violent crimes and were recorded as part of a project to draw attention to the disproportionate number of gypsies behind bars. Their singing is raw and passionate. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the guitar players are. The accompaniment they provide, however, is a good example of what "typical" contemporary accompaniment sounds like: it is energetic and "correct" in every way, but not "flashy" in the way that Tomatito’s or Vicente’s accompaniment can be. The compás is also admirably clear.

The final two discs by Jose Mercé and Esperanza Fernandez are good examples of the state of contemporary cante and accompaniment. As with the other discs presented here, I’ve chosen these two because they make the compás a bit easier for a novice to track than other equally good disks.  Don’t let this criteria mislead you, though—these are both excellent albums by any standard.

 

Finding Discs
So. I’ve given you my recommendations (idiosyncratic though they are). Now where do you find these gems? If you’re shopping in Spain, you won’t need my help. If you’re not so lucky, however, the internet gives some good options. Here’s a list of a few sites I’ve found to be good flamenco sources. If you know of any others—please do list them in the comments below.

 

 

So there you have it. And here you have my last caveat: let’s be clear that this article is a reflection of both my own taste and of what’s in my flamenco collection. Since I’m often asked this kind of question, here’s an answer. It’s not the only one—or the best one—but it’s an answer. Something to add? By all means—comment away!

 

 

 

 

 

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