Tuesday, 16 March 2010
The sheer buzz of live music
I went to see some flamenco on Friday, took a mate who is slowly getting into it. he doesn't play anything but he's beginning to get it. And man, we were blown away. A group led by a young-ish chap from Jerez called David Palomar. I think too many of the performances we see in this part of the world are too, well, polite. For a theatre. I know lots of people love that, even in Seville. I've seen it: big theatres full, with tiny specs, flamenco as contemporary dance. But I'm a simple man, I love football, I love flamenco, I love chips. I want it to kick me in the bollocks. Metaphorically. Friday did that.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Paco at his best
Watch it first.
It was late. We'd been drinking. I was with my muso, tabla playing mate. I mention that because he knows what he's doing.
We were surfing flamenco on YouTube and clicked on this. And for about 30 seconds, we couldn't figure out what was going on. We started with 'Oh, Paco is so great' to 'wow, this is out there' to 'this sounds wrong'. Then we got it. It took us that long. And then we pissed ourselves for 5 minutes. It's done so well. As I said we were drunk, and it was late. So we spent the next hour watching all the other shreds. Clapton is great.
By the way, this, of course, is how I think I sound on those bad days.
This is the real deal of course, and to my probably ignorant ears, Paco starting nuevo flamenco.
if you want the track, it's on this great CD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paco_de_Luc%C3%ADa#Discography
It was late. We'd been drinking. I was with my muso, tabla playing mate. I mention that because he knows what he's doing.
We were surfing flamenco on YouTube and clicked on this. And for about 30 seconds, we couldn't figure out what was going on. We started with 'Oh, Paco is so great' to 'wow, this is out there' to 'this sounds wrong'. Then we got it. It took us that long. And then we pissed ourselves for 5 minutes. It's done so well. As I said we were drunk, and it was late. So we spent the next hour watching all the other shreds. Clapton is great.
By the way, this, of course, is how I think I sound on those bad days.
This is the real deal of course, and to my probably ignorant ears, Paco starting nuevo flamenco.
if you want the track, it's on this great CD.
Fuente y caudal
If you want to know a little more about the man, check this out.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paco_de_Luc%C3%ADa#Discography
Friday, 5 March 2010
Siguriyas
I've been away. But not from my guitar. Now I'm on to Siguiriyas. I love it. I'd sum it up as: strong, driven, beautiful, bittersweet.
The count is like soleares but starts in a different place. You begin with the 2 beats then go to 3s.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 rest.
But I actually count it to 5, which for some bizarre and unfathomable reasons I can do easily with this but not with soleares or bularias.
1 and 2 and 3 and-a four-and-a five. Pause. One...
Equally strangely: counting this way to 5 rather than 12 makes me feel uber flamenco.
Here is someone doing it better than me. (Although I'm not bad at it, so feeling good about my playing. Watch our compadres.)
The count is like soleares but starts in a different place. You begin with the 2 beats then go to 3s.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 rest.
But I actually count it to 5, which for some bizarre and unfathomable reasons I can do easily with this but not with soleares or bularias.
1 and 2 and 3 and-a four-and-a five. Pause. One...
Equally strangely: counting this way to 5 rather than 12 makes me feel uber flamenco.
Here is someone doing it better than me. (Although I'm not bad at it, so feeling good about my playing. Watch our compadres.)
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