Veneno (Raimundo Amador and Kiko Veneno) (1979)
|
Triana, Veneno, Raimundo Amador and Pata Negra were pioneers of what is known as new flamenco or flamenco fusion. Some greeted it as the future of flamenco, whereas others considered that it would lead to the death of pure flamenco, of flamenco as it had always been.
Pop, rock, jazz, blues, electronic, Cuban, African, Israeli music… it looks as though it is possible to blend anything and, in fact, it is already being done. Even cantaores (flamenco singers) who were raised as orthodox singers and those with a great mastery of pure flamenco have approached these genres, if not fusion, at least attempting to introduce some heterodoxy. To make this point, it suffices to mention Enrique Morente and El Lebrijano .
This new flamenco started up in the mid-1970s, during the final years of Franco's dictatorship and when a new historical period was beginning which, insofar as music was concerned, translated into a great effervescence, not just in flamenco. Since then, and up until the present, new flamenco has been progressing, slowly but surely.
The first ones
"Veneno" (1977) is indispensable in the history of new flamenco, because it opened up the path towards fusion, at least with pop music. It was the best record by Veneno, a short-lived band which was not very successful, led by Kiko Veneno and Raimundo Amador, who names Triana as the true pioneers of this genre.
With Triana (1974-1983), flamenco and rock came together. They almost became a mass phenomenon that even ended up lending its name to a musical trend: 'Andalusian rock' or 'roots-rock'. Their style has inspired others, such as Medina Azahara and Alameda.
The recently deceased Manzanita has always been one of the standard-bearers of new flamenco. In the 1970s he founded Los Chorbos, a band with which he created the 'Caño Roto sound', named after the Madrid neighbourhood where he grew up. Since then, this guitarist and cantaor (flamenco singer) never stopped researching other musical genres.
Raimundo Amador, one of the pioneers
|
Pata Negra, the band composed by the Amador brothers, Raimundo and Rafael, should not not be overlooked either. They were responsible for bringing blues and flamenco together. Their fourth record, "El blues de la frontera" (Borderland blues) is an indispensable record in the history of fusion. It gave rise to the "blueslerÃa", a term which the Amador brothers use to define their style as precisely as possible.
There are also many more artists who, at the very least, deserve a mention: Las Grecas, Los Chorbos and Smash, Los Chunguitos, Los Chichos and, most of all, Lole y Manuel and their record Nuevo DÃa (1975), which brought the hippy spirit onto the flamenco scene.
Jazz, electronic music and lots more
The encounter between jazz and flamenco occurred later, but it has been very prolific. Chano DomÃnguez, Gerardo Nuñez and Dorantes are just a few of the flamenco musicians who are also involved in jazz. Furthermore, there are many musicians who have been "recruited" by flamenco without having any prior education in the "arte jondo" (lit. deep art, a term used to refer to flamenco), such as Carles Benavent and Jorge Pardo.
Flamenco and jazz: Jorge Pardo
|
Even electronic music has reached a considerable degree of fusion with flamenco, so much so that the blend has given rise to something that can almost be considered a new genre, flamenco chill, with Chambao leading the way and a number of recordings of flamenco chill sessions that is ever-rising.
The Cuban son, bolero, Israeli or Arab music, Afro-cuban rhythms, Brazilian sounds… the era of cross-breeding has come to flamenco.
The essential recording history of flamenco-fusion:Pata Negra: Blues de la Frontera.
Jazz: Flamenco Jazz.
Chambao: Endorfinas en la mente.
|
