one chilly fall night in the late 90s, tucked away in toronto's tiny tranzac club, eight flamenco dancers spent the evening furiously stomping and snapping to the accompaniment of live tablas. i was lucky to be invited to see that show. it was my introduction to live flamenco and it was mind blowing. i went to several of these shows and even tried a lesson myself.
for me, flamenco music is the sound of passion. it's bright red. it's the image of a dancer with her back arched and a flower in her hair. thick-heeled mary janes pounding the floor. arms out, castinets clanking. frilly skirts flying. men in white shirts and black vests. pointy-shoes time-tapping on the barstool rung. eyebrows knitted in full concentration. fingers violently abusing the classical guitar. then comes the wailing voice. the rapid guitar strum, finger snaps, hand-clapping, box-smacking, heel stomping, the instinctive olé!
flamenco is as much sight to me as it is sound.
la niña de la puebla challenged me. i first heard her standout track 'zagala' on putumayo's "the story of flamenco" compilation. everything else on the cd instantly dulled in comparison.
la niña de la puebla was not just any flamenco singer. born in 1909, the daughter of a singing barber, dolores jiménez alcántara began singing professionally at age 8. she took to the stage at 14. married at 20. had 5 children and continued to sing and tour all her life. she passed away at 90, one week before the spanish king would present her with the nation's gold medal for the arts. probably at the same time that i was sitting in the tranzac club, completely transfixed at my first flamenco show.
this musical post is a song from one of the most gifted vocalists of all time: the blind girl from sevilla who makes me dream in full colour.
la niña de la puebla - la zagala
Posts
