Flamenco is one of the musical delights of southern Spain. It developed out of folk traditions of the Gitano subculture of Andalusia and features dramatic guitar, singing and dancing, often supported by some kind of percussion, especially handclaps and castanets.
The Gitanos are of Romani ethnicity and trace their ancestry to northern India. They migrated to Andalusia in the 15th century and were immediately exposed to the rich Arab-Andalusian musical culture that had developed from the 8th century and was a blend of North African, Arabic and Sephardic music.
I spent time in my youth in Spain hitch-hiking around the south and later volunteered to carry a friend's recording equipment as she set to analyse the impact of Arabic on Andalusian Spanish. We spent weeks in my three favourite southern Spanish cities -- Seville, Cordoba and Granada.
It was in Granada that I saw my first flamenco gigs, often in tiny cantinas among the hills. At that time in the 1970s, a golden generation of master guitarists and singers were active and had begun to create interesting fusions. Bands like Andalusian rockers Pata Negra, virtuoso Paco de Lucia (he really opened up major possibilities, adding Brazilian, jazz and Arabic music to his unique blend of flamenco) and the master singer Camaron de la Isla were gaining international recognition.
Gitanos and flamenco suffered under the dictatorship of General Franco and many artists had to move or keep a very low profile. That changed as society opened up and eventually the country moved to a more democratic form of government. You can sample the history of flamenco from the 3 CD compilation Duende – From Traditional Masters To Gypsy Rock (The Passion & Dazzling Virtuosity Of Duende), which released on the Ellipsis Arts label in 1994 and I believe was reviewed in the early days of this column. It's an essential compilation for any discerning music collection.
Flamenco musicians have taken the music and further developed it into what is often called Nuevo Flamenco. Think of the surprising punk flamenco of singer Martirio or the wonderful band Ketama -- three flamenco musicians, Danny Thompson on electric bass and Toumani Diabate on the African kora -- which released two albums on the Hannibal label (well worth checking out). More recently, look out for the all-female quartet Las Migas.
Another artist is the exiled Iranian singer Farnaz Ohadi who was unable to perform in Iran. After moving to Canada, she began formal musical studies, first in opera and Persian folk singing, and then singing flamenco with Farsi lyrics. Now based in Canada, she has released three albums, including Bird Dance in 2016.
She seems to have developed a sub-genre of Flamenco, which she calls Persian Flamenco. You can sample her brilliant music on her new double album Breath (Aliento), on which she is accompanied by guitarist Gaspar Rodriguez, who also produced the album.
On CD 1, Hadi and Rodriguez explore different themes through songs, supported by a stellar cast of musicians playing everything from santurs to cellos to mandolas and bansuris. The music is layered and rich.
The album kicks off with Anda Jaleo, which features Hadi's deep voice, and this segues into one of my favourite songs, the moving Andalusian-Arabic folk song Lama Bada, which resonates with call to prayer style Muslim vocals and Church bells and tells of someone yearning for their lover -- a really sad song. Another love song also that caught my attention was Erev, a Jewish folk tune, that features flute and harp. Garden Of Love is another standout.
And there are surprises, too. The uptempo Bi Gharer is another unusual blend, a tango funk. This has a more contemporary feel than some of the other tracks, a smooth vibe driven by frame drum and al Andalus strings.
CD 2 features mainly instrumental tracks, versions of tracks on CD1, although there is an outstanding song with vocals, Yar, a Persian folk song with flute.
The liner notes describe how the first music conservatory was established in Cordoba 1,000 years ago by Zaryab, who travelled from the Persian Empire, thereby establishing Persian-Spain musical links that Fernaz Ohadi is exploring in her music.
With perfect timing, as I write this column, the good folks at Afropop.org have an excellent radio show called The Hidden Blackness Of Flamenco.
Many thanks to Dan Rosenberg for information and discs.
John Clewley can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com.
