In these days is the Spanish pianist Alberto Raya presenting a show where "he wants to satiate his enormous need for flamenco".
With the title "Caminos flamencos", it has an instrumentation something unique and little known for lovers of this genre: piano, electric guitar, electric bass, mandolin, percussion, and, of course, two bailaoras.
Already his "Flemish Paths" had shown them in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, and now he is in Miami and, soon, Jamaica. And with this show, he pays homage to Enrique Morente, the singer who illustrates our note.
But what we want to emphasize, in relation to this news, is the fact that a genre like flamenco is usually between two waters - as, precisely, the most famous piece of Paco de Lucía -, and those waters are not other than the Flows of the purists or orthodox, who defend the purity of cante jondo, and the rebels, who always include other elements to the genre, seeking thereby to enrich, vary, shine, according to the intention.
The great musicians have always understood that music always suits a good touch of rebellion, always conserving what has to be preserved so that the identity of the genre is not lost. In the case of flamenco, a long time ago they began to add things, and if at first it was guitar, sing and clapping, almost immediately came the castanets and the blow of the heels (and began to make special shoes for this purpose ). And then to the sticks was added a hybrid (which many do not accept as a flamenco stick, but in short) as the flamenco rumba.
And with Don Paco de Lucía, eximius and exalted, he first introduced the bongo and then the Peruvian drawer. By the way, this instrument was modified with certain additions and converted into a flamenco box.
And so, little by little has been added elements, more or less interesting, depends on the taste of each. Until reaching the extremes where the guitar is not present or does not star.
In any case, it is a topic that itches and spreads, and each one will contribute to the discussion its taste or disgust. The important thing is that the flamenco duende lives forever.
