Arañando el Alma

Here is an international and intergenerational demonstration of the living art of flamenco, pairing mature intensity with youthful enthusiasm. A specialist in cante jondo (which translates as ‘deep song’), Andrés de Jerez is in his mid 50s and carries all the weight of tradition from his home town of Jerez, a place with a good claim to be the very heart of flamenco culture. His accompanist, Samuelito, is an uncommonly talented 20-something guitarist from France whose abilities in classical and flamenco guitar are proven in other settings. Already established as an excellent musician, accompanying a voice of such depth and authority seems to be something of a rite of passage for Samuelito. While he lacks nothing in skill on his instrument, showing a mastery of varied falsetas – the flourishes and fills of flamenco guitar – he hasn’t quite mastered the art of accompanying flamenco singing at this level. As accompanist, the guitarist should support and inspire the voice, by turns reacting and prompting. Both performers are excellent in what they are doing here, but there remains a slight sense of dislocation between the two.