Nothing emodies the exotic romanticism, deep, vibrant colors, and passionate music quite like Flamenco.  And Murray Hill Talent represents some of the most respected Flamenco guitarists and dancers in Boston and throughout New England.  Booked as a solo guitarist or in combination with a dancer, Flamenco guitar can make a powerful unique statement for a corporate event or wedding ceremony or cocktail reception.

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More About Flamenco
An Introduction To Flamenco Music
(written by Geoff Alexander, December 10, 1986)

INTRODUCTION
Flamenco music is one of the most technically demanding, yet least understood musics in the world today, Part of the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of what I usually refer to as “Tourist Flamenco”, with its artificial emotion and showy (and often badly played) guitar stylings, Current recordings are frequently not much help, as guitarists like Manitas de Plata, or “Little Hands of Silver” (known in Spain as “Manitas de Plomo”, or Little Hands of Lead) have managed to land themselves recording contracts with major record companies, while true artists like Melchor de Marchena remain in relative obscurity,

Part of the reason for this is the fact that the true Flamenco artist generally finds himself uncomfortable in a recording situation and is not able, or in fact refuses, to produce. The preferred venue is the “juerga”, an authentic Flamenco atmosphere usually occurring at random, in any location, with much to drink, and with only a few other Flamencos and “Aficionado” present. The juerga atmosphere is extremely difficult to record, as the greatness of the music sometimes occurs sporadically, and can be destroyed in a second by what may be perceived as an inappropriate word or action.

The challenge, then, is to describe this feeling, this “duende” that all great Flamencos possess, as it affects their music, language, dance, and culture, and translate it in fewer pages than it deserves, I feel it essential to include a cassette recording along with this paper, to which I will refer many times in the course of this document. The examples on the cassette will through music explain the history, vocal and guitar styles, and various forms of Flamenco, Current Flamenco music, incidentally, contains some 80 different forms, many of which are not danced nor accompanied by guitar.  These latter fall often into the category of “Cante Jondo,” or deep song, and it will be the main point of this paper to describe Cante Jondo; all modern Flamenco springs from it, and as the early examples on the cassette attest, bears a strong resemblance to Arabic music.

HISTORY OF FLAMENCO
Some scholars of Flamenco believe that Cante Jondo evolved out of a mixture of early Byzantine, Arab, Jewish and Gypsy cultures in Andalucía.   At the time the Gypsies arrived, Christian, Jewish and Muslim music all existed in both liturgical and vernacular forms in much of Spain, including Andalcía.   An edict issued in 1492 by Isabella the Catholic required all Jews to convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Those who refused blended in as they were able, as did Christian fugitives and dissenters.  The Gypsies, who had themselves been expelled from India by Tamerlane in 1400 had gradually moved into this region as well.

Scholars have not come up with a definitive origin of the term “Flamenco.”  Opinions have ranged from believing the word derives from ”of Flanders,” to referring to the word “flame.”   In terms of the  ”Petenera” (Example 5), which includes verses such as  ”Dónde vas, bella judía?” and “…que está en la sinagoga,”  there is no extant scholarship that dates the song back to 1492, when the Jews were expelled from Spain.  The petenera’s origin is shrouded in time, but as a song form, doesn’t appear to predate the 19th century.