Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Manitas De Plata - Flamenco Guitarist, or Not?
6 views
Skip to first unread message
May May
Aug 6, 2009, 5:03:24 AM8/6/09
to
Manitas de Plata is an amazing improviser. Nobody can deny that he put
everything he's got into his music. He is a showman and an entertainer
with a energy that just draws you in and compels you to listen. He
sold millions of records in the 1960s and 70s and entertained sellout
crowds around the world. In 1964, Pablo Picasso is said to have
exclaimed after seeing him perform, "That man is of greater worth than
I am!" and proceeded to draw on the man's guitar. I dare say this worn
out guitar is now worth a small fortune. In 1968, he performed in the
presence of the Queen at the London Palladium. He also represented
Europe at the United Nations annual gala celebrating the International
Declaration of the Rights of Man. Not bad for an illiterate man who
was born in a gypsy caravan and couldn't read music to save his life.
However, Manitas de Plata has a greater legacy than the records he
left behind as a testimony to his talent. In his own way, he helped to
lay the foundations for the Gipsy Kings, who were formed by the sons
of Jose Reyes (his vocalist) and other members of the Baliardo family.
Notably Tonino Baliardo, one of my favorite guitarists is Manitas de
Plata's son.
So why does he not command the respect he deserves among flamenco
aficionados?
There are a couple of reasons for this which may not be immediately
obvious to anyone not familiar with traditional flamenco.
Firstly, he is a French gypsy. This in itself (being a non-Spaniard)
should not, and does not necessarily exclude an artist from being
described as a flamenco artist by fellow flamencos from Spain.
The main reason he is not mentioned is because he is rather loose with
his comp's. Basically, comp's is a recurring cycle of beats analogous
to a bar of music. In flamenco rhythms, the beat cycle may be 2, 4, 6,
8 or 12 beats, depending on the rhythmic form. To traditional flamenco
artists from Spain and aficionados alike, not adhering strictly to
comp's is equivalent of blasphemy. While Paco de Lucia's guitar
playing could be described as extremely fine and full of creative
insight, Manitas de Plata's playing is as raw as you can get. Anyone
who plays a 12 beat form like Soleares or Bulerias or whatever, and
totally ignores the dynamics of comp's, is in turn ignored by the
traditional flamenco community at large. It's that simple. They just
don't take him seriously because although he plays what is considered
by aficionados to be good imitation, or sound alike flamenco, it is
not strictly flamenco by definition because it lacks adherence to
comp's.
His music also lacks cohesion, meaning that there is no apparent
structure to a lot of his music. It's more like a random collection of
musical ideas created on the fly and without reference to the bits
before and after. In other words, little or no coherent musical
"flow".
Basically he makes things up on the spot and slows down and speeds up
too much when one would expect a steady rhythmic tempo. While this may
be OK to the record buying public, it is not OK to someone who knows
flamenco. There are certain dynamic and structural "rules" with most
traditional flamenco forms that all performers in a group would be
aware of and adhere to, including parts that actually DO speed up and
slow down. Otherwise a performance would descend into chaos. These
"rules" can be modified but never ignored as Manitas de Plata ignores
them. His speed variations tend to follow his whim rather than any
ordered pattern such as the meaningful speed variations that are
dictated by flamenco tradition.
In a nutshell, his music cannot be followed by a dancer or by another
guitarist because he appears to be in his own world and plays
primarily for himself. Much As I enjoy the energy and spontaneity of
manitas de Plata's recordings, I must confess that I can't follow it.
All you have to do is start counting the 12 beats in one of his
Soleares, and before you get very far into the piece, he has made one
comp's 8 beats and another 10 beats and yet another 14 beats.
No serious flamenco student could use his falsetas (musical
variations) verbatim. Interesting as they may be, they require major
modification before they could be used to accompany a dancer for
example. He is not a composer or a musical "choreographer" in the same
way as Paco de Lucia or Sabicas would be. It's more like an instant
"crazy fingers" maker of random music that sounds like flamenco and
has flamenco titles attached to it, but is not flamenco.
This is not to say that he is not an inspiring performer and
guitarist. By saying these things, I am not knocking him or trying to
put his down as an artist. I am simply repeating the usual criticism
in explaining why he is not so well regarded as a guitarist in
Andalucia, the heartland of traditional flamenco. I'm sure he was well
aware of this sort of criticism but I am equally sure he couldn't give
a two hoots.
In a way, the amazing success of the Gipsy Kings is a testament to his
raw, "go for it" style. Even his harshest critics would have a hard
time denying the fact that Manitas de Plata was one of the big
internationally recognized flamenco names in the 60's and 70's who
were instrumental in exposing the art of flamenco to the world at
large, and more importantly, to the mainstream record buying public.
everything he's got into his music. He is a showman and an entertainer
with a energy that just draws you in and compels you to listen. He
sold millions of records in the 1960s and 70s and entertained sellout
crowds around the world. In 1964, Pablo Picasso is said to have
exclaimed after seeing him perform, "That man is of greater worth than
I am!" and proceeded to draw on the man's guitar. I dare say this worn
out guitar is now worth a small fortune. In 1968, he performed in the
presence of the Queen at the London Palladium. He also represented
Europe at the United Nations annual gala celebrating the International
Declaration of the Rights of Man. Not bad for an illiterate man who
was born in a gypsy caravan and couldn't read music to save his life.
However, Manitas de Plata has a greater legacy than the records he
left behind as a testimony to his talent. In his own way, he helped to
lay the foundations for the Gipsy Kings, who were formed by the sons
of Jose Reyes (his vocalist) and other members of the Baliardo family.
Notably Tonino Baliardo, one of my favorite guitarists is Manitas de
Plata's son.
So why does he not command the respect he deserves among flamenco
aficionados?
There are a couple of reasons for this which may not be immediately
obvious to anyone not familiar with traditional flamenco.
Firstly, he is a French gypsy. This in itself (being a non-Spaniard)
should not, and does not necessarily exclude an artist from being
described as a flamenco artist by fellow flamencos from Spain.
The main reason he is not mentioned is because he is rather loose with
his comp's. Basically, comp's is a recurring cycle of beats analogous
to a bar of music. In flamenco rhythms, the beat cycle may be 2, 4, 6,
8 or 12 beats, depending on the rhythmic form. To traditional flamenco
artists from Spain and aficionados alike, not adhering strictly to
comp's is equivalent of blasphemy. While Paco de Lucia's guitar
playing could be described as extremely fine and full of creative
insight, Manitas de Plata's playing is as raw as you can get. Anyone
who plays a 12 beat form like Soleares or Bulerias or whatever, and
totally ignores the dynamics of comp's, is in turn ignored by the
traditional flamenco community at large. It's that simple. They just
don't take him seriously because although he plays what is considered
by aficionados to be good imitation, or sound alike flamenco, it is
not strictly flamenco by definition because it lacks adherence to
comp's.
His music also lacks cohesion, meaning that there is no apparent
structure to a lot of his music. It's more like a random collection of
musical ideas created on the fly and without reference to the bits
before and after. In other words, little or no coherent musical
"flow".
Basically he makes things up on the spot and slows down and speeds up
too much when one would expect a steady rhythmic tempo. While this may
be OK to the record buying public, it is not OK to someone who knows
flamenco. There are certain dynamic and structural "rules" with most
traditional flamenco forms that all performers in a group would be
aware of and adhere to, including parts that actually DO speed up and
slow down. Otherwise a performance would descend into chaos. These
"rules" can be modified but never ignored as Manitas de Plata ignores
them. His speed variations tend to follow his whim rather than any
ordered pattern such as the meaningful speed variations that are
dictated by flamenco tradition.
In a nutshell, his music cannot be followed by a dancer or by another
guitarist because he appears to be in his own world and plays
primarily for himself. Much As I enjoy the energy and spontaneity of
manitas de Plata's recordings, I must confess that I can't follow it.
All you have to do is start counting the 12 beats in one of his
Soleares, and before you get very far into the piece, he has made one
comp's 8 beats and another 10 beats and yet another 14 beats.
No serious flamenco student could use his falsetas (musical
variations) verbatim. Interesting as they may be, they require major
modification before they could be used to accompany a dancer for
example. He is not a composer or a musical "choreographer" in the same
way as Paco de Lucia or Sabicas would be. It's more like an instant
"crazy fingers" maker of random music that sounds like flamenco and
has flamenco titles attached to it, but is not flamenco.
This is not to say that he is not an inspiring performer and
guitarist. By saying these things, I am not knocking him or trying to
put his down as an artist. I am simply repeating the usual criticism
in explaining why he is not so well regarded as a guitarist in
Andalucia, the heartland of traditional flamenco. I'm sure he was well
aware of this sort of criticism but I am equally sure he couldn't give
a two hoots.
In a way, the amazing success of the Gipsy Kings is a testament to his
raw, "go for it" style. Even his harshest critics would have a hard
time denying the fact that Manitas de Plata was one of the big
internationally recognized flamenco names in the 60's and 70's who
were instrumental in exposing the art of flamenco to the world at
large, and more importantly, to the mainstream record buying public.
0 new messages