Interview. José Antonio Rodríguez, flamenco
guitarist
“An artist is much more than an album,
at least in flamenco”
Silvia Calado, May 2007
The flow of the Guadalquivir River,
the colors and fragrances of May, old-time jondo sounds...
Córdoba. The Córdoba-born guitarist José
Antonio Rodríguez takes a look back and is inspired by his
experiences in that city in this composition which he has
captured live, with “all the passion and truth” emanating from
the stage. And that occurred on July 6th, 2006 when the show
premiered, inaugurating the Guitar Festival at the Gran
Teatro. Cameras and recording devices had their “record”
buttons pressed... This time they did. And now ‘Córdoba... en
el tiempo’, both in sound and picture, reveals what happened.
How does the ‘Córdoba... en el
tiempo’ project come about?
It was an assignment for the 2006 Córdoba
Guitar Festival, as the inaugural concert. The idea was to do
a stage design, lighting and sound design which were up to the
same level as any other of today’s musical events, not just
with attention to detail, but using every technical element
necessary for an audiovisual show. The recording of the
concert comes about little by little. Talking to my
technician, Eduardo Ruiz, we thought about recording it,
especially in order to be able to then listen to the result.
And since we were recording the audio, why not record the
picture while we were at it? I called some other friends, José
Carlos Nievas and María Moya, and we looked at the way to do
the recording on video, the number of cameras we needed to
have the concert faithful to what the audience would see. In
the end it all brimmed over, thanks to everyone’s excitement
and professionalism; they took on this work as their own. And
on listening to the audio and seeing the footage, we thought
it was work which had to be edited. And thanks to the passion
and enthusiasm the DVD was welcomed with by Universal Music,
my record company, it’s coming out now.
What
does this work have on CD and DVD?
It’s a concert at its purest. What we listen
to and see is what happened on July 6th, 2006. That’s what’s
most important to me, besides the fact that it’s the most
updated version of my music, as it hasn’t gone through the
logical process of an album, recordings, editing... It has all
the passion and truth of the live show.
You say that you normally add music
to pictures, but that in this concert the inspiration comes
from memories. What are the key moments in your career which
you depict in these compositions?
Here, I’ve especially let myself go with the
flow of my childhood memories. There are titles which reflect
experiences which only remind me of something. It’s intimate
work, but at the same time, I make a participant out of
whoever performs, listens or sees the footage.
How has your music evolved since
those early days which you now recall? Where is your musical
discourse now heading for?
A lot. Like every guitarist in my generation,
we’ve composed according to patterns or styles, to go on to
reach our own identity. You leave a lot of things behind you
along the way, especially time and life. At the same time, you
acquire memory and keep what interests you the most from the
journey.
I’ve kept what fills me; music for music’s
sake. I think it’s one of many postures within the broad range
of flamenco guitar, and which I decided to do many years ago.
It might be a posture which is elitist or a bit
incomprehensible, but it’s my commitment to flamenco that
makes me go along these lines.
You always stress how important it is
to listen to your music live. What’s the difference between a
studio album and a live album, as is the case
here?
I’ve always heard the saying: “A work which
hasn’t been recorded doesn’t exist”. I’ve never completely
agreed with that. An artist is much more than an album, at
least in flamenco. We don’t record every year and go on tour
with that album. No, ours is a long-distance race and a
constant revision of your ability as a composer and
performer.
José Antonio Rodríguez
(Photo Daniel Muñoz)
And yes, I stress listening to my music live
because as we all know, the record industry hasn’t been at its
best moment for years now, but I do go on holding concerts and
composing music. That is a reflection and the current state of
my life as a musician. An album nowadays reflects certain
aspects of the most recent stuff you’ve been doing, but not
your musical life. Because between albums, several have
stopped off along the way, which have served as a common
thread for that journey. That’s why there are those who are
surprised to listen to my first albums and then, for example,
listen to ‘Manhattan
de la Frontera’. It has a logical evolution; the thing is
that the process hasn’t been lucky enough to be recorded, but
it has been in my live shows.
What musicians take part in the
concert? What role do they play?
Each person’s role is fundamental. Just as I
was clear on the technical layout, so was I on whom and what
instrument would be here with me.
Francisco Javier Gallardo and Javier
López, guitars. They’re the harmony support I needed.
I always base my works on guitars and they’re two youths who
are giving people a lot to talk about, because of their
feeling and musicality. It isn’t easy at all to accompany
another guitarist.
Rafael
de Utrera, cante. Rafa has the voice I need for
my music. Because of his tessitura, his brilliance, his time …
Jon Robles, sax and flute.
Jon is one of the best saxophonists in the country. I met him
on Alejandro Sanz’s 2004 Tour and we’ve been collaborating
ever since, whether it is in my music or my participation on
his latest album, ‘I Remember Leonard’. He’s a huge
musician.
Miguel Ángel López, keyboards, sax
and samples. The same thing; he’s a musician with
exquisite taste, and above all, with very similar work
discipline to mine, which helped me to unload and delegate to
him.
Ángel Morilla, bass and
cello. A multi-instrumentalist who’s been with me for
several years. The concert wouldn’t be the same without
Ángel’s bass and cello.
 José Antonio
Rodríguez and Rosario Toledo
(Photo: Daniel
Muñoz) |
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Agustín Henke and Agustín Diassera,
percussions. A great base. Two completely different
percussionists. One of them (Henke), a flamenco from my
longed-for Manuel Soler’s school; and the other (Diassera),
researching new sounds and instruments. A real luxury to have
in the back.
Rosario
Toledo, baile. Rosario is yet another musician on
this occasion. With all which that implies. She doesn’t just
dance to the music, she dances to each sketch or note on my
guitar. Moreover, she provides me with those moments of baile
and cante accompaniment so necessary for a guitarist, for his
enjoyment. Great.
Besides the musicians, this work is completed
by the technical crew, which consists of Eduardo Ruiz as sound
technician; Antonio Ruiz as monitor technician; José María
Marvizón as recording technician, Miguel Ángel Camacho in the
lighting design; José A. Figuerola as head technician; Jesús
Mesa as lighting technician in the concert; Pedro D. López and
Stela Espejo as lighting technicians; Pedro Criado and José
Carmona as stage technicians; José Carlos Nievas as video
director, Javier Ramos as VTR director and editor; Gustavo
Pérez, José David Cruz, Samira Ouf, Rafael Barcia, Toni
Herrera and Javier Ramos on cameras; and María Moya on still
picture. This work wouldn’t have been possible without them.
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