La Zambra from Granada, firmly rooted in the Moorish traditions of pre-reconquista Al Andalus, is timeless and has always been regarded as one of the deepest and most ancient musical forms in Spain. Over the centuries it was preserved by the Gitanos (Gypsies) in the Sacromonte Caves opposite the Alhambra in Granada. It achieved great popularity in the fifties and sixties when the famous Gypsy Cantaor Manolo Caracol included it in his shows with Lola Flores that played to a worldwide audience.
This first clip is an imaginative recreation of the original Moorish dance. The dance is based around slow, tango rhythms and the percussion is provided on a hand held bass drum (pandero), tambourines (sonajas) and the bells sewn into the dancer’s dress. Halfway through she is joined by a Bailaora and the fusion of the two cultures is shown.
Here is a short clip from a film with Manolo Caracol and Lola Flores dancing the well known Zambra “La Salvaora“
The Zambra is now part of the repertoire of most modern dancers of Classical Danza Española. Sara Baras is one of the best known and here is her choreographed version of the dance from one of her recent shows with her dance troupe.
Fortunately the Flamenco side of things is in very good hands. Estrella Morente has followed her father Enrique’s lead in preserving and popularising less well known forms. Here she sings and dances a true Granada Gypsy Zambra in the truest Sacromonte style.
And here’s an added bonus for the guitarists among you. A step by step lesson in (Andalusian) English on how to play La Zambra from the Maestro Juan Serrano.
Next week: Regional variations.
Maki: I liked the Sara Baras video, it reminded me of some scenes in Carlos Saura’s ‘Carmen which I watched again last night, I hadn’t seen it since it was first released, fabulous film, I have the other two on order.
Thanks, GF. The Saura films are all excellent and we are sure you’re going to enjoy the ones you’ve got in the pipeline. The photography, above all, is stunning at times. It’s all very stylised, of course, but a great introduction. Some of the stuff we post here is a lot more rough and ready because it reflects the more popular side of the genre(s). Sara Baras is a more modern dancer and she has definitely brought new ideas and a breath of fresh air to the different dance styles. She will appear in later posts as well, no doubt.
I do enjoy the posts maki but I don’t think you’re going to convert me to flamenco.
A childhood blighted by my Dad’s weird record collection which included the obligatory 1 flamenco record (Manuel de something) has left me with a lifelong aversion to the genre.
We understand, pairubu. Mrs Maki says there’s nothing like hearing Flamenco out of context (or worse still in the wrong context) to put you off. Here we’re trying to contextualise and demystify. Hopefully, even if you never get to like it, you can at least understand it a little better!
Thanks for commenting and following the series despite your aversion!
Well I’ve had another listen and must admit it’s growing on me a little. The explanation of how to play was interesting too, couldn’t quite understand, is he talking about playing in an open tuning ?
Anyway, thanks for sharing. Don’t think I’ll ever be a fan but I can begin to see something there that I’d missed before.
I suspect it’s too subtle for the likes of me.
Maki: Agreed re. the photography in Carmen, as a cinematographer I was constantly admiring the shots and wishing I’d had the opportunity to film them, not that I’d have done much any different.
Another great selection MAKI. Enjoyed all the videos, but especially liked Estrella Morentes’ voice, and of course Juan Serrano (can’t wait to show son that one).
PAIRUBU – No not open tuning, just the sixth string dropped from E to D. It provides a nice drone in the background whilst playing in the key of D. It’s a fairly common technique in rock and blues. For open D you’d have to detune third, second and first strings, too.
P.S. Steve Earle’s Billy Austin is a good example of playing with a sixth dropped to D. Just tune the sixth string to A at the seventh fret.
Thanks pairubu (again) and thank god you showed up Webcore to answer that tuning question!
I’m glad you’re all enjoying the series. Mrs maki and I are having fun putting it together. There’s so much to draw on we could probably go on forever and probably will. the more we delve, the more we want to share.
Webcore – Estrella is special. Very special. Her duet with Mala Rodríguez was probably my favourite song of last year. I love how she can do the most jondo of Flamenco and then turn up on a hip hop cd!