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Rating: Camaròn de la Isla - who died prematurely of cancer in the early '90s - was a legend of Flamenco singing, for a long time a collaborator of Paco de Lucia. Considered a God by the Gitano people and Flamenco enthusiasts in general, at this point we could rank him alongside the most renowned rock stars, especially those who shared with de la Isla the premature departure, thus being projected into legend. This album - an album written on lyrics by Federico Garcia Lorca - is a marvel that mixes Flamenco, Latin Rock, Jazz, and Progressive. On guitar was Tomatito, another legend of Flamenco and Latin Jazz in general.
The title track serves as a bit of a lead, and it is certainly the standout track of the album, with jazz tempos and cascades of Moog on Flamenco harmonies; where de la Isla's voice, truly the voice of a people, intersects powerfully with this menjunje of sound. The album smoothly navigates between contamination and tradition: pure Flamenco as in "Homenaje a Federico". With "La Tarara" perhaps comes the most varied piece of the record: a Latin Rock ballad where piano, electric piano, Moog, electric guitar, and Spanish guitar take center stage. Another contamination comes with "Volando Voy", a delightful Latin Pop/Rock - don't think of the "modern Latin Pop/Rock" like Ricky Martin, mind you, eheheh - always flamencato, halfway between the Gypsy Kings to come and Santana. Another thing that captures the listener's attention is surely the closeness of de la Isla's Flamenco atmospheres with the Maghreb - after all, he was Andalusian, and if math is not an opinion, neither is geography; and as far as I know, Andalusia is just a stone's throw from the Maghreb, eheheh... - thanks to "Nana Del Caballo Grande", also highlighting in this way and under this light the not only geographical closeness between the Maghreb and the South of Spain. There are other noteworthy pieces, such as "Tangos De La Sultana", another Gitano gem. "Bahía de Cádiz", thanks to its phrasing, gathers and transports in a modern key the legacy of certain Spanish classical music by authors like Isaac Albéniz, for example.
I’ve always had a soft spot for these contaminations. It certainly wasn't a novelty to mix these sounds, because Chick Corea and Al di Meola had already thought of it in some way; but Camaròn de la Isla was the first experiment of an artist who came from the tradition of pure Flamenco. From what I recall, not even Paco de Lucia had "dared" so much until that moment. If there was someone who had somehow brought to life such experiments very close to what de la Isla would later do with this album, it was certainly Carmen, a group nurtured under the wing of Tony Visconti, who released the first "Fandango in Space" with pieces like "Bulerias" and "Bullfight" in which a great union between Flamenco and Progressive Rock can be perceived; all seasoned with delicious vocalizations - thanks also to the female singer, everything assumed a Jefferson Airplane or Mamas & Papas vibe -, very Summer of Love. Camaròn: a poignant voice, which tells much, if not all, of the misfortunes and passions of his people. Beware of imitations, and if someone with a nickname like mine says so... :D
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