-Grandpa, did you miss the show “¿Qué pasaría si pasara?” last Tuesday in Seville’s Central theater, starred by Riki Rivera, David Palomar, El Junco and Roberto Jaén?

-I was busy giving cajón lessons.

-You, teaching cajón? You mean taking lessons, right?

-Yes, that is, taking.

-How come?

-I was told it’s great for osteoarthritis, and my hands look as if they were ran over by a car. El Cepillo, from Sanlúcar, is great teaching cajón, and he also feeds me very well.

-Well if you didn’t go to this play from Cádiz, you missed one of the best shows of the last few years. It was really fun.

-Look, there’s lot of wit and fun in Cádiz, but also a lot of ojana, you know? And I already had enough of ojana, I can’t stand it. I like the artful ojana, but not the bad one.

-There was no ojana in that show, grandpa, only art and talent. And lots of fun, of course. I never laughed so much in my whole life, I swear. It’s a quartet that will make history. It was not just the humor of Cádiz, which was plenty. You should have seen how well David Palomar sang por soleá, particularly the soleá del Chozas. And El Junco dancing and Riki Rivera on the guitar, both were fantastic. Lots of talent.

-You never watched Las calles de Cádiz with La Argentinita, in the early 1930s. That had a lot of art. Concha Piquer made a new version after the Spanish Civil war, and that production was even more artful. It’s a pity you never got to watch Pablito de Cádiz dancing, he had so much angel. Those kids you mentioned are wonderful, too. Very natural and very flamencos.

-I think that if they take this show to America they’ll make millions. They have such an incredible talent. Yet, El Junco has been praying to God for an opportunity to perform at the Bienal, but not even that has helped. It’s shameful, grandpa.

-The problem is rather a lack of brains, Manolito. Nowadays there’s so much potential in flamenco, yet it’s all going downhill. The programing of the Bienal doesn’t make any sense.

-Keeping on with current events, grandpa, did you hear about Antonia La Negra’s death? What a great cantaora, wasn’t she?

-Yes, so fiery. Her husband, the bailaor Juan Montoya, was the most elegant of them all. When he lifted his arms, the fish would come out of the river in Triana. Antonia had her own echo, she was like no other. And she was really good-looking too. Her talent hasn’t been properly recognized, and she went through really hard times. That happens in cante, it can be ungrateful. Yet, you know what? Now her legacy will live in history.

-Her daughter Angelita Montoya is also a great cantaora.

-Without a doubt. She’s more flamenca than Lole, although saying this sounds bad. Angelita has another depth.-What’s for lunch today, grandpa?

-Spinach with leftover chickpeas.-Are you against veal steak?

-Keep dreaming, kid.

Translated by P. Young