In Madrid a few years earlier, in 1956, Manuel del Rey<\/strong> fulfilled his dream of establishing a venue to see high-quality flamenco in a setting reminiscent of the caf\u00e9 cantante era that spanned approximately from the end of the 19th<\/sup> century to the early part of the 20th<\/sup>. At the present time, Corral de la Morer\u00eda<\/strong> is the best-known and longest running tablao in the world.<\/p>\n According to recent statistics from Antfes, the Asociaci\u00f3n Nacional de Tablaos Flamencos de Espa\u00f1a, tablaos have provided employment for 90% of current flamenco artists. I remember there being as many as a dozen tablaos in Madrid in the 1970\u2019s. <\/strong>The birth of the modern tablao format coincided with the first anthology of flamenco singing (Ducretet Thomson\/Hispavox), and the first summer festivals.\u00a0 The winds of change were blowing strong, encouraging a kind of flamenco that would come to be known as \u201cpuro\u201d, despite protests from the contemporary sector, more or less from Ketama to the present, inspired by Camar\u00f3n and Paco, whose open approach shook flamenco out of its lethargy.<\/p>\n Fast-forward to 2020, and here we are all trying to figure out what \u201cnew normal\u201d means for tablaos.\u00a0 After spending a lifetime working to attract as many customers as possible, the new normal brings social distancing of 1.5 to 2 meters between people, which adds up to \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0lots\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0of \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0empty \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0space \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0that translates into expense and lost income for impresarios. It has yet to be seen whether artists might accept doing several shows a day in order to compensate for part of this important drawback, although I wonder what kind of atmosphere there\u2019ll be with sparsely placed spectators deprived of the emotional complicity that results from close quarters.\u00a0 Some tablao owners are requesting to be allowed to stuff more people in than allowed by social distancing guidelines. Which clearly will do no one any good.<\/p>\n But flamenco did not begin in the 1950s with the appearance of the first tablaos.\u00a0 At all.\u00a0 The genre had been cooking on the back burner for many decades, and gone through a golden age when song-forms were developed with the important intervention of Silverio Franconetti. A well-defined repertoire was laid out and given additional form by legendary creators\/interpreters like Antonio Chac\u00f3n, La Ni\u00f1a de los Peines, Enrique el Mellizo<\/strong> and others.<\/p>\n Casa Patas, Caf\u00e9 Chinitas<\/strong> and Villa-Rosa<\/strong> where Chac\u00f3n and Ram\u00f3n Montoya<\/strong> held court nightly have been among the first establishments to go under. It was as shocking as it was heart-breaking.<\/p>\n Flamenco must now undergo a metamorphosis in order to survive in the commercial arena. It\u2019s cold comfort that music and world culture in general are facing the same challenge.<\/p>\n We may see the return of nightclubs. Not cheesy green-light bars along the highway, but airy sophisticated establishments with elegant waiters, and attractive d\u00e9cor and lighting where flamenco would be a permanent fixture, along with popular singers, the occasional comedian\u2026 in other words, a partial return to the caf\u00e9 cantante format that would increase income without sacrificing dignity. For averageg Spanish customers, this would be more interesting than an actual tablao, and would surely be well-tolerated by foreign visitors as well.<\/p>\n Tourism may or may not perk up for the 2021 season, but it\u2019s doubtful we\u2019ll see a return of the tablao era as it existed before COVID 19. Certainly, flamenco will not disappear. What may dry up however is the livelihood it has generated for so many fine artists over the years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Caf\u00e9 de Chinitas. Foto: web Caf\u00e9 de Chinitas<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tourism may or may not perk up for the 2021 season, but it\u2019s doubtful we\u2019ll see a return of the tablao era as it existed before COVID 19. Certainly, flamenco will not disappear. What may dry up however is the livelihood it has generated for so many fine artists over the years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":20256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estela-flamenca"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Caf\u00e9](\"https:\/\/www.expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/expoflamenco-cafe-de-chinitas.jpg\")