{"id":35530,"date":"2022-07-20T20:45:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T18:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/?p=35530"},"modified":"2023-12-08T12:54:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T11:54:11","slug":"rene-heredia-a-link-to-the-past-and-inspiration-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/en\/estela-flamenca\/rene-heredia-a-link-to-the-past-and-inspiration-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Ren\u00e9 Heredia, a link to the past and inspiration for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

A flamenco guitarist, teacher and choreographer with roots in Almer\u00eda and Granada, who ultimately settled in the U.S. in the 1960\u2019s with his numerous family, and has been living in Denver, Colorado for decades. It\u2019s hard to know how to begin talking about Ren\u00e9 Heredia, born in Los Angeles in 1939 and raised in Granada.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s already an exotic profile, but there\u2019s much much more.  He\u2019s the youngest member and sole survivor of 11 siblings, seven of whom became professional flamenco artists. Their father Jos\u00e9 from Granada, a guitarist, and their mother Enriqueta from C\u00f3rdoba, a singer, initiated the children in the art of flamenco.<\/p>\n

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Ren\u00e9 Heredia has given numerous guitar concerts interpreting pieces of Sabicas, Mario Escudero and Esteban de Sanl\u00facar, and he also played with the Denver symphony orchestra for whom he wrote a flamenco suite, Alborada Gitana<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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His name isn\u2019t a household word, but in fact he has worked with some of the most revered flamenco artists. At 17 he began four years in the company of Carmen Amaya, afterwards, with the Jos\u00e9 Greco company, Manuela Vargas, Mario Maya and many others. He holds countless awards for his contribution to flamenco, and many parts of the U.S. have pockets of flamenco activity thanks to his mentoring in both guitar and dance.<\/p>\n

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Ren\u00e9 is a member of the Latin Chicano Music Hall of Fame, holder of the award Living Legend of Dance, <\/em>with command performances for U.S. presidents and royalty from abroad, television appearances with Lola Flores and many others. The list of honors and tributes just goes on and on.<\/p>\n

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But perhaps the most eloquent testimony to the man\u2019s credentials can be seen in the amateur films recorded in his home in the early 1950s where we can see legends like Sabicas, Greco, Carmen Amaya and Carlos Montoya horsing around, singing at the kitchen table in Ren\u00e9\u2019s home and dancing with the numerous Heredia family. Sabicas himself is on record in his day as saying “Ren\u00e9 Heredia is the most sensational young flamenco guitarist in the United States”.<\/p>\n

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Ren\u00e9 Heredia con sus hermanas Sarita, Carmen, Zoraida y F\u00e1tima. Archivo Ren\u00e9 Heredia.<\/p><\/div>\n

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In the following interview, Ren\u00e9 gave concise answers in nearly unaccented English, and revealed how proud he is of his family\u2019s contribution to flamenco.<\/p>\n

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Ren\u00e9, are you related to the Heredias of Granada? <\/strong><\/p>\n

No, my family is from Almeria and Granada, but the name of our tribe is \u201cLos Clavijos\u201d. We were the pioneers of flamenco in America along with Antonio Triana, Los Montes, Luisa Triana, Jer\u00f3nimo Villarino and Vicente G\u00f3mez among others.<\/p>\n

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How did you end up in the United States, specifically Denver?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We were contracted to perform. That was in 1968, now there\u2019s a flamenco community in Denver as a result of our presence. We toured New York, Chicago, Texas and Los Angeles before settling in Denver.<\/p>\n

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There are photos of you with your brothers and sisters, \u201cLos Heredia\u201d. Are you the sole survivor of that group? How did you learn to play guitar?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m the only surviving member of the group. I learned guitar mainly from my father, Jos\u00e9, from Sabicas and Mario Escudero.<\/p>\n

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Where did you live in Granada in your youth?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In La Mamola, a small town on the eastern coast of the province. When I was a youngster, foreigners were already seeking out flamenco.<\/p>\n

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Did you ever perform in the caves of Sacromonte? <\/strong><\/p>\n

No, but my sister Sarita lived and worked in them. There\u2019s a video on Youtube where she sings, dances and plays guitar in 1960 on the Groucho Marx show, and she mentions Sacromonte.<\/p>\n

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I remember meeting Sarita in Puerto Rico in the mid-sixties\u2026what personality! Was she the main soloist in the group?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, all my sisters danced solos, F\u00e1tima, Zoraida and Carmen<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a video of you playing for Manuela Vargas with Fosforito and others on United States television. Were you a regular member of that company?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, Juan Habichuela called me for the show, and I worked with Juan and Fosforito in Spain afterwards.<\/p>\n

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What was it like working with Carmen Amaya?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A very special experience with Carmen, she was an amazing artist and great inspiration.<\/p>\n

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Do you ever visit Granada? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I do, and I\u2019m also really good friends with La Chana, a tremendous artist, we correspond every day.<\/p>\n

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In the decades you\u2019ve been living and working in the U.S., have audiences changed?<\/strong> Are they more sophisticated, do they prefer contemporary flamenco, or can you give them traditional guitar, cante and dance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They\u2019re more savvy than years ago. They like traditional flamenco and often tell me they don\u2019t see this style much anymore.<\/p>\n

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Ren\u00e9 Heredia. Foto: Archivo Ren\u00e9 Heredia<\/p><\/div>\n

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Paco de Luc\u00eda y Ren\u00e9 Heredia. Foto: Archivo Ren\u00e9 Heredia<\/p><\/div>\n

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Ren\u00e9 Heredia y Sabicas. Foto: Archivo Ren\u00e9 Heredia<\/p><\/div>\n

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