<scan>Ahh, those homemade phone videos where we see a little kid, sometimes in diapers, more or less moving to the beat or waving their arms, half pretending to sing or dance, surrounded by gloating adults proud of their little prodigy.</scan>
Let’s get real. At what age is a flamenco artist truly made? At what age are they able to raise gooseflesh telling stories through their flamenco expression? In another article, we discussed the children featured in the series Rito y Geografía del Cante directed by José Ma. Velázquez-Gaztelu in the 1970s: Macanita, Remedios Amaya, Carmelilla Montoya and others. Each had a unique way of being flamenco, charming and endearing, a kind of light popular delivery without reaching the depths of soleá and siguiriya.
But there have been children capable of going further, of twisting your insides with heavy-duty singing. From the same series, one of the youngest and most convincing singers is Antonio Malena, a boy of about eight or nine years old at the time, who sings with the weighty importance of an adult, accompanied by the guitar of the adolescent Moraíto, performing heart-wrenching seguiriyas. How could so much pain fit in such a small body?
In his book Historia Social del Flamenco (Barcelona, 2010), the late author and admired friend Alfredo Grimaldos, a flamenco specialist, writes that veteran Juan Talega used to say that a flamenco singer only begins to be truly formed after reaching forty. However, in 1959, Talega himself was so impressed by the singing of María Vargas during the tribute to Manuel Torre and Javier Molina in Jerez that he supported naming the 12-year-old girl Catedrática (expert) de Cante Jondo after she sang at the tribute in the Villamarta Theater. María recounts that the veteran maestro Talega told her never to stop singing that siguiriya style because it belonged to her family. It has since never been absent from María’s performances, the classic cante Hospitalito de Cai, a mano derecha, allí tenía mi pare de mi alma la camita hecha, which the young girl had learned thanks to the vast knowledge of her father, Manuel Vargas Arena, a singer at private gatherings. The verse has come to represent the magnitude and power of this exceptional singer, who continues to move us well into her seventh decade of life.
Gaspar de Utrera, another master of classical flamenco singing, used to say that a singer is made by the age of 15, and from then on, it's just minor adjustments. His friend, singer Cuchara de Utrera, confirmed to me years ago that Gaspar sang the same at fifteen as he did at fifty.
«Ahh, those homemade phone videos where we see a little kid, sometimes in diapers, more or less moving to the beat or waving their arms, half pretending to sing or dance, surrounded by gloating adults proud of their little prodigy»
Pepe the Boleco, a young singer from La Puebla de Cazalla (2001), already left his mark on the fans when he was very young with his cante classic and stale saying. When I was 15 I reminded you of the Agujetas without imitation, and was already participating in important festivals.
Alonso Núñez El Purili (La Línea, 2000), a real charmer, has an exquisite artistic personality that is a true delight. At just 14 or 15 years old, he captured the attention of flamenco enthusiasts, although he is no longer a child and has moved beyond that stage without losing the natural grace that has always characterized him.
Another gifted child, son of a professional singer, was Kiko Peña (Écija, 1995), who in his childhood showed great promise, though he distanced himself from the flamenco scene despite his early potential. I've been told that he now focuses on flamenco-tinged popular music.
Not long ago, at the Bienal de Flamenco in Seville, young singer Manuel de la Tomasa, 25, impressed a discerning audience. He has spent several years navigating the waters of the finest singing thanks to the wisdom of his illustrious grandfather, José de la Tomasa, a lineage of noble metal that includes legendary names such as La Tomasa, Pies de Plomo, and Manuel Torre himself, along with a connection to Manuel Vallejo.
Refuting everyone regarding the ages of flamenco singers, we have the surprising Manuel Monje from Jerez, who at 12 years old has already spent a couple of years delighting enthusiasts with his mature style reminiscent of Luis de la Pica and Torta, among other popular singers.
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