Santiago fiesta next week in Turre

It’s what used to be known as the gitano fiesta, but has now been re-branded as the Fiestas de Santiago el Apostol in an attempt to market it to the guiris. When we were kids we weren’t welcomed up there, but times have changed, and no gitano is too proud to strum his guitar for a lovely lady, or if no lovely lady is around, some daft yet wealthy tourists. You’ll hear the caterwauling of Continue reading Santiago fiesta next week in Turre

Paco de Lucia, greatest flamenco guitarist of our times, dies

Paco de Lucia died last night whilst on holidays with his family in Mexico. He was 66. Together with the great vocalist Camarón de la Isla, Paco is -was- considered to be the leading light of flamenco, and the reason it firmly took its place on the world stage alongside Jazz or bossa nova. Born in Algeciras (Cádiz) on the 21st of December 1947, Paco has won every major international music award going (even a Continue reading Paco de Lucia, greatest flamenco guitarist of our times, dies

Madonna opening a flamenco school in Los Angeles

It seems that pop singer Madonna has a lighter side to her personality – she’s an avid fan of flamenco. So avid, she’s opening a flamenco school, in Los Angeles of all places. A “close friend in the flamenco world” is selecting teachers at the moment, and Madonna was recently out there selecting a venue. She first fell in love with flamenco on a girls weekend in Madrid in the 90’s. The sister of politician Continue reading Madonna opening a flamenco school in Los Angeles

Se llama copla

A fun program currently running on Canal Sur (Andalucia) is an X-Factor style program, but for Coplas. A Copla, for those of you who don’t know, is a style of sung poetry put to music, usually flamenco style – very popular down south. I’m enjoying it! A load of young hopefuls are whittled down by a panel comprising of a moustached gitano who models himself on Simon Cowell (called Pive Amador, a name I hope Continue reading Se llama copla