Miguelito's Photo Diary

February 14, 2005 - February 17, 2005

• Cafe Citron February 14, 2005
• Las Tapas February 15, 2005
• Cafe Bonaparte February 16, 2005
• El Amor Brujo rehearsal at ADI February 17, 2005

El Amor Brujo rehearsal at ADI February 17, 2005

The composer of El Amor Brujo, Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), was a close friend of the poet Federico García-Lorca. The two of them and others organized the Festival of Cante Jondo in 1922 as an attempt to rescue cante jondo "...from the commercially adulterated professional 'flamenco' heard in urban cafes and theatres." (from Christopher Maurer's preface to In Search of Duende by Lorca)

Norberto Chamizo and Anna Menendez. February 17, 2005

Composed in 1914-1915, the title translates as either "Love the Magician" or "Love Bewitched." According to Gypsy tradition, marriage is arranged from childhood. It has been decided that Candela will marry Jose. But it turns out that another man, Carmelo, is in love with Candela. And of course, Jose is in love with another woman, Lucia. Still with me?

February 17, 2005

On the night of the pre-arranged wedding, Jose dances with Lucia which spurs Carmelo to rage and soon after, murder. He kills Jose. Carmelo is sent to prison and four years later is released. He returns to find that Candela is haunted by the ghost of Jose. Carmelo's goal is to rid Candela of Jose's ghost and win her heart.

February 17, 2005

I didn't get to speak with the dancers in the photos you see here. Evidently, Anna Menendez is Candela. But I'll leave it to you figure out who is Carmelo and who is Jose. Or you can attend the performance on February 25, 2005 and find out first-hand.

February 17, 2005

February 17, 2005

February 17, 2005

Edwin Aparicio and Anna. February 17, 2005

February 17, 2005

Sara Jerez, Anna and Kyoko Terada February 17, 2005

Musically, the most recognizable section in this ballet is the Danza ritual del fuego (Ritual Fire Dance). In the story, this is where Candela attempts to break the spell of ghost of Jose so that she can be with Carmelo, who has loved her from the very beginning.

El Amor Brujo will be performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Friday February 25, 2005 at the new Music Center at Strathmore.

The rehearsal pictured here takes place the American Dance Institute (ADI) in Rockville, Maryland.

Cafe Bonaparte February 16, 2005

It's been a couple of weeks since our last show at Bonaparte. But it was good to be back. The staff here is friendly. The food is good--my personal favorite is the crepe Suzette. Yumm! The place is tiny but it's a good thing. With the audience so close, it feels like an intimate gathering at a friend's well-kept but cozy apartment. The clientele ranges from college age (it's just a few blocks from Georgetown University) on up.

A rare glimpse of me doing my nails before the show. February 16, 2005 9:21pm (photo by Omar)

Our usual singer Carlton wasn't feeling well so Gerard was able to sub at the last minute. Thanks Gerard! February 16, 2005 10:22pm (photo by Omar)

The first two sets at 8pm and 9pm feature more laid-back tunes to allow the people to enjoy the music and conversation without being overpowered. When our singer arrives for the last set, we kick it up a notch and crank up the volume doing everything from rumbas, alegrias, tangos to bulerias. February 16, 2005 10:24pm (photo by Omar)

You can't tell, but the girls at the front table are enjoying the music. No really! In fact one of them is on the phone (see above) saying to her friend, "This band's awesome, can you hear them?" I wonder: does she realize I can hear her conversation? :)

This is a view from the bar about midway through the cafe. There are even more tables in the back. To make sure everyone can enjoy the show, he speaker is raised to project the music all the way to the back. February 16, 2005 10:26pm (photo by Omar)

I'm amazed at how we can fit three guitarists in this tight corner. Most club/restaurant owners would rather use an area like this for another table for paying customers, and give in and just play CD's. Cheapskates! But here at Bonaparte they're very smart: having live musicians adds a touch of class. February 16, 2005 10:44pm

Behzad switches to playing cajón for the last set as we do more bulerias. The last time we performed here, a group of dancers showed up and even danced between the tables! (They have a wood floor here.) February 16, 2005 10:45pm

As we left for the night, I quickly took this pic. February 16, 2005 11:31pm

This is the view looking through the window at the corner where the musicians sit. It's good marketing to have the performers by the window--enticing the public to come in and check it out. February 16, 2005 11:32pm

Behzad waves goodbye as he walks down Wisconsin Avenue. February 16, 2005 11:33pm

As he disappears into the night, yet another flamenco-filled evening comes to an end...buenas noches! February 16, 2005 11:35pm

It's late, but I still got lots to do...good thing I'm more mentally alert at this time of the night because I've got homework for poetry class. We're currently reading The Demon and the Angel: Searching for the Source of Artistic Inspiration by poet/writer Edward Hirsch who posits that the ever elusive duende can be invoked by artists outside of Spain. Does Miles Davis have duende? Charlie Parker? Another writer suggests that Ernest Hemingway, Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando all had it. My assignment: name five non-Spaniard artists (musicians, writers, painters etc) who have duende, five who do not and explain why.

Las Tapas February 15, 2005

Tonight was a special treat for me. In addition to playing for the regular Las Tapas dancer Edwin Aparicio, I had the pleasure of accompanying two guest artists: Kyoko Terada and Norberto Chamizo.

Kyoko and Norberto are in town to rehearse for a performance of Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo with the Baltimore Symphony. Kyoko flew in from Miami and Norberto is from Madrid.

Sevillanas with Kyoko and Edwin. February 15, 2005 9:02pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

Norberto, Kyoko and Edwin. This was the first time I did a tablao show that featured two male dancers. February 15, 2005 9:05pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

Norberto in solea por bulerias. February 15, 2005 9:08pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

We rehearsed a few hours earlier. But basically we just ran through the dances once and that was it! February 15, 2005 9:09pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

I'll admit the show wasn't technically perfect, but the feeling was there. What I loved is that Norberto didn't do the equivalent of "micromanaging" my accompaniment. Instead he said something to the effect of: "This is how my dance goes, do what you want with the music!" February 15, 2005 9:10pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

It's funny that I just used the word "micromanaging." A friend of mine from my previous work life happened to come to Las Tapas this evening. She was telling me about her current day job where her boss controls every little aspect of her job to the point where it's such a bureaucratic headache just to get things done: her boss has to approve every little thing. I suppose micromanaging might work well for certain fields, but what I do know for sure is that micromanaging kills the creative process.

Uh-oh, I feel a lecture coming...

Note to student accompanists: don't use my example as an excuse to tell dancers to "go to hell" when dancers micromanage and ask for specific melodies or rhythms to go with their dance.

I can just hear it now, "Hey [insert dancer's name]! Miguelito said blah blah blah..."

Thing is dancers here in DC trust me with the musical accompaniment because I can hold down the compas 90% of time. The other 10% of the time when I do mess up, I know how to "fix" the music and get back into the groove with the dancer. They make mistakes too--yes, even the professionals! But as experienced performers, we get good at fixing things so quickly that the audience usually doesn't notice. It's a skill that only comes with being on stage on a regular basis.

Playing for flamenco dancers doesn't require you to play anything super fancy---although there's nothing wrong with playing fancy stuff. TIP: It's better to play something simple and in compás then it is to butcher a rhythmically challenging falseta and lose it. This deserves to be emphasized to all you student accompanists that are starting to do shows with dancers: simple and in compás is good; complicated and out of compás bad bad bad.

February 15, 2005 9:12pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

February 15, 2005 9:17pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

February 15, 2005 9:33pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

February 15, 2005 9:34pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

It's a shame that the restaurant was half-empty with a guest artist like Norberto. The timing was off--the night before was Valentine's so most people went out and spent big bucks on dinner on Monday. I had a good time though. Thank you Norberto! February 15, 2005 9:35pm (photo by Nora Lopez)

I had to rush off and meet a friend at 10:30pm and I was already running late. While I waited for the train, I entertained myself by taking some self-portraits. Here's a good one of me. :) February 15, 2005 10:36pm (photo by me)

Train is here! But I am sooooo late! February 15, 2005 10:40pm (photo by me)

Back home now: I don't know what time it is. I just know that it's Wednesday early morning and that I have some reading to do for Lorca poetry class which is at 9:35am. My body is screaming at me: "Go to bed now!!!" I'm tired, but, I had very fulfilling day.

Here's a psychological game I use to beat sleepiness in the morning: If I go to bed knowing it's 4:00am and wake up at 6:00am, I will wake up feeling very very cranky. But, if I go to bed not knowing what time it is and wake up at 6:00am, I will still feel tired, but not as bad as I would feel if I knew exactly how long I slept. Am I making sense or am I just delirious? :) OK, OK. I'll shut up now and spend quality time with Lorca. :) Good night!

Cafe Citron February 14, 2005

I arrived at Citron extra early to setup my sound system and lights. A friend of mine was meeting me for a few drinks before the show, so with the stage all ready I could just relax, enjoy the company and afterwards walk into Citron five minutes before show time.

Stage is set (notice the stage lights on the floor). They got the place all decked out in V-day accoutrements. February 14, 2005 5:40pm

Someone showed me the famous article from the Washington Post. February 14, 2005 7:55pm

The now famous Miguelito hard at work. :) Ugh! Someone remind me to remove those hangers before the show next time. It looks like I'm playing guitar in a closet. :) February 14, 2005 9:03pm (photo by Aru)

Singer Gerard Moreno and I performing Sevillanas. February 14, 2005 9:05pm (photo by Aru)

Sara Jerez in Guajiras. February 14, 2005 9:20pm (photo by Aru)

February 14, 2005 9:21pm (photo by Aru)

February 14, 2005 9:24pm (photo by Aru)

February 14, 2005 9:26pm (photo by Aru)

At some point, Aru passed the camera to Maynold, so I'm not sure who took what picture.

For the closing number, we switched to tangos and invited Jose to join us. He's giving it all he's got. Gerard is pleased. February 14, 2005 9:27pm (photo by Aru/Maynold)

Interesting shot. Look carefully: Gerard is in the mirror. If we were in poetry class (yeah I'm taking a class right now), we'd probably discuss at the length the metaphor of the singer in the mirror. What does the mirror mean? What does the color red represent? In Spain they call the pattern on Sara's dress lunares or "moons." What is the significance of the moon in the context of Lorca? Fascinating stuff, but let's move on. :) February 14, 2005 9:29pm (photo by Aru/Maynold)

Looks like we had a good show. Don't we look satisfied? Do you ever wonder why flamenco performers frequently wear black--aside from the fact that black is always cool? Could it be that black represents death--something that Spanish poets like Lorca were obsessed with? February 14, 2005 9:29pm (photo by Aru/Maynold)

Jose, Cesar Aquino, Aru and Miguelito. February 14, 2005 9:42pm (photo by Maynold)

Cesar invited us to his new home in DC where we could have a more intimate jam session. So instead of partying until closing time as usual, I packed up my sound equipment, grabbed a quick bite and we left early.

Good night Citron! February 14, 2005 11:04pm

36 minutes later we arrive at Cesar's fabulous crib. So happens that Jose was yawning as this photo was taken. (sorry Jose) But I look good in this pic so I decided to keep it. :) February 14, 2005 11:40pm (photo by Aru)

First thing Cesar did was call up his girlfriend and Jose and I serenaded her over the phone. After a few more drinks, we put on a private guitar concert for Aru--she does come and support my show at Citron and also at Chi-Cha to support Jose. It's the least we can do for a very sweet friend. Anyway, she was supposed to meetup with her girlfriends earlier that evening, but I convinced to her stay and I think she was glad she did--oh well, you only live once. February 14, 2005 11:47pm (photo by Aru)

Photos taken with the Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Camera

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