Customer Reviews

Guitarra Flamenca: Parrilla de Jerez: Nostalgia

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Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain, is the home of the deep or serious cantes, the siguiriyas and soleares, but also the festive bulerías. They are often performed with dancers. The third element is the guitar and here, too, Jerez has its own style. The family Fernández de Jerez includes some major flamenco artists--cantaors, dancers, and guitarists--and among them is Manuel Fernández Molina, whose stage name/nickname is Parrilla de Jerez. [A parrilla is a grill pan; coincidentally, his brother Juan, another guitarist, runs a splendid flamenco club and restaurant in Jerez.] In this solo album, his strong and inventive elaborations will stop you in your tracks. Although influenced by Niño Ricardo, Parrilla's style is distinctive, with a flair both classical and modern. As expected, his siguiryas are thoughtful with gravitas, but he is also at home with a romantic malagueña and a joyful tiento/tango. His high standard of technique had made him a favorite accompanist with cantaors; when alone, his rich explorations are a feast for the ears. This album, his fourth solo work, was recorded in 1998 and is well engineered. If you enjoy the guitar work of Sabicas, you will certainly appreciate this album.

The late Parrilla de Jerez was best known in flamenco circles for his excellence while accompanying the cante and was widely sought after for his jondo yet beautiful style of playing. On this CD, Parrilla demonstrates his mastery of the guitar with several toques that display his musical genius and proves that he could play classical flamenco as well as the traditional style of accompanying. Parrilla's sound was harsh, perhaps as a nod to Nino Ricardo, to whom all of the guitarists of Parrilla's generation emulated because of Ricardo's great technique and raw, earthy sound. Parrilla's style was based on a thumb and rasgueado technique instead of the lyrical, classical-influenced style favored by many flamenco guitarists of today. As good as this session is, Parrilla's other CD, "Jondura" may be even better. Parrilla's playing sounds nearly like the toque of famed teacher and maestro Mariano Cordoba. This CD is a worthy tribute to a great player who was comfortable in a tablao, concert hall or recording studio.