Jerez, cradle of flamenco
Jerez de la Frontera, distinguished for its wine, the birthplace of many artists and a place of great beauty in Andalusia, is also known in the world of flamenco as the cradle of flamenco, although it is somewhat difficult to define where the birth of this art form in particular is located.
According to history, Jerez de la Frontera is one of the first places where there are more references to flamenco, which began to be defined in a more solid way around 1850.
The Andalusian gypsy people reinterpreted the folklore of Andalusia in the way they felt it, and did so through song and dance. Flamenco, as well as being an art, is felt as a way of living and feeling.
Jerez de la Frontera is considered to be one of the main cities linked to the art of flamenco. This city is considered to be the great cathedral of flamenco art in terms of the art that is breathed in its streets, flamenco in Jerez is breathed in every corner of the city. A city where the bulería and the tabancos live.
A city full of art and artists that takes you back to 100 years ago with its peculiar feeling of flamenco.
The passage of time of flamenco in Jerez
Jerez has managed to maintain its musical forms in a wild way. Although it is not the only geographical area that boasts this, also visible in Utrera, Lebrija or the Campo de Gibraltar, it is the only city that has done so in a more remarkable way. This is due to something peculiar that has existed in Jerez, the casas cantaoras.
In Jerez, cante has been maintained by family inheritance and has been handed down from generation to generation. Certain names of important people in the city in terms of music and flamenco should be mentioned. That is why creators such as Paco La Luz, Diego El Marrurro, Manuel Molina, Juanichi El Manijero, Loco Mateo, Tío José de Paula, Frijones, Manuel Torre, Juan Mojama or El Gloria, among others, have left their scores to the new generations.
More current and better known flamenco artists who have left their mark are: El Borrico, Tía Añica la Pirriñaca, El Sernita, Terremoto, Chocolate, El Agujeta, El Sordera, La Paquera, Diamante Negro or José Mercé, among many others.
Jerez and its two most popular flamenco districts
The city is divided into two singing areas, where, without losing the denomination of origin, the cantes take on different forms and styles. In this way, it is necessary to differentiate between the San Miguel and Santiago districts. Each neighbourhood has known how to sing this art in its own way, as the differences are not only in the music, but also in the way it is interpreted. The differences can be said to be that in La Plazuela this art is more visceral and wild, while in the Santiago neighbourhood it is more melodic and rhythmic.
The city of the gypsies
For all these reasons, "the city of the gypsies", as Federico García Lorca christened it, is an evocation of the most ancestral roots of flamenco, preserved since its origins. The gypsy tradition has been able to maintain its legacy over the years and maintain the flamenco lineage of each cantaora's house. Thanks to the people in general who have known how to value the gypsy cultural heritage, and who have known how to become one of the few corners of the world where flamenco is breathed, making the city a museum where flamenco is experienced in a very special way in every corner.
Jerez de la Frontera keeps the spirit of flamenco alive through the different recitals, fiestas and festivals that are held throughout the year, activities that arouse the interest of experts and lovers from all over the world.
The Jerez Festival
The Jerez Flamenco Festival has become one of the most important on the national scene. It currently has 26 editions, which include the premieres of great recitals and dance shows, as well as master classes, performances in small venues and peñas, in addition to other activities. This makes it, nowadays, one of the most complete and enriching annual meetings of flamenco amateurs and professionals in Spain.
ALL FLAMENCO is, since its beginnings, the official media of the festival, feeling very active and twinned with the city of Jerez de la Frontera. A wide selection of the absolute premieres of this Festival can be enjoyed on our channel with an exceptional quality of image and sound. Discover it by clicking on the following link Watch the Festival de Jerez NOW.