21
Jun 2017
Saxophone and flamenco, an unexpected couple
In previous articles on the saxophone, we have seen how this is linked to jazz music since its inception and how it is also part of classical music. But it would seem that very few people know the relationship between the saxophone and flamenco.
Perhaps it is because we are talking about a relationship that has not borne much fruit, in fact the first recordings of this were those made by Fernando Vilches and the Black Aquilino; it is practically impossible to find anything prior to them, or even written references. It is also very difficult to find many things subsequent to this.
The Negro, Aquilino, was possibly the first to play flamenco with a saxophone in the thirties. He is considered to be the creator of the ‘cante jondo’ with the saxophone. But until the eighties, no other important figure emerged in flamenco using the sax as an instrument, except for Jorge Pardo, who played with musicians to show the importance of Paco de Lucía in the world of flamenco.
In recent decades flamenco has opened up to new influences as a way to attract fresh followers. The way of enfolding oneself in this musical style has led many young people to attempt to deviate from it because they did not like the closed, excessively traditional world from which this music was developed.
But the flamenco fusion groups began to be very successful and, just as many purists denounced them, the general public were delighted with these musical experiments that continue to be important and successful. Mixtures of flamenco and different styles of popular music, including some pop, has encouraged many young people to become interested in this type of music – not only to remain within their new versions, but also to deepen the origins of this music.
Anastasia McQueen has never been a flamenco musician, perhaps because she has not needed to try it as she has been able to develop successfully in many other styles in which she has played. Maybe it’s just a matter of living a little more time in Spain, to end up biting the bug and, even on a personal level, end up experiencing this style.
Nowadays, Anastasia McQueen continues to triumph with her dance music, causing hundreds of people to gyrate on the dance floor every time she gets on stage to do what she likes the most.