Nuevo Flamenco

   Paco de Lucía, Enrique Morente and Camarón de la Isla were the first artists to break away from traditional flamenco (gatherings with singersongwriters and guitar) and a new generation of musicians has continued to extend the parameters of flamenco music. Flamenco is no longer the exclusive domain of a marginal Andalusian collective; in the last two decades it has entered into mainstream youth culture through the addition of new rhythms, ranging from jazz, pop, blues and disco (with echoes of Eric Clapton or The Stones), and modern instruments including synthe-sizers, pipes, flutes and electric guitars. After the death of Franco there was a flamencopop boom with artists like Las Grecas, Amina, Peret, Los Chunguitos, Los Chichos, Triana, Paco de Lucía, Veneno, Los Chorbos and Manuel Sanlúcar who all developed their own distinctive style. A new wave of artists followed their lead: Lole y Manuel, Camarón and Caño Roto, combining traditional flamenco with modern influences. Pata Negra, Ketama and La Barbería del Sur amongst others continued to experiment with flamenco sounds, enjoying considerable chart success. Without abandoning their roots, Nuevo Flamenco artists breathed new life into the art through their provocative lyrics and attitude. Andalusia ceased to be the only centre of flamenco music, as groups formed in other cities like Barcelona and Madrid and even outside Spain (as in the case of the Gypsy Kings). From the 1980s clubs designed for rock concerts began to book new flamenco artists in response to the interest shown by young people. Another key element in flamenco is dance, and there has also been an innovative movement in this area. Artists have moved away from traditional performances in tablaos (improvised stages) to large-scale flamenco spectaculars. Pastora Imperio and Carmen Amaya were in the vanguard of a fusion of modern choreography and classical ballet which was developed by Antonio Gades, Mario Maya, Joaquín Cortes and Antonio Canales.

   Nuevo Flamenco is a growth area, as shown by the success of young artists like Niña Pastori, Tomatito, Navajita Plateá, Potito and Vicente Amigo and it has become a highly exportable commodity round the world.

   See also: folk music; music; rock and pop

   Further reading

   - Calvo, P. and Gamboa, J.M. (1994) Historia-Guía del Nuevo Flamenco, Madrid: Guía de Música.

   MIGUEL JIMÉNEZ PINILLA