'Picasso en mis ojos' ('Picasso in My Eyes'). Diego el Cigala, cante. Manuel Parrilla and Paquete, guitars. Piraña and Sabú, percussion. Yelsi Heredia, contrabass. Yumitu, piano. Hotel Westin Palace. Madrid, September 13th, 2005. 9 p.m.
The new album by Diego el Cigala called for a chic presentation. Eight hundred thousand copies sold of his previous record meant a real milestone... and real responsibility. So did dedicating his new project to Picasso. And what less than the choice of a luxurious setting - none other than Madrid's Hotel Palace - for the introduction of this album with which the Madrilenian cantaor hopes to lure new audiences to flamenco.
The presentation was conceived more for VIP guests than for the greater public, though it was no less warm because of it. The artist is brimming over, and that rubs off on everyone gathered under the huge glass dome of a hotel meeting room. He had the same devotion in the musicians, cozily positioned on the small stage ready for the showcase. A witty speech by comedian El Gran Wyoming preceded the music, granting El Cigala the Spanish 'prefix' Don (or Mr.), "like Don Antonio Chacón, who thus eliminated the competition and became king of the stage".
Well then, Don Diego el Cigala made his appearance, most elegantly attired, backed by a warm applause, a devoted band and a tight-knit cluster of photographers. He started off with the alegrías 'Malagueño' and went on to 'Chanelando', tangos he had already presented to audiences at the 2005 Festival de Mont de Marsan. An intelligent repertoire for a crowd whose credentials were better not required. A smile goes along with the voice collecting itself for 'La paloma'. Alberti and Picasso fly together to the fandango beat. The show moves on with that stylized track beginning with the verse "pintaba Picasso" ("Picasso used to paint..."). The bulería appears, and shining over it with astounding naturalness is that deep voice of the man from Cascorro (a square in Madrid). Musical cante. A musician's quejío.
A brief moment to give thanks, to point out that "everybody's put their soul into it" and to announce a guest even more luxurious than the venue itself: Raimundo Amador. Tremendous flamenco rock to spice up that Cuban rumba entitled 'Apenao'. Time to dance! And Ramón el Portugués, who is in the crowd, dotes on his son Sabú's box drum solo, the feel of the beat by his son Piraña, the great work live and at the studio by his son Paquete. What a family. Diego el Cigala enjoys himself... a few hours before taking a flight to London, where he will take part in the ¡Flamenco! gala at Royal Albert Hall to raise funds for "Save the Children", and just a few days before starting his crowded tour of Latin America. 'Picasso en mis ojos' has only just begun.
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