Maestro Enrique Vargas has chosen this CD for two reasons: first, because its musical value is unquestionable and second, because this recording like no other reflects the versatility of the artistic trajectory of this guitarist and composer. This work demonstrates a wide palette of styles and influences that Tomatito made his own: from a dazzling and very jazzy jam session with the great George Benson to a fiesta por bulerías in a wine cellar en Jerez de la Frontera in a pure Gypsy style, from an Argentinian bolero to a profoundly ancestral solea, from tangos flamencos so ''Tomatito'' to a Turkish folk song with a string cuartet.
Theoretical explanation of the forms, tunings, scales and time keeping.
Practical analysis.
Charts in notation and tab.
The only transcriptions approved by José Fernándes Torres ''Tomatito''
Transcriptions and all text by Enrique Vargas.
Taranta ''Macael''
This beautiful and very emotional taranta is a perfect example of the evolution of Tomatito's harmonic and melodic language. Although full of modern chords and scales, this piece expresses the most ancestral sentiments with the flamenco purity so characteristic of Tomatito.
Bulerías ''Dulce Manantial''
This piece, composed in the modern key of D# Hijaz, is tremendously difficult, both rhythmically and technically. As in every transcription done by the maestro Enrique Vargas, the parts of the second guitar, the mandola, as well as two voices of the cante have been transcribed in their entirety. Chord symbols are provided throughout the whole piece, which is accompanied by detailed explanations of the toque as well as extended analysis of the most difficult falsetas.
This piece can be interpreted as a solo as well as a duo.
Turkish song ''Bir Ömürlük Misafir''
In this piece, for the first time in the history of flamenco guitar transcriptions, the full orchestral chart is provided for those who have Sibelius or Finale software. They can either scan or enter manually the chart into their computers in order to be able to enjoy playing this piece with the full orchestra sound.
Bulerías ''Ahí Te Quedas''.
The inclusion of this piece, or, to be more precise, live recording of a traditional juerga could strike you as somewhat odd on such a modern and sophisticated CD. Nevertheless, it has a profound meaning, an important message to all the flamenco aficionados. On this recording Tomatito, that super modern Tomatito, plays with the ancestral purity and discrete elegance worthy of a genius, as if he were saying: ''modernity comes from the tradition. Purity in playing, from the juerga . Feeling, from accompanying the cante. The sense of compás, from playing a lot of rasgueados. ''With what sensibility the guitarist from Almería accompanies these letras fiesteras , short and simple, with the same structure of 3 - 4 lines, but at the same time so flavorful and full of soniquete! With simple chords, playing the remates in their appropriate places, with one and only one thumb-driven falseta, in the purest Jerez style... Olé, olé y olé....
Obviously, this transcription is destined to those who wish to learn to accompany the cante. To make the task easier, I transcribed the voice track in its entirety, which also makes it possible to play these bulerías with another musical instrument.
It should be kept in mind that notation has certain limits when transcribing cante which has lots of microtones that are impossible to write on paper.
To sum it up: this piece is a brilliant lesson in compás and rasgueados interpretation and cante accompaniment, where Tomatito uses infinite right hand finger combinations to strum the strings, each finger carrying its own sound and shading, creating a pure and intense swing.
The transcription of these bulerías is accompanied by the detailed explanations of the toque as well as extended analysis of the most difficult letras and techniques.
English and Spanish
A4 format, 246 pages.
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