andalucia arabic cadiz dancers flamenco guitar gypsy moorish san fernando singers tarifa a
The origins of Flamenco are unclear but it is generally considered that it originated in Andalucia and is a fusion of Gypsy, Moorish, Sephardic and Arabic music. Flamenco, however is more than the intricately formed musical patterns, it is an art form and the dancers, singers, guitarists and percussionists create a whole musical genre.
There are many different styles of this music, including “verdiales”, “malagueñas”, “rondeñas” and “jaberas”.
The variants of Flamenco are rich and diverse, however six artists stand out. Once you’ve heard all of these artists, you’ll have a good idea of what flamenco is all about !
When I first moved to the eastern Costa del Sol in Spain we rented an apartment in a small mountain village North of Malaga. The village fiesta began in the evening of the day of our arrival. We were tired but we dressed up, allowed the baby to stay up late and sat down at a local bar.
A large number of young lads came and sat on the wall opposite the bar and I began to feel a bit nervous, I’d lived in London and had trouble with yobs before. The boys went to the bar, bought a beer each and I was really surprised at how carefully and responsibly they drank. Our Hoodies at home would have downed their pint in five minutes and then gone back for more and more and more, progressively getting more belligerent and threatening.
