I had the pleasure of seeing a very talented flamenco guitarist by the name of Jorge Miguel at Georgetown's John Elliot Theatre last week.
Living in Georgetown, it can sometimes feel like you're stuck in an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine: it's not the most vibrant place on the planet. But, hopefully Miguel's appearance is a sign of change to come.
I've been to see a number of other flamenco guitarists in the past, but Jorge's was much more traditional than the others (a good thing -- the guitar and palmas come to the foreground, and there's a lot more "air" in the sound). Some other artists in this genre have one or two songs done in this style (or in an approximation of it), but it was refreshing to see an entire performance done that way. The performance style reminded me of Teye, and that is a strong compliment.
The other flamenco artists that I've seen live -- Jesse Cook, Robert Michaels, Johannes Linstead -- are all very talented in their own ways, but I prefer the traditional sound, and Jorge Miguel's performance was very satisfying. It was also the first performance I've seen with some genuine flamenco dancing, where the dancing took centre-stage and contributed to the musicality rather than being a sidelined flourish.
I hope Georgetown warms up fast to this type of music so that we can see more like it: the initial response was disappointing, although the people that turned up seemed to enjoy it very much. Until then, the Oakville Centre and Living Arts Centre are good nearby places to see other live music like this. But, again, if Jorge Miguel comes to your area, it's incredibly worthwhile to go and see him and his band perform.
You can sample his music and buy his CD from CDBaby. I picked the CD up from his concert for $15.
Technorati: Jorge Miguel, flamenco, John Elliot theatre, Georgetown
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