Date:         Sat, 3 Jan 1998 09:47:29 -0700
From:         "Jerry J. Lobdill" <lobdillj@FLASH.NET>
Subject:      Simplicity, Complexity, and Genius (PdL)

I have been listening to PdL/Fosforito Vol. 2 (CD IMP 924) recently. I am
not a connoisseur of cante, but I saw PdL and Fosforito perform at the
feria in Almeria in 1968, and I liked them together then, and the CD
doesn't disappoint me at all. In fact it is some of the very best cante and
guitar I've heard anywhere...partly because it caters to my crustacean
preference for pre-modern flamenco (shortly before PdL began his
experimentations).

I am struck by the excellent accompaniment PdL provides, blending
simplicity, complexity, and genius to complement the cante marvelously.
PdL's genius is amazing to me even now. For example, in the cut, "Por Dios,
que yo no te miento", Solea de Cadiz, he produces an amazingly complex but
beautiful single compas basic form on the following traditional theme:

|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|-------------------------2----------|-------------------------0----------|
|-2-----------3----------------------|-------------2----------------------|
|------------------------------------|-3----------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

|------------------------------------|------0------------------------0----|
|------------------------------------|-------------------------0----------|
|-------------2----------------------|-------------------1----------------|
|-3-----------------------3----------|-------------2----------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|-0----------------------------------|

Instead of this well known, well used cliche, at one point he produces a
compas based on this slight melodic variation:

|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|-------------------------0----------|
|-------------------------2----------|------------------------------------|
|-2-----------3----------------------|-------------2----------------------|
|------------------------------------|-3----------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

|------------------------------------|------0------------------------0----|
|------------------------------------|-------------------------0----------|
|-2-----------0----------------------|-------------------1----------------|
|-------------------------3----------|-------------2----------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|-0----------------------------------|

But it uses brilliant contratiempo and mixes sixes, fours, threes, and twos
to produce an amazing result. Here it is:

SOLEACITO POR PACO DE LUCIA

                   a                     a   a
                   m                     m   m         m           m
  p i m a m i p    i     p             p i p i   p p   i   p       i   p
  ___________ ______     ___________   ___________ _________   _________
  |-|-|-|-|-| |    |     |   |   |-|   |-|-|-|-|-| |   |   |   |   |   |

                         G       p p           R               p
|-------0----------0-----------------|---0---0---------0-----------0------|
|-----0---0--------0-----------------|---1---1---------1-----------1------|
|---1-------1------1-----2-------0---|---0---0-----4-------4---2-------2--|
|-2-----------3--------------------3-|-----2-----3------------------------|
|------------------------------------|-3----------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

      m           m
      i   p       i       p            p  a  m  i  p  m  i  p  p    i
  _________   _________   __________   __________  __________  ______
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |--|--|--|   |--|--|--|  |--|--|--|  |    |

  p           h       R      p  p  h                           G
|-----0-----------0------------------|----0-----------0-------------0-----|
|-----1-----------1------------------|-------0-----------0-----0----------|
|-0-------0--------------------------|----------1-----------1-------------|
|-------------3-----------3--2--0--3-|-------------2----------------------|
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|-0----------------------------------|

In the line right above the TAB G = golpe, R = rest, p = pull-off, h =
hammer-on.

The vertical lines above that show the beat division, and the horizontal
line above that groups notes into a beat (count).

Only a genius would have dreamed this up. This tiny bit is, to me, like a
gold nugget is to a prospector. The value of such small things increases as
I grow older. An especially satisfying part about having such weird values
is that the Wall Streeters have no way to profit from them, and the
government has no way to tax them. :-)

Jerry, El Bogavante