José Almarcha: «I like music that comes from the suffering or oppression of a people»

Since he became known as a soloist in 2015 with the album Grow old, Jose Almarcha (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, 1982) has not stopped earning merits to have his own space in the current flamenco guitar scene. Naturally restless and multifaceted, in love with all the arts, he continued his esteemed career with Alejandra (2021), while collaborating with companies such as Olga Pericet or Marco Flores. His latest album to date, A new walk, seems like a definitive step towards conquering the general public by making use of its undeniable flamenco sound together with sounds similar to rock or jazz with a successful harmony between these elements.

– What distinguishes A new walk from your previous works?

– I think the difference with my two previous works is that this “new journey” transcends genre or form. It is an instrumental album that celebrates the universality of music, the flamenco enters into dialogue with other styles such as rock, soul or jazz, showing its versatility in a contemporary context. I think we have achieved a very good communion between all the styles.

– Is working with electric guitars and drums avant-garde or are they already so accepted that it would be another form of classicism?

– It’s something that has been going on for decades… It’s nothing new, on the contrary. I think that in this work the novelty is in how everything is marinated, how we have treated each element and marinated it in the progressive touch of the work, looking for the sound of the 80s and 90s.

– One of the fears that guitarists who play with a band always have is that the guitar will be overshadowed by the instrumentation. How have you managed to keep your guitar in front at all times?

– Well, this seems very logical to me. I have not tried to be ahead at any time, the only thing is that my guitar does the solo work. It is a guitar with a band behind it, not a band without a singer… So I imagine that is where the result comes from. I sing while the rest accompany me, but there are always moments when each instrument takes center stage in different songs. For example, The silence of time I composed it for piano and electric guitar, I thought of the farruca for the rhythm section…

«The flamenco tradition should never be forgotten. (…) This is where the name of the soleá comes from, 'Root and PaloIn an interview, Manolo Sanlúcar was asked what he thought an artist should be like. He replied that, for him, an artist had to be half rooted, to be anchored to the ground and connected to tradition and its wisdom, and the other half paloma, to be able to fly far away and find new paths and ways»

– I am struck by the choice of the palosHow was it? For example, he gave up including bulerías, tangos or seguiriyas, which others consider essential in a guitar repertoire, and opted for farrucas, caracoles, mineras, serrana…

– With the palos I am always very selective. I try not to repeat myself. palos I have already recorded some and I don't like to fall into the typical or predictable, hence a serrana, some caracoles, a milonga, a farruca or a song appear. I also thought about palos traditional jondos, so to speak, like the serrana or the solea, to make this fusion and show that, although the alegrías, the rumbas, the bulerías and the tangos are the genres that fuse most frequently, the fusion can be taken to any palo as serious as it may seem.

– Composing for dance, to what extent has it helped you shape your own music?

– Composing for dance is something that has absolutely nothing to do with composing for concert guitar. They are two different worlds that complement and enrich each other, but they are not very compatible. It has helped me a lot when it comes to understanding rhythm and looking for other horizons, also to understand conceptuality, something that is little exploited in the guitar.

– Tell me about the collaborations on the album. What do they bring to the table and what do you have in common with Ruibal, Carmen, Serrano…?

– The collaborations in this work are exceptional. In the milonga, being a version of Federico's poem, from day one I had in mind that the voices to do it had to be Javier Ruibal and Carmen Linares, because of their commitment to poetry, art and music, and the deep admiration I have for them. I have a direct relationship with Javier, we are family. Lucía, his daughter, is my wife. So I proposed the idea to him and he accepted with delight. And through him we contacted Carmen, who also got involved from minute one, it was a dream. In the ballad TiamI wanted it to be Antonio Serrano because it is the harmonica sound that we all have in our hearts, being the first (at least that I have heard) with those Vicente Amigo songs… I contacted him to propose it and we immediately agreed on a schedule and he brought us a touch of indescribable genius. I have a long working relationship with Gema Caballero and she is a singer whom I have greatly admired for many years, and for whom I have a special affection. It is an honor for me that she participates in the caracoles, with that chorus that I also made exclusively for her, because it came out of a creative process in which we were working together. My dear Lucía Ruibal who, apart from being my other half, is the one who always adds that touch of dance flamenco to my work, because I without the three pillars (cante, touch and dance) I do not conceive the flamenco, and she is always willing to put her beautiful heart, and there she left it, in the farruca.

– What would be, in your opinion, the red lines that a merger should never cross?

– I think that flamenco tradition should never be forgotten, you have to be very meticulous with that because it is the essence, the main thing. If that is not there, you are quickly out of the picture and you stop being heard. flamenco, it is very easily lost. I think that is the most important thing. This is where the name of the soleá comes from, Root and PalomaIn an interview, Manolo Sanlúcar was asked how he thought an artist should be, and in his infinite wisdom he answered that, for him, an artist had to be half root, to be anchored to the ground and connected to tradition and his wisdom, and the other half palobut, to be able to fly far away and find new paths and ways.

«I really like rock and jazz guitars. But above all guitars from music that I consider sisters of flamenco, music that is born from the suffering or oppression of a people and that people use to shout out their pain and sorrow. There is some truth in that music that, if you know how to perceive it, is heartbreaking.

– Where do you think flamenco guitar is at right now? Who are the people in the current scene that interest you?

– The current moment of the flamenco I think it's the same as always. As it is live music, there are great artists doing very interesting things with great quality, and there are others who don't. As always, this controversy has been going on, as far as we know, at least since there has been written press. No, the flamenco is in good health and as long as there are people with a passion and respect for him, he will continue to do so. We are getting by, but the flamenco endures.

– And what other guitars, or other music, interests José Almarcha?

– I really like rock and jazz guitars. But above all guitars from music that I consider sisters of jazz. flamenco, music that is born from the suffering or oppression of a people and that people use to shout out their pain and sorrow. There is some truth in that music that, if you know how to perceive it, is heartbreaking.

– Tomelloso has always been a very flamenco town, but do you think it is a handicap to leave the periphery of the big spotlights? flamencos, or from outside Andalusia? Does that have advantages and disadvantages?

– Less and less. With this globalization, as my father-in-law says, now the flamencoThey are born wherever they want. My town, Tomelloso, is a source of pride for me and I am very grateful because I was able to live in a time when it was very flamenco and thanks to that I am here today. It may be that sometimes I do not have pedigree It may be a handicap, but it is something that is becoming less and less noticeable. Young people no longer understand these things, fortunately. ♦