7% cheaper

 A day of open, flat, farmed and bleached countryside.  It is a day for a diversion.  Now, I know enough History to pay fast and loose with it. I am happy to cheek obscure, and possibly non-existent saints https://www.facebook.com/groups/701103664931430  I am going to talk about flamenco today and I will confess I know nothing. Should I get anything wrong today I am open to an all expenses paid trip to Southern Spain to be taught the error of my ways.

First off, we are going to Bar Venta casa ana.  It is on the edge of Los Jintes and, I suspect, on the old road. The new road is cheek to cheek with it and this makes the bar so low lying that I missed it on the first run through.

The bar is open 6am - 4.30pm weekdays [closed Wednesdays] and 8am to 12.30am at weekends.  It gets 3.9 stars from 38 reviews.   Two months ago Jorge wrote ‘This place was awesome in the eighties, back when it was Armando's Italian Bar. A family atmosphere throughout the whole development; we all knew each other. Besides, there was Cristóbal's beach bar in phase 3. Good times, those were great evenings out. One of us who lived in phase 2 🥹🥹 ‘  More recently Amador wrote ‘Home-style cooking specializing in venison and grilled meats, fireplace, and homemade desserts.

Very peaceful and pleasant.’

So.  Flamenco. Here goes.  The term flamenco is debated. Some reference George Borrow, who traveled through Spain in the 1830s and identified the gitanos / Romani people as Flemish. Others state before Borrow there was flamenco identified in Madrid.  Either way the origin seems to be related to the arrival of the Romani migrations from North India in the 15th century - see Tudor descriptions of ‘Egyptians’ to compare and contrast.

Flamenco, as a genre, seems to have emerged in the urban centres of 18th century, with Jerez de la Frontera claiming the first written record. Solverio Franconetti opened a flamenco cafe in Seville in 1881 - however the ‘Generation of 98’ were somewhat disapproving, blaming flamenco and bullfighting for Spain’s ills.

Between 1920 and 1955 flamenco cozied up with opera. This may have been because flamenco shows paid 10% tax while opera only 3%.  It got a bit of a revival on the back of promotions by the likes of Lorca and Manuel de Falla who saw it as an expression of folklore.   

Franco co-opted elements of Spanish identity, such as Flamenco, to be repackaged as the sun and paella palatable face of the regime for tourists. Flamenco became associated with reaction however in the sixties some of the cantadores began to put protest lyrics in the shows.  In the 1980s new workings on the tradition emerge but I’m not sure I have the understanding to do them justice - so I won’t.

So ends the day and so we gaze towards Carmona.