By Laila Freeman
The powerful rhythmic strumming of guitars, the stamping of boots, the clapping of hands, the pounding of piano keys.
Flamenco’s back in town.
Wait a second. Piano?
“I think people are going to be really shocked when they see who will be opening the show, which is a piano player,” said Mitchell Chang, producer of the Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival on March 7 and 9 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
“There are tons of flamenco pianists now,” said Chang in a Zoom interview. One of them is Andres Barrios, from Spain, who will open both concerts with dancer Mizuho Sato, from Japan.
Originating in Spain, flamenco is an entertainment style that was often associated with the country’s Gypsy population. Through the centuries, it has continued to evolve in its variety and expressions, and that hooked Chang, first as a guitar student and teacher and then as a concert producer.
“What really attracts me to Flamenco is the level of musicianship and artistry, whether it’s dancing or the music part, which is singing, guitar — anything — piano,” Chang said.
“There are lots of new elements coming into flamenco, so that always kind of keeps it fresh, too. If you want the really stripped-down, straightforward square version, there’s that. But if you start longing for something more progressive with saxophone or flute or piano, then there’s that, too
Chang explained that flamenco’s tonality stands out from other music.
“If you know music theory, it’s the Phrygian mode,” he said. “A Miley Cyrus song is probably in a major key, right? It’s called Ionian, but Phrygian is a different tonality that’s kind of Middle Eastern and has a big influence on flamenco music. The singers sing in quarter tones, too, so if you go to a piano and then you press a white key, and then you press the black key next to it, in flamenco, there are notes in between that white key and black key.
“It’s a much more aggressive attack than classical. It’s a whole different approach. It lends itself to more emotional expressions when you’re playing. And it’s not just you, it’s you and a team of people — the singer, the dancer, the percussionist — so that’s what makes it fun too. And it runs the gamut of emotions like happy, sad, angry. It’s a really raw kind of a thing.”
Tomatito, the Spanish guitarist who headlines the March 7 show, will bring a band that includes singers and percussion.
“Tomatito is at the top of the food chain when it comes to flamenco guitar players,” Chang said. “He’s been able to synthesize a lot of different musical elements, but still keep it very, very flamenco. He’s got his sextet and his son on guitar — who’s going to carry on that lineage.”
Joining Tomatito on the Redondo Beach stage will be the dancer Karime Amaya, whom Chang describes as “fiery.” She is the grand niece of the internationally renowned flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya, who was featured in Hollywood musicals in the 1940s.
Dancer José Maya, who has shared the stage with artists such as Beyoncé and Björk, is performing with Latin Grammy winning guitarist Rycardo Moreno in the Wilshire Ebell program.
Chang, who also produces annual Hawaiian slack key guitar and ukulele festivals, believes the Los Angeles area is the perfect place to showcase multicultural productions. His aim with the flamenco festival is to present performances that “honor the art form.”
“There’s so much stuff out there that purports to be flamenco,” he said. “I want people to come and see that flamenco can be presented in a very authentic way and it doesn’t sacrifice any of the entertainment value, so they walk away feeling a little bit more culturally enriched and educated.”
Laila Freeman is an Orange County freelance writer with a BA in journalism from Cal State Long Beach. She is working on a master of fine arts in creative writing at Chapman University. This feature is underwritten by the Journalism Arts Initiative.
Los Angeles International Flamenco Festival
Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach, March 7, 2024, at 8 p.m. Guitarist Tomatito and his sextet with dancer Karime Amaya, pianist Andres Barrios and dancer Mizuho Sato. $35 to $90, plus $3 service fee.
Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 West Eighth St., Los Angeles, March 8 at 8 p.m. Dancer José Maya, guitarist Rycardo Moreno, pianist Andres Barrios and dancer Mizuho Sato. $40 to $90, plus $3 service fee.
Information and tickets: laflamencofestival.com/
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