The last I saw of the XVIII Caja Madrid Flamenco Festival before packing my bags and heading for Jerez was the dual show starring the singer from Huelva Arcángel and the pianist from Seville Dorantes.

Arcángel began the evening with a gorgeous concert. With a delicate yet strong and expressive voice, Arcángel is representative of a young style of singing that strictly preserves the flamenco tradition. Maybe it’s because he’s lived them firsthand, but he sang the fandangos de Huelva masterfully.

What also contributed to the success of Arcángel’s concert were the artists with whom he surrounded himself: the guitarist Miguel Ángel Cortés flaunted his talent with a solo that was heavily applauded by the public, and the brothers, possibly twins, Antonio and Manuel Saavedra, responsible for choruses and palmas...

The XIV Jerez Festival begins tomorrow, and La Vaca Lola will be covering the event for FlamencoExport. To see the festival program visit the fest’s Web site, and if you can’t swing by Jerez, follow the festival here with us.

In the meantime, enjoy Flamenco.TV’s video coverage of the XIII Jerez Festival. Click on the artist’s name to see the corresponding video:

Eva Yerbabuena & Moraíto

Juan Diego & María José Franco

Aida Gómez & Juan Antonio Suárez “Cano”

Anabel Rosado, Macarena de Jerez & Gerardo Núñez

María Pagés & Rosario Toledo

When Mayte Martin’s concert ended on the second night of the XVIII Caja Madrid Flamenco Festival, the Flamenco Calle de Alcalá 2010 Award was presented to the maestro guitarist Enrique de Melchor, whose concert ended the evening.

The son of Melchor de Marchena brought with him a large group of artists. Among those who shared the stage with Melchor, the most impressive were the excellent flamenco flutist Juan Parrilla and singer Chato de Vélez. I’d seen Juan Parrilla on several other occasions and admired his talent for a long time, but Vélez was a discovery. With a clear and strong voice, he soon won me over, becoming in a single night one of my favorite backing singers...

On the 16th of February, the Catalan singer Mayte Martin opened the second night of the Caja Madrid Flamenco Festival accompanied by guitarist Juan Ramón Caro. The magnificent flamenco singer was even more affable than usual, joking with the audience and creating a welcoming, cozy environment, even though the concert took place in the enormous Circo Price Theatre in Madrid, which is in actuality a circus ring.

Shortly after taking the stage, an audience member shouted effusively “¡Guapa!” (Beautiful), to which Martin responded, “You’re not half bad either.” After singing several numbers, another spectator yelled “You sing better every day.” And Martin quipped, “She said it, but I know you were all thinking it.” They were both probably right. Martin presented an almost impeccable concert. Only when she began to sing a garrotín did she have to stop a few seconds so that the guitarist could adjust the key, and despite the rocky start, the garrotín was one of the evening’s most evocative pieces...

Flamenco.TV covered all four days of SIMOF, and we have the videos to prove it. Not all of the designers wanted to retransmit their fashion shows, but those that did want to share their designs have their videos on the Web site ready to be seen.  Simply click on the names of the designers listed below to see the fashion shows.

New Designers Contest

New Designers Awards Ceremony

Pilar Vera – Sevilla - “Cruz de Mayo”

Margarita Friere – Sevilla – “Pasión” 

Curro Durán para Artesanía Ríos Quintana – Antequera, Málaga – “Atelier”

Melisa Lozano – Fuengirola, Málaga – “Dos Amores”

Trajes de Flamenca Mari Carmen Cruz – Villamanrique de la Condesa, Sevilla – “Mi Fondo Flamenco”

Creaciones MariCruz – Sevilla – “Maestranza” & Peris Complementos – Sevilla
Y el Premio al Mejor Modelo del SIMOF

Rosalía Zahino – Almería – “La mar de coraje” & Encarna Solá, Sauco

Photo by ToritoMedia from Flickr of the Carmen Latorre Fashion Show