This week we lost another great of the guitar, Manuel Reyes of Córdoba. Recognized by most as the greatest builder of flamenco guitars, his talent and popularity was another stone in the monument to the traditional spanish guitar. When I met him he seemed to be a very intuitive builder (as opposed to the scientific trends we see nowadays) and was very clear that his place was with the flamenco guitar. He even went so far as to ask himself what he needed to change to make a great classical. This conversation took place in Granada when he travelled here with his daughter Manuela to buy wood from my teacher Rolf Eichinger. We all had lunch together that day and I I remember Manuela being very excited and passionate about the craft she was learning from her father. I met Manuel once more in Córdoba on the occasion of the Festival in 2007 when we were both asked to exhibit a guitar for the hommage to Torrres. If you search “Reyes” one of the first photos to come up is of Reyes with Romanillos and Andrés Dominguez and was taken at the opening of that exhibition.
I am sad to see him go and I wish all the best to his son Manuel and his daughter Manuela.
Remember this guitar? https://johnguitar.com/manuel-ramirez-1911/ Well, Carlos has just used it on another recording and I have now received my copy of the cd, very nicely played and well recorded. You can get it here although I am not sure if they ship outside of Spain. On the same page you can download the booklet and listen to quite a few tracks.
Carlos Blanco Ruiz Manuel Ramírez, 1911
Instituto de Estudios Riojanos, 2014
The Instituto de Estudios Riojanos published in 2005 the book and CD “Francisco Calleja (1891-1950): Música original para guitarra. Edición Crítica” and in 2012 a second cd “La guitarra de Francisco Calleja: nuevas obras y transcripciones”, both authored by Carlos Blanco Ruiz.
The first project contained a biography, editions of the known pieces and a cd of this music. The second contained new music both originals and transcriptions.
We now present a third recording with music that is related to Francisco Calleja. There are a few things that justify this new publication:
On the one hand we have the appearance of new repertoire, recently discovered. On the other hand is the possibility of displaying the aspect of performer through Calleja’s transcriptions and other pieces which are not his but were often present in his concert programmes in his almost 40 years of performing. Several of them are mainstays of guitar repertoire from the beginning of the twentieth century. Finally, but no less importantly, the possibility of studying and recording these pieces on a historical instrument, a guitar made by Manuel Ramírez from 1911 which belonged to the maestro and still retains the sound of these increasingly appreciated instruments. The so-called historical guitars have a characteristic “spanish sound” which allow us to understand the music of the period (in which they were built) in a different way. Our challenge was to ensure that the recording captures those special timbres in an attempt to offer a complementary vision of guitar music from the essential first decades of the twentieth century but seen through the eyes (or ears) of Francisco Calleja (from La Rioja). LA GUITARRA DE PRINCIPIOS DEL S.XX BAJO EL PRISMA DE FRANCISCO CALLEJA was recorded in June of 2012 in Studios MECA, San Asensio and the sound technician was Javier Rojas Ruiz.
People from all over the world know Granada for its guitars but here in our own city, until this year we have had no official recognition. The Granada provincial government (publishers of the guitar-makers’ book) has once again risen to the occasion. Here is the official act during which Antonio Marín is awarded a medal by the province of Granada. Start watching at 9:17.
If any of you are looking for a guitar and feeling flush then this is the instrument for you. It seems that it surfaced quite recently and is in relatively good shape it seems. See the auction here.
Guitar-makers and makers of other instruments are not often in the news and when they are it is often due to the rare talent that one or two have for backroom politicking more than a testament to their professionalism. Not the case however with Antonio. November 3rd will see a deserving guitar-maker receive a medal from the Provincial government. Other recipients include a university professor and a poet. The ceremony will be held at the Manuel de Falla auditorium and with a little luck it will be an excuse for the guitar-makers of Granada to get out of their workshops. After all, I am sure that we all feel honoured by the recognition of our craft. Newspaper article in Spanish
I can’t find a video of Antonio anywhere so here is one of one of his guitars along with other guitars being played.
