{"id":4388,"date":"2016-06-14T16:11:02","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T23:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=4388"},"modified":"2021-04-29T11:48:06","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T18:48:06","slug":"modern-masters-of-flamenco-guitar-part-2-tomatito","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/modern-masters-of-flamenco-guitar-part-2-tomatito\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Masters of Flamenco Guitar Part 2: Tomatito"},"content":{"rendered":"
From the Summer 2016 issue of Classical Guitar<\/em> magazine<\/strong><\/a> | BY JASON WEBSTER<\/h6>\n

The Gypsy influence on flamenco is one of the art form\u2019s most important ingredients. The playful fieriness and \u201cotherness\u201d of the music can almost certainly be traced to this well-established, yet often marginalized, group in Spanish society. Musicologists may find elements from Byzantine, Moorish, and other Mediterranean styles in the general flamenco mix, yet it is the unique Gypsy spark that makes flamenco one of the world\u2019s most important musical legacies. Underlying this influence is the fact that a large percentage of the great flamenco\u00a0singers have hailed from Gypsy backgrounds, as have many dancers. Among guitarists, however, Gypsies have generally been less represented. Perhaps the most celebrated exception is the Almer\u00eda-born genius Jos\u00e9 Fern\u00e1ndez Torres, better known by his apodo<\/em>, Tomatito (\u201clittle tomato\u201d).<\/p>\n

As is so often the case with flamenco greats, Tomatito grew up in a flamenco family. His father and grandfather were both guitarists who went under the name \u201cTomate\u201d (despite being in a desert, Almer\u00eda is a horticultural center known for its tomatoes). Young Jos\u00e9 grew up playing the guitar and made his debut as a soloist at the local pe\u00f1a<\/em>, or flamenco club, at the age of 10. The family soon moved to M\u00e1laga, a city with a stronger flamenco tradition, which is where Tomatito\u2019s career began to take off. It was here, when still a youngster, that he first met the legendary (and fellow Gypsy) singer Camar\u00f3n de la Isla. In his early work, Camar\u00f3n had been accompanied by Paco de Luc\u00eda, yet after a fierce argument in a New York hotel room (the reasons for which are still unknown), the two artists went their separate ways. Tomatito quickly filled the gap left in de Luc\u00eda\u2019s wake, and Camar\u00f3n and Tomatito went on to form one of the most powerful and artistically successful partnerships in the history of flamenco\u2014one that lasted until the singer\u2019s death in 1991.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamar\u00f3n gave me everything I have,\u201d Tomatito later said. \u201cHe made me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spectacular alchemy between the two men is still evident from their first recordings together, notably on the 1979\u00a0album La Leyenda del Tiempo<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, one of the\u00a0truly groundbreaking records in the art form. The duo combine effortlessly and flawlessly\u00a0as though made for each other, Tomatito\u2019s guitar producing a perfect platform and counterpoint for Camar\u00f3n\u2019s extraordinary and unequalled voice. Look out for video footage of the two men performing live, where the connection between them becomes even more evident. For me, one of the most powerful visual images that exist in flamenco is the expression on Tomatito\u2019s face as he accompanies Camar\u00f3n: Those eyes speak of admiration, absolute artistic union with his partner, and what can only be described as love.
\nCamar\u00f3n\u2019s untimely death at the age of only 41 was a low point for the world of flamenco, even more painfully so for Tomatito. \u201cI went through a bad time,\u201d he told an interviewer. \u201cEverything was broken for me. I still haven\u2019t heard anyone sing like him.\u201d<\/p>\n