‘Mixed and bordering’. Sing: Pitingo. Palms and sing: Ivan Carpio and David Bermúdez. Guitar: Pedro Pimentel. Keyboard: Pau Alvarez. Electric guitar: Tuti Fernández. Bassist, bass and percussion: Kostan González. Drums: Fernando Favier Vall Llosera. Percussion: Carlos Merino. Trumpet: Frank David Santiuste Castañeda. Choirs: Deborah Ayo, Astrid Jones and Dani Reus. Place: Auditorium of Benalmadena (Malaga). Day: Saturday, July 14, 2018. Capacity: Full.
Pitingo demonstrated with ‘Cambio de tercio’ (2014), an Orthodox flamenco album, which is a great singer, who can also perform classics of black music andave them with flamenco sticks with taste and solvency. So far so the legendary Sam Moore (from the legendary soul duo Sam & Dave) proposed to him to record his Soul man to the alimon after watching it live. And so was born ‘Mestizo y fronterizo’, an album that he presented in Benalmadena last Saturday with undisputed success. He filled the auditorium and the audience fired him in the meantime and with a big ovation.
From the beginning, soul choirs give way to Pitingo by tonás. Quite a statement of intent. Flamenco first and foremost, although, he says, «At twelve years old I listened to Aretha Franklin and began to listen to the greats of the Motown and to inadvertently mix in a very natural way».
He then sang for soleá with lyrics dedicated to guitarist Mario Escudero, who was in New York when John Lennon was murdered. Apparently, Yoko Ono, the Beatle’s wife, hugged Escudero, who had made his way through the crowd… He finished the sun dedicated to this story with soul with the Imagine.
Continue for gospel-touched bulerías, christened by him as ‘gospelerías’… It evokes Luis de la Pica. A delight. And sing the fandango del Gloria (Pray for me coughs’ the days…), art pawite included. And all this with gospel choirs. Spectacular.
Tras un solo de percusión, vuelve con otro atuendo más informal para abordar un tema soul y rememora una historia hilarante que protagonizó, con dieciocho años, junto a Fernando Soto y a un guitarrista de Madrid. Viajaron a Chicago para una serie de actuaciones con ropa de verano, pensando que allí lo era, en pleno invierno.
Interpretó Soul man, de Sam Moore, de quien dijo que «los grandes son humildes; los de medio pelo no y tratan mal a sus trabajadores».
Un solo de guitarra precede a un fandango de Huelva por parte de uno de los palmeros; Oye cómo va, de Santana; y el coro soul/gospel a solas.
Vuelve Pitingo para interpretar el clásico intimista Cucurrucucú Paloma, con Pedro Pimentel, excelso, a la guitarra.
En la recta final del recital, sonaron un buen puñado de clásicos: Stand by me, de Ben E. King, colosal; Recue me; Proud Mary, de Creedence Clearwater Revival; Guantanamera, en la que puso al público a cantar; y Kimbala, Kimbala.
Ya en los bises, sonaron Lucha por su dinero (She works hard for the money) y Killing me softly. Fin de fiesta por bulerías. Apoteósico.
Fotos: Laura Castillo
