Carvajales (Spain)
a style of flamenco music from Granada
Carvajales performs cante hondo, a style of flamenco music from Granada meaning “deepest song.” After forming in 2001, Carvajales rapidly won recognition from the prestigious School of Flamenco Art in Granada.
The ensemble performs their own compositions, which are written by poetess Maria Angeles Argote Molina and composed by David Heredia, the group’s guitarist and leader. Others in the group include Carolina Morales (dancer), Ana Belen Sola (singer), Rafael Lozano (bass guitar), Juan Masana (percussion) and Kanbiz Pakandam (flamenco guitar).
Flamenco dance comes from Andalucia, the southernmost province of Spain. It is an art that combines song, dance and guitar with special percussion effects produced by castanets, bells, rhythmic hand claps and stamping feet. The songs carry different styles of melody: martinetes, bulerias, tangos, solens, seguiriyas or alegrias.
Flamenco dancing is usually associated with the Gypsy communities who came to Spain from Asia, but it was also influenced by popular Andalucian folk songs and dances and the North African Moorish Muslim culture. Flamenco dancing reached its peak in the late 19th century, being associated with the music cafes so popular of the time. It was then, and still is, the most popular dance tradition in Spain.