Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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MORENTE, Enrique

(b 25 December 1942, Granada, Spain; d 13 December 2010, Madrid, of complications following surgery) Flamenco singer, considered the finest alive, valued like Antonio Chacon for his exceptionally clear voice and melodious style. In Madrid as a young man he joined the Zambra tablao (permanent flamenco show) and performed at conferences organized by flamencologist José Blas Vega; he toured Western Europe and Japan '60s, Mexico '71 etc and performed with guitarist Monolo Sanlúcar.

He admitted infuences from George Gershwin to Leonard Cohen and was criticized by purists, but said that the touchy concept of flamenco purity consists of nothing less than everything one has experienced, seen and heard, rather than a fixed set of rules, while some critics say that flamenco had become ossified into a tourist attraction during the Franco decades, and needed creative input. Morente remained a master of cante jondo (“deep song”), the most traditional of flamenco styles, had great respect for tradition (e.g. album Homenaje a Don Antonio Chacon '77), and produced such notable flamenquismos as 'It is enough to be able to eat once a day and drink the rest'; but he was also creative, adapting to song the poetry of Miguel Hernández (Homenaje flamenco a Miguel Hernández '71), Lorca, Antonio and Manuel Machado, San Juan de la Cruz and Al-Mutamid. He also wrote music for theatre, film and TV, and collaborated with composer Antonio Robledo (né Armin Hassen, Hanover, Germany) on 'Fantasia para cante jondo' and 'Allegro sole', the latter premièred '90 but received coolly by critics. He became the first flamenco musician ever to win Spain's highest musical award '94, the Premio Nacionel de Música, and formed his own record label. Album Esencias Flamencas '88 on Audivis is recommended.