CBJ Flamenco Ensemble at Vail Theater of the Arts
March 13, 2011
I just returned home from a great trip to Tucson & Bisbee with the CBJ Flamenco Ensemble. What a wonderful time!!! The below images are courtesy of photographer extraordinaire, Bob Block. Thank you Bob for the AMAZING images of the concert at Vail Theater of the Arts.
From L to R: Adrian Goldenthal, Chris Burton Jacome, Mele Martinez
L to R: Bernadette Gaxiola, Me, Kris Hill, Adrian Golenthal, Chris Burton Jacome
Beautiful image of Bernadette dancing her solea por bulerias
Wonderful dancer Jason Martinez dancing por tientos
Mele’s beautiful voice.
Handsome
fiesta por bulerias
After the concert
What a fabulous time!!
Thank you to Vail Theater of the Arts and to Bob Block for capturing such incredible photos of the concert that evening.
World Class Group has Old Pueblo Roots
March 11, 2011
Article by David Sanders of the Arizona Daily Star
Posted: March 10, 2011
Photograph: David Sanders
Vail Theatre of the Arts played host to an evening of festive movement, from the rhythmic tap of metal-soled shoes to the fluid motion of a red dress to the blur of a guitarist’s fingers and chants of “Olé!”
Welcome to flamenco music presented by the Chris Burton Jácome Flamenco Ensemble. The seven-member group performed Friday for 200 people at the theater, on the campus of Empire High School at 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way.
Warming up backstage beforehand, Chris Burton Jácome, a University of Arizona School of Music graduate, said he was glad to be back home, having performed in the United States and Canada for the past seven years.
“We try to perform in Tucson about once a year,” said Jácome, who studied flamenco guitar in Sevilla, Spain. “It’s always great for me because I’m a native of Tucson and it’s always great to come home and play for family.”
The ensemble is made up of percussionist Kris Hill, bass player Adrian Goldenthal, singer Mele Martinez and dancers Jason Martinez, Bernatte Gaxiola and Jácome’s wife, Lena Jácome.
Photograph: David Sanders
Together they perform about 200 shows a year in North America.
Having a show of this caliber is a great asset to the theater in Vail, said theater director Bonnie Vining.
“We bring in four to six shows a year that are professional, world-class shows,” she said.
The theater brings in professional performers for two reasons – to make money to help fund the theater, and to provide cultural opportunities on the southeast side.
“School budgets have been cut and we are the district theater for the Vail Unified School District, and there are a lot of costs in managing and maintaining the theater for those other 150 shows a year,” said Vining, who said area high schools stage performances at the theater and groups rent it out as well.
The mostly older crowd enjoyed the two-hour performance, especially getting the chance to yell out “olé” every few minutes.
“What’s nice about flamenco is that every show is different so there is a lot of improvisation in what we do,” Jácome said. “We don’t know what we are always going to do, so it provides us that opportunity to feed off the audience and create something special.”
He added, “It’s always great and exciting, but sometimes it’s a little spicier, sometimes it’s a little sweeter.”
In that case, it was candy for the eyes and ears Friday night.
Photograph: David Sanders
Contact photographer David Sanders at 573-4155 or dsanders@azstarnet.com
CBJ Flamenco on Tucson’s Morning Blend on ABC
March 7, 2011
Here’s a link to an interview with Chris regarding The Chris Burton Jacome Flamenco Ensembles recent performance at Vail Theatre of the Arts in Tucson.
The Lena Jácome Weblog 