JUAN VAREA CENTENARY 1908 - 2008
YOUNG JUAN'S TORTURE IN MADRID
JUAN VAREA QUALITIES EVALUATION
JuanVarea.es
Burriana Town Council
Juan Varea Association
INTRODUCTION
On the 26th of April 2008 one hundred years will turn from the Maestro del cante (Master of singing) Juan Varea Segura birth, Favourite Son of Burriana. Juan Varea was -together with "El Rojo el alpargatero"- the most significant flamenco artist born in the Comunidad Valenciana (as a singer he was better cause the significance from El Rojo comes from his contribution as creator of cantes minero-levantinos, since there are no recordings from his cante to value and enjoy it) and one of the greatest of Spain from last century, as the Cátedra de Flamencología de Jerez recognised awarding him with the distinction of "Maestro del Cante", in 1983, just like other organizations that also made tributes to him.
ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH
As we have said, Juan Bautista Varea Segura was born in Burriana (Castellón) on the 26th of April 1908 and died in Madrid on the 8th of November 1985. When he was a child he moved to Barcelona because his father worked with animal transports as a living, that's why he had a good relationship with Barcelona Somorrostro gispies.
This was the environment where little Juanito used to live, forbidden for "payos" (not gipsies children).This was determiner not to arouse the singing hobby, because as some old relatives and friends from Burriana say, his father was a very outgoing guy and a fan who singed well, but yes to push him into professional, because it was determiner to his famous meeting with Angelillo in the tabern that was managed by Miguel Borrull, where his guitar was always ready to accompany the ones who knew singing.
So that, it was in Barcelona where he started to be an artist, in a local managed by Miguel Borrull's son, where Juan used to sing encouraged by his friends and where just by chance Angelillo listened to him and incorporated to his troupe, which was playing in the Barcelona Circus and were part of Manuel Vallejo Company. Those youth gang relationships became friendships for all life long as with Manolo Caracol (both of them helped each other several times) or with Pepe Chalmeta (who also saved his life).
After his passing through Madrid, where he had the chance to listen to Mr. Antonio Chacón, taking part of the fiestas del colmao Villa Rosa. After that he comes back to Barcelona with other troupes. From there he moves to Seville, where thanks to Manolo Caracol, he singed at the Alameda de Hércules, with the anecdote that Juan arrived to Seville the only day that singing saetas was able.
On 1928, he comes back to Manuel Vallejo company making their's debut in the Pavón Theatre, after travelling around all the country. Juan was really devoted to Vallejo, and between the young people, Juan was Vallejo's favourite cantaor. Due to some important flamenco music lovers, Varea was considered Vallejo II.
YOUNG JUAN'S TORTURE IN MADRID
During the following years he takes part in Pepe Marchena company, recording his first record on 1930 (he was 21), it was a curious test because Varea, Pepe Marchena and Juan el Pescaero used to sing fandanguillos for three voices, accompanied by the guitar of Ramón Montoya.
On the same year, he recorded at least other 4 records with Ramón Montoya at "La Voz de su Amo". He also recorded, before the war, some others with Miguel Borrull, although we can't say how many. On 1932 he won the first prize in a prestigious contest in the Monumental Theatre. 1936 arrived and Juan Varea wasn't a man for politics and he hadn't picked any, so while lot of people were fighting he was meddled into his cantes and earning money to survive. On 18th of July he was on the republican side and he had to fight in El Escorial, in Los Leones front.
At the end of the battle, when he was thinking about coming back home, he was arrested and imprisoned in Navas del Marqués (Ävila), being moved afterwards to a concentration camp in Zamora. Then it was when one of his best friends, an appentice matador Pepe Chalmeta with Feliz Almagro (matador), could get his freedom thanks to a soldier, just a few days before the judgements and executions.
A FULL-LENGTH ARTIST
Once back into the street, he survived in private parties, till 1942 when he joined Concha Piquer company.
After the war, he recorded several records in "Regal" and "Columbia", with the guitars of Manolo de Badajoz, Niño Ricardo, Paco Aguilera and Perico del Lunar (father); these were re-edited when the vinyl arrived.
Afterwards he recorded a big amount of recordings proving his interpretative quality, showing that he masters all kind of styles. On 1945 he took part of other show with Pepe Marchena, Vallejo, Canalejas de Puerto Real, Pepe Aznalcállar and the guitarists Ramón Montoya and Ni√±o Ricardo, making tours around the country.
A LOVE STORY
Juan didn't seem to rush into finding his better half, but with these troupes there was a gipsy family named Amaya travelling with them. In the Amaya family hi found a 22 year-old girl who captivate Juanito who was 38 in that moment. Her name was Carmen. Her father, a friend of Varea and just 5 years older than him, allowed him to marry her, because he was serious and honest. The granadine gipsies accepted it really good and they got married on the 17th of December 1946, celebrating a big party, in Camino del Monte, next to Darro river and with the Alhambra above.
FULLNESS
For Juan Varea it was the culmination, because of personal happyness plus professional one, his most brilliant time as an artist was between 1940 and 1970. Las zambras made him success and fame, nobody could improve them like him -considering Caracol. He recorded two wonderful versions of "La niña de fuego" (with Perico del Lunar and Manolo de Badajoz) and other brightful coplas like "Fatiguitas he pasao, "Cuando empezaba a querer", "Rosario", "Mi Córdoba platera", "Punta de Europa", "Dame de beber serrana",... The repercussion of his creations by fandangos and malagueñas was also very important, considering that during those years there was the height of the "√ìpera Flamenca", because of a big competition coming from the quantity and quality of the cantaores.
But we can't forget that Varea was a master in every style, emphasizing his skills on cantes de levante, soleares, seguiriyas, malagueñas, alegrías or his original and beautiful coplas by buler√≠as. Many of the lirycs that Varea singed have never been recorded by other cantaores. This is strange in Flamenco where coplas are repeated over and over again. Another shown of his originality!.
Other anecdote is that in a show poster in Granada it could be read: "the only singer not andaluz that plays all styles". He was a complete cantaor, encyclopaedic. He had so many style that on 1950 he had half of a company with Canalejas del Puerto Real. Even tough, his fame and major success arrived when he was the first figure in the tablao Zambra in Madrid, where he stayed two decades. He also played in the international festival in New York and Olimpia theater in Paris. And also in the Seville and Granada International Festivals. When he came back he returned to tablao Zambra till its closing on 1975. He dedicated the rest of his artistic life to festivals and some tv programs.
THE LAST YEARS
When he was several years retired from signing, The Cáedra de Flamencología de Jerez, by a purpose of Manuel Rós Ruíz, as a jury member, awarded him with the national award of Maestro del Cante on 1983. The next year he receives a charming flamenco tribute, but his health was unstable. It was in the Monumental Theatre in Madrid, with the presence of Mayor Tierno Galv√°n who praised about him and his artistic life.On the 24th of July 1985, in the ancient market of La Unión, Juan Varea singed with Juan Carmona "Habichuela", it would be the last time that he would play, his last cantes were: his malagueña personal, one from Chacón and other from Juan Breva like the Yerbabuena, a sole√° from Alcal and two from Mellizo, three fandangos, one Taranta de Linares and the Cartagenera grande de Chacón, one seguiriya from Marrurro and other from Loco Mateo. This concert was recorded by TVE, that broadcasted part of it.
He died on 8 November 1985 in the city that received and adopted him; where he triumphed and was loved: Madrid, leaving us his genuine style and his voice. He was appointed Favourite Son of Burriana on the 31st of August 2001.
JUAN VAREA QUALITIES EVALUATION
"Everything has been said about his life, now is time for opinion. He was a night-owl but with common sense. Wise heavy drinker but never alcoholic. Popular but not believing on it. Patient and tolerant. Introverted and demanding with himself.
An adulation enemy, not flattener, a bit stern. A role model for flamencos because of his good sense while speaking and his sincere solidarity with his colleagues. He never discriminate against anyone, neither lineage nor style, not voice or place of birth. He coexisted with everybody. He was always close to gipsies, not just because of his love to Carmela. He was a friend for his son and a brother for his friends. He always loved to dress well, about this he followed Angelillo de Marchena and his friends, he used to say: "an artist has to be all day long an artist. When you see an artist shinning with a good suit and shoes, people who don´ t know him must say: there goes an artist!" His hobby was walking around looking at the shops, clothes and shoe shops most of all. He used to dress at Arroyo, the most famous tailor of Madrid and buy shoes at Loreto, from Albacete; on 1954 he used to pay 1000 pesetas for a pair of shoes, this was a friend price becase Varea used to give him the best tikets for his shows cause Loreto was deaf. Loreto used to sell shoes to Franco, Manolete, bussiness men, Barraquer...
As everyone knows, big flamenco artists not always find their voice, concentration, inspiration acording to their value, Varea was very afraid of this. He respected the public so much and had too much responsability. He had too many superstitions as everyone in flamenco (like Vallejo) and bullfighting together. On the other hand he was delicate with his choice of cantes and for guitarists. The ones that he liked most were: Ni√±o Ricardo fisrt and then Manolo de Huelva, Ramón Montoya, Melchor de Marchena, Perico el del Lunar, father and son, Juan Carmona ‚ÄúHabichuela‚Äù and his brothers, Víctor Monje ‚ÄúSerranito‚Äù, Manolo Sanlcar and Paco de Lucía.
Some people said (and say) that he was a honest singer. In the andalucian way it doesn't mean that he is a man plenty of honours, fame and honest because of others' admiration, it means he wasn't an urchin singing, he gave his best on the stage, he didn't hide antything with tricks". (from "De Rey sin corona"). It is worth to say that some people use honest singer with a double meaning -sometimes disparaging- like he wasn't a good one.
Sometimes there is cynicism and it is used for artists that they can't reach high and give their best heartly. That's what people who want to humiliate Varea mean but they don't give any arguments. The real problem is that this people don't know about cante and they don't really like it. Unfortunately, sometimes having ears is not the same has hearing and nevertheless sensibility. There aren't left the ones that suffer from local chauvinism and, of course, Juan couldn't fancy of his flamenco "guarantee of origin".
"Juan was an artist with a vocal mastery, an easy voice with a huge knowledge. He had a great tuning, with an intern rhythm, without strokes of the cane, he balanced his cantes and took care about where to stress a phrase or a third of a copla, the one that he expressed touched and understanding". (from de "Rey sin corona").
So please stop with the honest thing and just say that using it is an excuse for denying the authentic value of the cante. It is true that Varea is not as good as Caracol, or hasn't done a researching task like Mairena, but he is infinitely higher than some people who admire the ones who analyze Varea DNA (this is not their fault, on the other hand they deserve all the respects).
Juan was admired and loved by all the artists. The flamenco specialists haven't taken care of him, not because they think he is a bad singer, just because they don't know his work, and because Juan made two big mistakes: not being born in andalucia nor gipsy. There are lots of examples of worse singers than Juan Varea that have their own biographies or important studies when they got a low quality recording history, but they were gipsies or from andalucia! And it is good that people who have helped Flamenco are remembered and paying tributes to them, but it can't be forgotten some others with a higher level that are discreditted because of their place of birth. We can't forget that Juan Varea was choosen to fight for the Llave de Oro del Cante on 1962 in Córdoba! Wasn't he one of the bests in that moment? Or the organizers played by ear? Or they just encouraged him not to get depressed?
AND... THE CENTENARY COMES
As we have said above, we are completely sure that the nowadays flamenco is indebted to Juan Varea because he is infairly forgotten. That's why, on the centenary of his birth, Juan Varea deserves a tribute as high as his merits made from flamenco lovers and people who work to improve Flamenco, spreading and defending it.
The Centenary Cellebration, besides of honouring his memory, should reach two objectives: rediscover his figure and artistic category to the new generations of flamenco lovers -specially out of Spain- and to the new people interested in flamenco during the last two decades. And on the other hand, the Flamenco "world" assume Juan Varea's significance in this Art history considered Universal nowadays. The Centenary activities should be spreaded by all the possible means to reach everywhere where Flamenco lovers are, and for justifing it, these ceremonies should be in equal terms with the artist importance and Juan Varea's human quality.
If we don't take advantage of this tribute, i'm afraid that on 25 years time, Juan Varea will be completely forgotten. Meanwhile, on hundreds of players (maybe thousand), Juan Varea's voice will continue sounding, delighting this gourmets. I wish that the ones who don't know Juan Varea and have read this short but militant, passioned but fair biography, start being interested in this singer who was born far away from Flamenco, but at that times he was loved by thousands of flamenco music lovers -also andulucian people and gipsies.
We think that you will discorver a pure flamenco. If you want to know more of his life and work, you can find more details in the following book: "Me llamo Juan Varea", where you can find the reissue of "Rey sin corona" (we have picked some part of it for this short biography), written by Romualdo Molina and Miguel Espín, and published by the Ministry of Culture on 1986; and also critics from flamenco music lovers.
There are some copies left that you can purchase, you have to contact Juan Varea Cultural Association of Burriana by e-mail: centenario.juanvarea@hotmail.es or post to: Apartado de Correos nº 97 - 46080 Valencia, Spain. The price is 18€¨ + shipping.