Rivera during his performance at the Ward Theatre last Sunday afternoon. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

THE music and culture that is flamenco has been romanticised in hundreds of lousy movies (and a few good ones); the vibrant colours, the swirling flamenco dancers, the rhythms, sometimes staccato, sometimes profundo of percussion.

No other instrument, however, has been more indelibly associated with flamenco than the guitar. The subtle, multi-faceted intonations of the strings have made musicians like Paco de Lucia, Paco Cepero and Miguel Granados household names in the Latin and European spheres. Add to that canon Miguel Rivera, who while not among the more prolific recorders in the genre, certainly has the technique and the passion to remain relevant amid the constantly shifting sands and coalescing strands of world music.

In that light, it was a bit of a surprise to see a piano included in the line-up for the performance Sunday evening at the Ward. Not that pianist Andres Bedo didn't prove a worthy player, but whether due to inadequate acoustic balancing or inadequate rehearsal among the musicians, there was an unwelcome disparity and tension between strings and keys, at least during the first half of the show. Rivera's playing danced a subtle line between the more traditional form with occasional nods to contemporary styles, while Bedo's playing was vaguely reminiscent of be-bop.

No such identity conflict for percussionist Victor "Junio" Monge, who consistently wowed the audience with his dazzling syncopations on a very unusual-looking instrument which doubled as his seat. The closest analogy that comes to mind is a kind of 21st century version of the rhumba box common to our mento bands, but with richer and more diverse sounds.

The deficiencies not withstanding, the three gave the music crossing into jazz and other New World variants (rhumba, tango, discernible smatterings of blues, and even pop). Rivera and company opted to shift up the prepared programme.

The second half proceeded with noticeably greater cohesion. Highlights were the sizzling Flamenco en Buleria and the closer Aguamarina. The musicians, with their issues now apparently resolved, played off each other more fluidly and made full use of solo opportunities without compromising the integrity of the ensemble.

For the deserved encore, the maestro shone with the appropriately lilting melodies of Adelita and Granada, segueing seamlessly from one into the other.

The organisers deserve kudos for bringing musicianship of this calibre to Jamaica. Once again a European embassy in Jamaica is spearheading the enhancement of the cultural palette and the presence of empty seats means that a cultural feast is going abegging. Hopefully deeper, more long-term exchanges can be facilitated in the future so more persons can be sensitised and gain from these offerings.

It was particularly heartening to see schoolchildren included in Sunday evening's audience (even if they created occasional disturbances). Not only will they have had the opportunity to see and hear first-class musicians in a live, tailor-made setting, but they would also have been disabused of the notion that guitar music is limited to the "kchengeh" of drum and bass. Who knows what dreams have been birthed, what lifelong passions have been ignited by the outstanding display of musicianship"

A Jamaican flamenco star? What a great twist that would be! It's certainly conceivable.

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