I would really like to read a comprehensive book on the history of flamenco as I continue to learn to play flamenco. Can you recommend any good books on the history of flamenco? Something that includes historical information on the creation of flamenco, social and political history of flamenco, and the different palos would be wonderful. I know it’s a lot to ask for in a book but I’d like more context around what I am learning. Thanks!
You know, that's a great question. I stopped reading books about flamenco history a vey long time ago because I really felt that most of the books I happened upon felt completely anecdotal, or they felt very biased to me. And of course we just don't know exactly how flamenco evolved before a certain part because there is no record. I suspect that there is way more information now than there was when I stopped looking, and there has absolutely been tons of research on the parts of flamenco history that are documented. So I'll ask around! Do you read Spanish, or do we need something in English? (I'll look for both and ask some friends).
Cheers,
Kai
I can read both Spanish and English, so books in either language would be great.
Thank you for the response!
Also, there's a ton of great history in these videos. They focus on one artists at a time, but you learn a ton about the recent history of flamenco along the way and they're incredibly inspiring:
https://vidaflamenca.org/paco-de-lucia-_-rito-y-geografia-del-cante-flamenco-_-english-subtitles/
-Kai