Flamenco for the 21st Century.(Review)

Jose Merce is Spain's top flamenco singer. for more than two decades he has built a reputation as the champion of traditional flamenco, the soulful music that combines Iberian folklore, Gypsy and Moorish influences. But his latest album, "Aire," is a departure, adding new instruments to the classic duo of man and guitar. "Aire" has shattered sales records, going platinum in just over a month. Why change now? The 45-year-old Gypsy spoke recently with NEWSWEEK's Emma Daly in Madrid. Excerpts:

DALY: How have you changed flamenco?

MERCE: Flamenco is eternal; it has almost two centuries of history. The only thing I do with this new work, "Aire," is to make flamenco for the 21st century. I sing about the things that happen every day. I have great respect for the basics, for the roots of flamenco, but you can't keep singing lyrics that are 60 years old. You have not lived them, and you can't feel them. I want to attract new people to flamenco. For me the greatest satisfaction comes when I see a lot of young fans at my concerts. It's marvelous.

Apart from new lyrics, you have also changed the form of the music--you don't just use the voice and guitar.

I'm in favor of what's called fusion when it's good, when it really serves to enrich and enlarge flamenco. If I add drums or percussion, it's because they are expressive of flamenco. I do a blues number on this album. Blues and flamenco both come from the street, from the people, so they are very similar. I love this roots music, jazz, blues, so we fuse them, but for a reason, not just for the sake of it.

There are other fusion flamenco groups, but few are rated as genuine artists by the purists. You are.

My family have always been singers. For me, singing is the most normal thing in the world. It's not that you need to study it, because flamenco is fresh and living, but if every 10 minutes you hear something new, you learn. What you need is a base, roots--from that you can express your feelings, your personality. If you don't have that base, if you make a record to be commercial, then not even you will believe it.