In
February, 2006, New York City based musician Paul Jared Newman
discovered the deep, rich sound produced by a guitar made by Andrés
Marvi. It was love at first listen. He immediately decided he had to
have a Marvi guitar. With a little web surfing, Jared found Marvi's
website http://www.ad-marvi.com/ which informed him that Marvi works in Ferreirola in the Alpujarras, a mountain range south-east of Granada, Spain.
Largely
self-taught, Andres Marvi has been making guitars for 25 years,
eighteen of those years in Spain. But his career took an upswing when
the firm ENCUENTRO produced a video in 2004 featuring the great
Flamenco guitarist Gerardo Núñez playing one of Marvi's "negras."
Jared commissioned a flamenco guitar from him with the aim that he
could play both classical and flamenco. Marvi's flamenco guitars offer
both the warmth and sustain associated with classical music as well as
the percussive attack of flamenco.
Jared
and I set off to the Alpujarras to pick up the guitar in late
August/September so that we could enjoy the opening of the flamenco
Biennal in Sevilla right afterwards. When we met Andrés (known as
Andy), he was newly back from the Black Forest in Germany where he was
born, and pressured by a deadline to finish 3 more guitars to deliver
to a customer in Korea. Andy lives above "El Cueva de la Mora Luna," a piano
bar locally known as Carlos'. We stayed in an unforgettable bed and
breakfast "Sierra y Mar" in Ferreirola (population approximately 30!).
Known as the last hideout of the Moors, the Alpujarras are respectful
of the Moorish ingenuity in both their terracing of the hills, the
irrigation system known as "acequias", and the architecture.
Enthralled
with Marvi's guitars, perhaps even better than imagined, Jared was
transported. We circled by Sevilla for the opening of the biennal
directed with exquisite taste by Mario Maya and classes with Eliza
Marquez. Upon return to New York, Jared heard such comments from
dancers as, "I don't know if it's your playing or the guitar. It's so
inspiring. It makes me want to dance."
by Deirdre Towers
photo: author Deirdre Towers (right) with guitarist Paul Jared Newman (left) and guitar maker Andrés Marvi. (middle)
Deirdre Towers (Dancer/Choreographer) has danced and choreographed in a wide spectrum of styles for decades, performing
at venues ranging from the Plaza Hotel for private parties to
Washington Square Church with the late gypsy singer Rafael Fajardo, as
produced by World Music Institute, to La Cueva de Luna Mora in
Andalucia, as filmed by the BBC.
A
teaching artist for City Center since 2003, she taught flamenco
history/rhythms for Maria Benitez at her Institute of Spanish Arts in
New Mexico for seven summers. American Ballet Theater employed Deirdre
as a teacher of dance for the camera for their Summer Intensive for
four years and at Frederick Douglass Academy for two years.
Currently
the Executive Director of Dance Films Association, Ms. Towers directs
the internationally touring Dance On Camera Festival in collaboration
with The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Trained in multiple dance
studios in New York, Sevilla, and Accra, Ghana, she holds a BA from
Hamilton College, and a MA from New York University.
Ms Towers will be contributing another piece for Root about her trip to this year's Flamenco Bienal in Spain.
Spain is probably my favorite place to travel to. Exotic, adventurous, fun and full of flavor! Thanks for the nice writeup!
Posted by: spaintraveldeals | November 18, 2009 at 08:40 PM