Flamenco palos: what to listen for

What a palo is

Palos, formerly called cantes, are flamenco styles, classified by rhythmic pattern, mode, chord progression, stanza form and geographic origin, Wikipedia says. It counts over 50 of them. Some are sung unaccompanied, others with guitar; some are danced, others are not. Traditionally they fall into three classes: the most serious, cante jondo, lighter forms called cante chico, and a middle group. A show strings several palos together, so a night is a short tour rather than a single piece.

Soleá

Soleá, or soleares, is one of the most basic palos, Wikipedia says, probably born among Calé Romani families in Cádiz or Seville. It is usually accompanied by one guitar, and its lyrics are generally serious, in keeping with a solemn air. It runs on a twelve-beat cycle. Wikipedia lists traditional regional styles, including one from Córdoba, the Soleares de Onofre, attributed to a singer called Onofre. If a performance feels weighty and slow-burning, it is probably a soleá.

Alegrías

The name means joys, and the palo began in Cádiz. It runs on a twelve-beat cycle and is usually played lively, with the livelier speeds chosen for dancing, Wikipedia says. It belongs to the cante chico, the lighter group. A traditional dance in alegrías must contain a salida (entrance), a paseo (walkaround), a silencio, a castellana, a zapateado and a bulerías, so watch for the quiet moment in the middle and the burst of footwork before the end.

Bulerías

Bulerías is a quick twelve-beat palo. Wikipedia traces it to 19th-century Jerez and the Calé Romani community, where it first served as a cheerful closing section for soleares or alegrías, and calls it one of the most popular and dramatic forms, one that often ends a flamenco gathering. It permits the most room for improvisation. If the room lifts, the clapping speeds up and the dancer's feet start to rattle, you are probably hearing it. It is often the way a night closes.

Seguiriyas and tangos

Seguiriyas sits in the deep-song family of cante jondo. Wikipedia counts it among the most important flamenco styles, with lyrics about tragic subjects such as prison and bereavement. Tangos is livelier. In flamenco it is a separate Andalusian form, and Wikipedia reports that the Instituto Andaluz del Flamenco rules out any direct link with Argentine tango. Both names turn up on programmes; whether either appears on a given night is the artists' call.

Compás, palmas and duende

The compás is the repeating rhythmic frame of a palo, and with no guitar to hand it can be kept by palmas, hand-clapping. Wikipedia says the twelve-beat cycle is the most common in flamenco, with accents falling differently in each palo. Duende is harder to pin down; Wikipedia quotes Lorca, who held that there is no map and no drill for finding it. You do not need to count beats to enjoy a show, but knowing that the claps carry the rhythm helps you listen. The tickets guide covers the practical side.

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