Boxing Day

In 2003 I had the pleasure of attending the performance of Manolo Soler at the Flamenco Festival in New York. As one writer puts it, “His dancing was tight and clean, original, dry, intelligent, minimalist long before minimalism became fashionable, and extraordinarily flamenco." This particular piece opened with Mr. Soler alone on stage, seated on the cajon, which he played just as masterfully as he danced. It made an impression on me and piqued my interest in the cajon.

It is an amazingly simple instrument, yet when played properly it can add symphonic depth to any performance. It lends itself well to setting the mood for a piece. Depending upon who’s playing it, the sound of the cajon can range from somber to funky and anywhere in between. Although he is still just a whippersnapper, DC-based Behzad Habibzai (pictured above on the left) has nearly 10 years experience been playing the flamenco cajon. He is a talented percussionist, guitarist and one-man encyclopedia of flamenco knowledge. Who better to tell the history of the cajon and how it found its way into flamenco:

“According to flamenco folklore, around 1976-77, Paco de Lucia and his sextet were performing in Peru, when at an after-party Caitro Soto showed up with a cajon and introduced the instrument to Paco. Sometimes called the 'box drum,' the cajon emerged in Peru, originally in the form of a tomato box or a shipping crate. It has become so popularly associated with Peru that the Peruvian government officially declared the cajon as 'Cultural Patrimony of the Nation.' It became very popular in Cuba as well. Some say Africans originally used it during slave trades when African percussion instruments were forbidden to be used.

So when Caitro Soto, a renowned Afro-Peruvian percussionist came to the party and started playing the cajon, Paco fell in love with it and gave one to his dancer Manolo Soler and his percussionist Rubem Dantas (pictured above on the right). The instrument was immediately adopted into the group’s format, and found its way into recordings with Paco de Lucia and even Camaron de la Isla. Paco's group at the time involved the introduction – or at least the popularity – of the bass guitar (Carlos Benavent), the flute (Jorge Pardo), and percussion (Rubem Dantas). These three went on to form the basis of the new flamenco sound, as recent as touring and recording with Chick Corea.

Many purists did not welcome the cajon’s arrival. But if you ever have a doubt, Paco put it best,

'it's ideal for this music because it has a sound very similar to that of a bailaor's taconeo, to knuckles rapping a rhythm on a table, or to a slap on the soundboard of a guitar. And besides it doesn't give tone like a skin drumhead, like the membranophones. It always sounds good, whatever it's accompanying. It was a great find and an achievement I feel very proud of.'

Rubem Dantas was the perfect candidate to popularize the cajon in flamenco. Originally from Brazil, Rubem was already an established percussionist and member of Paco’s sextet before the cajon came into the picture. He is one of those aboriginal percussionists who can make anything a percussion instrument, and is well versed in many instruments. The most important times for the cajon’s early development involved the live Paco de Lucia shows with the original sextet. Most important was the second or third number in the program, which involved a Bulerias between Paco and Rubem. I personally feel that Paco was intentionally displaying his agenda of integrating the cajon into flamenco at this point in the program. It’s almost like he’s saying, 'check this out' and pointing at Rubem with his guitar. Rubem literally coined the interpretation of how everyone today plays the cajon. In the past 20 years, we have gained a new breed of flamencos: the cajon player. Rubem Dantas, Manolo Soler, Antonio Carmona, Jose Antonio Galicia, Tino di Giraldo, Ramon Porrina, Bandolero, Lucky Losada, Cepillo, Paquito Gonzalez, Antonio Coronel, Jose Carrasco, Chaboli…I feel that Cepillo and Paquito Gonzalez are doing amazing things; they are true artists and are turning cajon playing into a true art. I hope that you follow their unfolding careers as much as I am.

The cajon in flamenco is known as having guitar strings on the inside of the instrument, creating an affect similar to that of a snare drum. This is what we know as the flamenco cajon. Ironically, Rubem Dantas’ cajon does not have a snare system. He gets his sound from how loose the top wood is nailed to the body of the cajon and thus makes more of a snap. Though everyone else uses a snare system, a player should be able to achieve a strong snap as well. As far as the bass tone, there is a huge misconception that it should be “boomy.” This is not good, because from the audience’s perspective, the sound becomes too wet and the accented bass notes melt into one other. The ultimate tone for a cajon is for the bass not to be boomy, but to have 'definition.'

The cajon has quickly become the little child of the flamenco triumvirate, complimenting all combinations of singing, dancing, and the guitar and their venues whether it’s a tablao, a theater, or a recording studio. You get many great players, but also some not so good. If the cajon evolves in flamenco, it needs to be treated like 'the fourth art form.' For anyone reading this, the next time you go to a show, listen to a recording, or watch a video, take the cajon player’s presence into account. These people are masters of compas and great interpreters of textural enhancement.

I have never looked at the cajon as an instrument that must be in flamenco, yet an instrument that should be wanted in flamenco. Without the cajon, flamenco is still in compas. The cajon just adds texture. And with that, it should not be a mindless drone of the same thing over and over, yet a thoughtful interplay with the structure and the moment, adding depth and texture to the music and movement.

I hope this has enlightened you in the history, construction, process, personnel, and elements of flamenco cajon. I hope that I have convinced you to open up that CD insert and look up the name of the cajon player on the CD you are listening to and to listen to the cajon player just as actively as you do the other musicians.

For anyone who wants to learn the instrument please be thoughtful of complimenting the art form we hold so dear. Learn how to accompany the cante, the dancing, the guitar playing. It’s very important to be interactive and make every sound count, even the ones you don’t play. "

One final note about Behzad: the picture you see at the top of this post is actually a picture of him with the Man himself, Rubem Dantas. Behzad had just finished playing the cajon with Rubem in the audience (talk about performing for royalty…). Thanks to Jill Hatzai for the picture.

For more info about the cajon, check out:
http://www.cajondg.com

http://www.flamenco-world.com/magazine/about/cajon/cajon18072005.htm