Manuel Lozano Gómez "El Carbonero" is a true native of Jerez, born in the old Santiago neighborhood in 1949 into a family with deep flamenco roots. He has been teaching flamenco guitar for nearly 30 years and is undoubtedly one of the most well-known flamenco guitar teachers in Jerez. It seems almost all the best young guitarists in Jerez have studied with him at one point or another.
Manuel's father, Eduardo "El Carbonero de Jerez," was a singer who owned a coal business, which is the origin of the nickname. He primarily sang saetas, although he was also proficient in other flamenco styles.
Initially, Manuel began singing at a young age, but at the age of 17, his father bought him a guitar, and from that moment on, he studied with the virtuoso and legendary teacher Rafael del Águila, who was a barber in Plaza Arenal in Jerez. Rafael also taught major figures such as José Luis Balao, Parrilla de Jerez, Paco Cepero, Gerardo Núñez, Niño Jero, and Antonio Jero.
Manuel was fortunate to play with singers like El Viejo Agujetas, Tío Borrico, Terremoto, and some lesser-known artists from Jerez such as El Berza and Juanata.
Interview with Manuel Lozano "El Carbonero"
Surrounded by legendary photos that attest to his extensive dedication, Manuel Lozano 'El Carbonero' has been nurturing the Jerez touch daily for nearly forty years at his academy on San Miguel Street. Anyone is warmly welcomed in his small temple, regardless of their place of origin; there, only one religion is professed—the devotion to the guitar.
Where does your passion for the guitar come from?
It comes from my family's love for flamenco, especially from my father, who was a singer, because the rest of the family didn't sing. He has gone down in history as a saetero (a singer of saetas), but he was a flamenco singer and lived off this. Following in my father's footsteps, I started singing but later, as I grew up, I became shy. One day my father gave me a guitar for Reyes (Three Kings Day) and I began to play.
And from there your career began...
Yes, I remember that I took my first lessons with Manolo Ferrer, who played the guitar in the old Sección Femenina. It was a folklore group at that time. I took some lessons with him and when my father thought it appropriate, he took me to study with Rafael del Águila, who was my teacher. I was 17 years old then, and since that date, I have been dedicated to this professionally.
How were your first steps?
Well, first I have to say that the guitar back then was less demanding than it is now; it was less technical. I learned while I went to parties and made a living with my father. Now it's different because when a child plays, they already have a higher level. Before, as there were fewer guitarists and fewer resources, no internet or anything like that, teaching was more long-term. The advantage was that there were fewer of us, and we learned at private parties. Before learning to play, we had listened to singing and knew what it was about, whereas now the opposite happens. The child learns to play, and once they know how to play, they want to learn to accompany singing without having heard it before, and that's very complicated. They want to rush things, and since they don't have a culture of having listened to flamenco, neither live nor on records because the young people don't listen to Tío Borrico, for example, it's difficult.
Because before it was all more experiential and that has been lost...
Yes, I remember going to fairs with my father to make a living, which was with a guitar over my shoulder and trying to find a place to sing. We always went with Manolito Jero, the father of Periquín, and with Periquín himself, who was with me in Rafael del Águila's classes. I was so shy that I was embarrassed to carry the guitar in the street, so I gave it to Periquín, who was much bolder than I. With my guitar, the four of us would go, whether to Jerez, Rota, El Puerto, or Sevilla.
What has the figure of Manuel Lozano 'El Carbonero' contributed to maintaining the touch of Jerez?
I always say that one cannot be fooling people for so long, and I've been teaching since 1975. I have an established and fixed methodology and try to maintain the touch of Jerez, to maintain the form. Whether I've contributed or not, time will tell, although I like to follow a line and especially maintain what's good about the guitar of Jerez. Obviously, one cannot remain anchored in time because times change and the level is increasingly higher. The guitar is music, and one cannot always play the same thing; there must be a range of possibilities for different singers or for different students to learn. For example, it's not the same to play for El Perro de Paterna as it is for Terremoto; they are two different singers. The musicality that El Perro de Paterna gave to singing is not the same as that of Terremoto. I have managed to adapt this to my classes, and well, whether I have contributed or not, time will tell.
Sebastián Núñez, Rafael del Águila, Javier Molina were the forerunners of the traditional touch of Jerez, what makes this touch different from the rest?
It's a different feel from the rest and in my view, it has been located not through the years of Rafael del Águila or Sebastián Núñez, but I believe it was solidified through the years of Javier Molina. The touch of Jerez has its beginnings there, and it was in that era that it took root, but for me, the true touch of Jerez starts with Manuel Morao. After him, that touch has been musically localized and when you hear a guitarist play, by the form and that air I'm talking about, you automatically say, 'this one is from Jerez'. You can tell the difference between guitarists from other places and those from Jerez.
And why don't we see you more often in your facet as a tocaor? Have you focused exclusively on teaching?
Let me explain. My professional career as a guitarist in Jerez is there, and I've played with the old and the new and have done countless festivals. What happens is that times change, young people come up strong, and one takes a back seat. Moreover, in my case, I've carried out two activities in the same field, teacher and professional guitarist, and that ultimately takes its toll because in some places they opt for one thing or another. Why? Well, I don't know, I leave that in quotes, I don't know if it's interests or why. In Jerez, for example, I've been pigeonholed as a teacher and it seems that as a guitarist I don't exist. For me, it's a luxury to be a teacher, and it's not easy, but when a person is still active, what they want is for entities or organizations to remember you from time to time. But well, I also can't complain because nowadays there is a lack of work everywhere.
With such an extensive professional career, has there been a moment that has particularly marked you?
There have been many, but one of them was once when I went to play at a festival in Puerto Real, and I didn't know that it was also a competition, because I've never competed. Unknowingly, they gave me an award for the best guitar (laughs). For me, what I am most proud of as an artist is having accompanied all types of singers, people like Terremoto, Sordera, Tío Borrico, and so many others. For me, it was very strong to accompany those geniuses, people I had heard on records and that suddenly you were sharing a bill with them was a source of pride. Let me tell you an anecdote. Once we went to a party in Sevilla, and an old man sat next to me. When I heard him sing, I was very struck by his way of singing and his personality; he was very chatty. It was El Chozas, and now, when one looks back, it makes you feel proud. When you are young, you do not value what you do, but I have been lucky to play for wonderful singers, and that is a luxury. I always tell my students that if they ever accompany someone who sings well, I don't even say it has to be an artist, they should engrave it in their memory because one day they will remember it.
It's something that's not within everyone's reach...
It's true, having singers like Camarón, Chocolate, El Arenero, Pies de Plomo, Lebrijano, or Turronero by my side is something that stays with me, and I carry it with pride in my heart. Perhaps at the time you don't give it importance, but as the years go by, you feel that you have been part of history.
After 30 years of teaching at your academy, what is the most difficult thing in this facet?
The most important thing in teaching is not to rush the levels. If you have a level A, you can't expect to be put on bulerías by the second month. When learning to play the guitar, as with everything in life, you have to crawl, walk, fall, and you have to run, you can't skip the steps. With the guitar, it's the same because to play well, four aspects must be coordinated: right hand, left hand, the mental aspect, and fourthly, and this is something that no longer depends on me, the innate conditions the person has in terms of rhythm, whether they have it or not. There I can correct a little, but if they don't have it, they don't have it. There are people who may not cover much technically but are rhythmically wonderful. Anyone can set falsetas; anyone can put a variation, the important thing is to know how to adjust the technical level of the guitarist, to your speeds.
That someone from outside of Spain comes to Jerez asking for the Academy of Manuel Lozano 'El Carbonero' must be flattering, right?
Right now, I actually have students from Canada, Sweden, and Israel. Throughout the year, people come from the most unexpected countries, and moreover, they come specifically. They are people who come informed, and it's not because of the internet, because I've only been on the internet for two and a half days, it's by word of mouth, and that's a very great pride for me.
Focusing on what is current guitar playing, we see that from the absolutism of technique it has moved to the search for nuance, does this instrument also have fashions?
Yes, there are. In the seventies, eighties, and nineties, everyone wanted to be Paco de Lucía; everyone wanted to be a concert performer. Fortunately, now it seems that everything is changing, they are realizing that sometimes it is more difficult to accompany than to be a concert performer. Why? Because apart from the fact that there are no concerts, the solo guitarist does not depend on anyone, you can do whatever you want and nothing happens, but when you submit to the discipline of a singer everything is different, you must follow some parameters and that is not so simple.
Of all the students you have had, has there been anyone who just by seeing them you knew they were going to be a tocaor?
There have been all kinds, some who you thought would not and then it turned out yes and just the opposite, people who had qualities to be a guitarist but then did not make it. In any case, most of the time it does not depend on the conditions, it depends on life, the way, and even luck. This is a very difficult world, and not everyone adapts to it. An example of this is Pascual de Lorca. When he came here to teach, I saw him as very little thing, he was a very shy person, he was satisfied with very little and honestly, I did not expect him to be a guitarist. However, when I put something to him the next day he would come and do it perfectly. Then there have been other cases where they wanted to run too fast and frustrated themselves, for that reason we talked about everyone wanting to be like Paco de Lucía.
You have been a very complete guitarist in terms of accompaniment, perhaps the antithesis to the touch of Jerez, at least from your time, which only covered several palos. Which one do you stick with?
That depends on the singer or the moment. It is true that I liked to learn and play everything, from the soleá to the milonga, something that here in Jerez was not too stylized. Now, fortunately, that is changing, and although sometimes, for example in singing, the young people go compelled by the need for dance in different companies, it is good to know that something has changed. Now, I am convinced that if they stayed in Jerez, they would not go beyond the four palos.
Because just as in singing they say that to toughen up you need to go through dance, in guitar, is it necessary to do it too?
Yes, it is fundamental to go through all the models, both accompanying and playing for the dance. But it should be temporary because if you dedicate your whole life to accompanying the dance, when you have to accompany the singing, the speed of the touch is noticeable. It is easy to distinguish a guitarist when they spend their whole life playing 'pa' to dance. I used to do a lot of dance and had speed, but now I like to accompany more, to be more focused, and I do certain things that I did not do before. For example, I like to play with more aplomb and not fill the songs so much.
You have always carried the name of Jerez all over the world, does this city owe you anything?
That is a difficult question, and perhaps my answer may sound like a complaint, which I do not like. I think that since I opened the academy I promote the city and I believe that Jerez sounds a lot thanks to me. However, here they give awards and recognitions to people who in my opinion do not do anything for the city. In any case, I prefer not to think too much about it.
And the crisis? How are you handling it?
Like everyone else, working to move forward. There are good months and bad months, but I do not complain.
With this crisis and the little work that artists have, what do you think of many dedicating themselves to teaching due to the lack of income and without being legalized?
That is a lost battle. In normal economic times it is something that ultimately benefits you because if they give classes in Peña such and such or in Association such and such, when they have been there two months they end up coming to an academy, mine or that of another colleague. The problem comes in times of crisis like now, when the downturn is noticeable, first because people do not have money to go to an academy and second because there are guitarists who opt for that due to lack of work. But that's the way it is and unfortunately, you can't fight against it.
Tell us about future projects.
Well, the most immediate thing is the National Petenera Contest and then I am also going to do a tour with Alberto Sánchez through different cities in Germany. We have been doing this for four years and they are very happy with us.
Published in www.jerezjondo.com
Español 
English 
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube