The beautiful tribute to Kepa Junkera to open the 39th Getxo Folk

2023-09-14 01:27:04

This Wednesday, before only about 420 souls (we count it with surprise), the 39th Getxo International Folk Festival opened at the Muxikebarri in Algorta with a tribute to one of its artistic pillars, Kepa Junkera, disabled since his stroke suffered in Belgium in December 2018 but who appeared with his mask, his cap and his wheelchair to greet at the end of the show called ‘Hauspoz’. At the entrance to the municipal auditorium there was a photographic exhibition with images of Kepa participating in the Getxo Folk, from 1994 in Fadura, with the face of a child, until 2016 in the Plaza de la Estación in Las Arenas, with the face that we remember him. This expo will be in the same lobby until the fifth and last day of the festival, Sunday.

‘Hauspoz’ is a beautiful tribute, rehearsed and better thought out and elaborate than the one we witnessed recently in the Plaza Nueva during the Bilbao festivities, the one called ‘Erromeriak’, just like Kepa’s last album, a tribute that, although respectful and Well-intentioned, it erred on the side of canonicalism and, on top of that, in its second part it sank due to a lack of strength and rehearsal among the participants, around twenty women (only one man, a piper from Zamora, came on stage for a while).

What happened on Wednesday at the Muxikebarri, prepared by around thirty musicians, dancers and singers, was not only emotional, but was well thought out, the sporadic dances of the Kukai group illustrated the themes with skill and modernity (although the most applauded was the dance last, the most traditional, not to change), the trikitixa was mixed with the Catalan cobla (a Fellinian and sometimes minimal orchestra like Michael Nyman), the backgrounds of the stage provided sensations, and the event went further, it was somewhat restrained in the middle (many interventions by Uxia, who almost became the main figure), and grew again in its epilogue, until the climax with around twenty performers on stage (a dozen of the male cobla, a female tambourine eight, plus other participants such as the Portuguese trikitilari Kepa Aburruzaga, a disciple of Kepa).

The Gipuzkoan Kukai danced modernists. Pedro Urresti

There was great sound, good scenery, agility in scene changes and a presenter or master of ceremonies who in Spanish and Basque referred to Kepa Junkera’s close connection with Getxo Folk, a festival where over three decades he has performed with symphonic, presenting their albums ‘Maren, ‘Hiria’, the Galician one or ‘Maletak’ with the Sorginak, the Gipozcoan teenage tambourine players. It was said in the script, and we already knew, that Getxo is one of Kepa’s houses, where he has filled the Las Arenas tent (two thousand souls) until hundreds of people followed his concert from a screen installed outside. .

Wednesday at the Muxikebarri, subtracting the three minutes of general presentation, lasted 93 minutes for about 22 pieces, among them a hagiographic bertsolari very well performed and recited by Xabi Paya, one of the best in the repertoire, and the aforementioned choral piece with the twenty performers performing in coordination with the giant screen in the background, from where the great Carlos Núñez blew the flute and his Galician countrywoman Susana Seivane contributed the accordion, a screen from where Pedro Guerra, María del Mar Bonet, Justin Vali, also greeted Marina Rossell, Estrella Morente, Nacho Duato, Miguel Bosé or Calamaro who, like all those recorded on the screen, joined the chorus in ‘Ny hirahira’.

Let’s review the repertoire selected by Kepa at the suggestion of the Getxo festival in 2020, although the pandemic arrived from China and the opportunity was delayed until now, in 2023. The elegant cobla with their suits (in the end they ended up with t-shirts with the K on the chest ) began Feliniana and solemnly with ‘Gernika’, and the bertsolari Xabi Paya put us in the situation. As purist trikitilaris, Maixa (former Eta Ixiar) and the Elustondo brothers came out, the vocalist Uxía brought the Galician Celtic wave, the txalapartaris Oreka TX (one of Kepa’s discoveries) contributed the ancestral wood, and Kukai drew in the ether with their dances . Uxía’s intervention started well but got somewhat stuck due to the repetition, Aburruzaga added to the cobla contributed a very minimal milestone in ‘Drakian’ (one of the best of the evening, if not the best), and Budiño joined the party but without being able to impose its importance (‘Galizako kantua’, with Uxía).

The Cantabrian tambourines entering the scene. Pedro Urresti

The light was turned on over the stalls and the Cantabrian tambourine players entered from the top of the hall, then Budiño managed to impose his pedigree even more, the tambourine players broke the perimeters, Oreka TX percussed horsemen, and, boom, Ibon’s alboka rose Koteron, another of the discoveries of Kepa Junkera, who seems like a kind of Miles Davis of Basque neofolk. Kukai continued illustrating vignettes, the scene on the giant screen with Carlos Núñez, Susana Seivane, Calamaro and the other congratulators was really special and spectacular in ‘Ny hirahira’, ‘Huriondo’ was a classic (and here Kukai was most applauded for his agile traditional dance), and ‘Bok Espok’ with the cobla did not fly as much as before with Kepa.

And in Wednesday’s coda Xabi Paya read some words from Kepa and he appeared on the stage to receive the ovation before the twenty-odd performers, actually about thirty counting the Kukai dancers, came out through the stalls playing the ‘ Gaztelugatxe March’ and reappeared in the lobby, where the merchandising stand was, with books and CDs for sale, with prices from €10 to €45, and with some autographed reference by Kepa, who we already hope will get better health a little more so that he can lead the way. Long live Kepa! Gora Kepa!