CHARO: World’s première Flamenco guitar virtuoso

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Photo credit [copyright 2009-LasVegasBuffetClub]

Remember “The Cuchi Cuchi Girl” on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (45+ appearances.)
María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza is also known as Charo.

Charo’s August 5th performance at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas was executed in two parts. In the first half you saw the Charo you know: the comedian, the singer, and all-around show-woman. She was brilliant, funny and spectacular. She sparkled in a red-sequined outfit, singing tunes from her CD’s, such as: “I Will Survive,” and cracking jokes about accents as well as other aspects of the human condition.

Without a doubt, the most humorous moment came when she spoke of being so poor in her youth that she didn’t have enough to eat – then after achieving success she couldn’t eat because of diets and weight watching – after saying this, she repeatedly “mouthed” the F bomb.

Accompanied by a troup of Flamenco dancers and a high-power-group of musicians, the first half of the show was fast paced, hard-hitting and well rehearsed. The show’s lighting was an artful display of color and dream imagery. Now I’ll tell you about the positive stuff.

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Photo credit [copyright 2009-LasVegasBuffetClub]

The second half of the show was about guitar – Flamenco guitar. Charo displayed the mastery that earned her ‘Guitar magazine”s Readers Poll as Best Flamenco Guitarist two years in a row. Her strokes were robust, true and firm; the *”shotgun-tremelo” was flawless. (My pretention here is due to studying a-bit-of classical guitar.)

Her fingers (both hands) were moving like she was a super-human being. The little-finger, of her left hand, was – relaxed – in the precise, classical position. This is something one can only achieve after years of practice.

The “show stopper” for me was a moving rendition of Ravel’s Bolaro, of which you can hear a few bars on Charo’s website.

According to IMDb, when she was 14, María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza won a scholarship to study classical guitar with Andrés Segovia.

Brava Charo!

Keep tuned to this page, there will soon be a link to a video clip of Charo.
*So maybe I’m using a common term…

UPDATE September 26, 2009
Here’s the video clip:

Charo’s Official Website

Visit the main pages of the LasVegasBuffetClub

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