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By Larry LeBlanc |
Feliciano, in Spanish, means "the happy one." It aptly describes Jose Feliciano, the multi-talented guitarist-singer-composer. It has only been recently that his musical interpretations have come of age, to move and touch listeners everywhere.
After his outstanding Toronto concert, I as allowed to interview the blind perfectionist. After witnessing the reaction to his performance by others (he raised an audience of 3,000 to their feet for repeated encores) plus my own personal feelings toward the young virtuoso, I was a little nervous.
"Trudy," a short-haired Collie, was sitting in front of the entertainer. As Jose's outstretched hand reached out to shake mine, his dog looked upward in mute interest.
"I'm glad Canadians are our allies," Jose said. "People here are nice and beautiful."
While chatting, he kept moving in his seat. His mobile face was partly concealed by heavy sunglasses which reflected the overhead lights. He moved Trudy closer to him. I knew why. The last dog Jose Feliciano owned was poisoned in Toronto.
"Yes," I played in Toronto two years ago. At the Penny Farthing. Another, more well-known folk club didn't hire me because they didn't feel I was popular nor talented enough."
Agreeing that his present performance was brought about by playing the folk circuit, he said: "the folk circuit develops an artist. When you have only a guitar and some songs, you have to be good."
"I was born in Lares, in south-western part of Puerto-Rico. Although I was raised in New York, I now live in California, which I love."
He began on borrowed instruments. He has mastered, self-taught, 15 different instruments but decided to stay with his first great love, the guitar.
"I feel that guitar is best suited for my voice, in order to express myself, my personal feelings."
Discovery meant an RCA Victor A&R man dropping by Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. Gerde's, incidentally is the gold house in which such musical bard as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Eric Anderson have peddled their early tunes.
Originally the A&R man had dropped by to see another act but he soon forgot all his former intentions and signed Jose.
Since then nine Spanish and five English albums have been released by the suddenly lucky artist.
"I've traveled throughout South America, Europe and the United States," says Jose. "This was before 'Light My Fire' was a hit."
Yet it was "Light My Fire" that made the mass public (late as usual) aware of the environment that is...well, Feliciano.
Unexpected breaks between verses, rapid-fire fingerwork on guitar, and a haunting, rough elastic voice project tunes that you're almost sure you've never heard before. The little mouth clicks, the harmonized du du du's an interpretative stories are distinctly Feliciano.
He is one of the few artists around that is able to assimilate the various fields of music: jazz, classical, Spanish folk, and rock 'n' roll. It's all his world and a very beautiful world at that. Its not surprising to find that "High Heel Sneakers," the follow-up to "Light my Fire", easily jumped to the top of hit polls.
When he sings in Spanish, his mother tongue, one doesn't have to understand what it means, it's beautiful.
"When I do rock 'n' roll on the guitar, I can't help thinking of Frankie Laine's interpretations. He has had a great influence on my music But I even dig classical, guys like Julian Bream, Andres Segovia."
Speaking of his blindness, he says: "To me there is no such thing as a blind world. People aren't blind unless they want to be blind. People may be blind with they eyes, but they can see with their other senses if they want to."
Listening to his music I think you will agree that Feliciano sees more than most of us. For this reason, his music has an appeal beyond the range of top 40 programming. His is grooving, thinking music-for all ages.
©1999 TG Magazine/Le Magazine TG
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