Should Javier Laguna be jealous of José Alfredo Jiménez, the lyricist of Chavela?
José Taboada, Laguna and I usually say “León, Quintero and Quiroga!” the famous trio of composers from Spain. There is no need to envy him. Want to know why? Anyone who hears En los mares de China (In the Seas of China) will realize that the music sounds old style, while the lyrics are up-to-date. Laguna has managed to join together contemporary and classic sounds. A: Tell me a little more about Soñar contigo. A: “Déjame esta noche soñar contigo” (he sings). It’s a fantastic tune. I met up with León, Quintero and Quiroga. Laguna took along his lyrics. I read the words “déjame esta noche soñar contigo” and said “oh my god! How are we going to do this?”. José Taboada said “just launch into it and I’ll follow you”. I sang with Taboada following me on guitar. It came out perfect on the first take, proving the saying that “great tunes are not invented, they are discovered”. Some things are in the air. You just have to be humble enough to admit that all you did was catch them. Q: What came f
