But if one name has come to the fore as worthy of at least present day comparison, it would be Tamariz. A few decades ago it was invariably pointless to talk about who the next Vernon was going to be a conversation, if it could be called that, that was mostly limited to ego thrashing among his most ambitious acolytes. It was Vernon who brought a revolutionary close analysis approach to sleight-of-hand close-up magic, which his own acolytes expanded upon and carried forward, as the Spanish school did and built upon as a foundation.īut now that the next generation behind Tamariz has matured, and begun to assume the Spanish mantle, the reach and spread of that influence becomes ever more apparent. This is not to suggest that the Spaniards arose from nothing quite the contrary, as reflected extensively in the writings and teachings of Ascanio, Tamariz, and Giobbi, the creation of their artistic vision owes much to the previous influence and leadership of Dai Vernon and the Vernon school, if you will. But it seems to me that the fact of Spain’s status is unarguable, and sleight-of-hand close-up magic in general, and card magic in particular, has gained dramatically from the influence of the Spanish School. and the rest of Western Europe have taken a back seat in creativity and influence is a more complicated question best left for another day. ![]() There are reasons for the place of western international prominence that has been assumed by the Spanish School in the past quarter century, foremost the leadership and influence of aforementioned innovators and teachers like Ascanio and Tamariz (and others in South America, most prominently the late René Lavand). I then went on to lecture at a convention of the magicians of Galicia, attended by Miguel, Kiko, and a long list of other Spanish conjurors, and where I was reunited with my friend Gabi, now a highly regarded and influential conjuring artist in his own right. Twenty years later, in 2011, I lectured at the Neuromagic 2011 Conference on San Simón island in the north of Spain, along with Spanish magicians Luis Piedrahita, Miguel Ángel Gea, and Kiko Pastur. This is when I first met some of the as yet unknown younger generation of Spanish cardicians, such as Gabi Pareras, who were just beginning to follow in the wake of their mentors, Arturo de Ascanio and Juan Tamariz. Bouncing around the tapas bars in the alleys off the Ramblas in Barcelona in the late hours of the night, in each new locale a phone call would be made, and more young men with cards in their hands would show up to join in the conversation-and a well-informed and spirited conversation it invariably was. ![]() The first time I lectured in Spain, in 1991, I was astonished by the quantity and quality of young, studious, skilled card workers there were. When it comes to card magic at the dawn of the twenty-first century, it’s the Spaniards’ world, and we just live in it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |