The XXIV D. José María Gil Folkloric Memorial paid tribute to Abelardo García Díaz, "El Tormento", in an evening where Teguey, Altaja, and Tendal filled the Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente park with music, emotion, and Canarian spirit. There are nights that end when the lights of a stage go out. And there are others that, when the last chord is played, remain for a long time in the memory of those fortunate enough to experience them. That is precisely what happened last Friday in San Bartolomé.
Within the framework of its Patron Saint Festivals in honor of San Bartolomé Apóstol, the tent set up in the Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente park became, from 9:00 PM onwards, a grand stage for traditional music, folklore, and, above all, for recognition and emotion. The reason was significant: the celebration of the XXIV D. José María Gil Folkloric Memorial, an event that year after year keeps alive the memory of one of the great promoters of Canarian traditional culture in San Bartolomé, and which in this edition had as its protagonist the beloved and admired Abelardo García Díaz, "El Tormento", distinguished with the Ajei 2026 Recognition. The public's response was up to the occasion. The tent was completely full, and from the first notes, it was clear that this was not going to be just another night in the program.
Teguey opened the heart of the night.
It was the Teguey Popular Music Group from San Bartolomé that opened an evening that began with strength, elegance, and a deep respect for our roots. Teguey offered an impeccable staging, demonstrating once again the quality and enthusiasm that characterize this group. Musically, it was directed by Professor Yubar Cruz Villalba, while the group is presided over by José Cruz Hernández. The night also featured a very special participation. Teguey incorporated the voice of the prestigious soloist Daniel Medina into its performance, who performed Isa and Folías, receiving one of the first great ovations of the night. But the emotion would reach an even greater dimension when Joana García, the honoree's daughter, took the stage to perform a folía. It was not just another voice on a night of folklore. It was a daughter's voice on a night dedicated to her father. And the audience understood it that way, responding with a prolonged applause that enveloped one of the most special moments of the evening.
When dance becomes identity.
Teguey's performance also featured the participation of the Asociación de Bailes Típicos Altaja, whose members filled the dance floor with elegant and striking choreographies to the rhythm of the Isa del Uno and Folías. Because folklore is not just music. It is also movement, clothing, memory, feeling, and belonging. Teguey continued their performance interpreting "Miradas de Seda, Pena Olvidada, Isa Imantada and a varied Medley", completing an appearance that was long applauded by an audience that surrendered from the beginning.
And the most anticipated moment arrived: "El Tormento".
But the night still held its most emotional moment. Then came the central moment of the Memorial; the presentation of the "Reconocimiento Ajei 2026", to D. Abelardo García Díaz, "El Tormento". The mayor of San Bartolomé, Isidro Pérez Martín, took the floor to give a profile of the honoree and highlight a career that transcends the strictly musical. Because recognizing Abelardo García Díaz is also recognizing a whole generation of men and women who, for decades, have kept popular music alive and have known how to transmit from parents to children the love for Canarian traditions. His legacy, the mayor highlighted, is now part of the Archipelago's cultural heritage.
However, circumstances meant that Abelardo could not be physically present. Health reasons prevented him from traveling to San Bartolomé. But he was there. He was there through his voice, his memories, and the images projected in a video in which the honoree himself wanted to express his gratitude for a distinction he received with evident emotion.
A distinction received by his daughters.
Then came another of the moments that the audience present will hardly forget. His daughters, Moneyba and Joana García, took the stage to receive the recognition on behalf of their father. The mayor, Isidro Pérez Martín, and the Councilor for Festivals, Estefanía Luzardo Pérez, were waiting for them there, and they presented the Certificate of Recognition Ajei 2026. Emotion took over the stage. One of the daughters took the floor and, on behalf of her father, conveyed to the audience her gratitude for this high distinction. Her words could barely compete with the audience's response. The applause did not recognize only a singer. It recognized a life. A career. A voice. And, above all, the legacy of a man who has dedicated a good part of his existence to bringing the music and traditions of the Canary Islands wherever he has been called.
Abelardo García Díaz, a voice born to party.
The story of Abelardo García Díaz begins in Moya, Gran Canaria. Born into a family with a tradition of partying - his father and grandfather were already involved in that world - he soon discovered that music was going to be an inseparable part of his life. His first companion in adventure was a guitar he bought for 50 duros at the time from the El Martillo hardware store. That guitar and a prodigious voice would be enough to begin a path that is still part of the musical history of the Canary Islands today.
Since then, Abelardo has not stopped partying. He has traveled the Canary Islands, different places on the Peninsula, and has also taken his music to countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico. His career includes numerous participations in recording projects with great Canary Islands groups and soloists. And walking alongside his name has always been a nickname that ended up becoming a true hallmark.
El Tormento.
A nickname born from the strength of his singing, the intensity of his performances, and that very particular drama that he manages to impart especially to the malagueñas. When Abelardo sings, he doesn't just interpret a song. He lives it. And perhaps it is precisely there where the secret of "El Tormento" lies.
Tendal gave voice to the last chapter of the night.
After the emotion of the recognition, music returned to the stage. From the island of La Palma, specifically from San Andrés y Sauces, came the Popular Music Group Tendal. Founded in 1999, Tendal offered a cheerful, varied, and participatory performance, covering songs of Canarian roots and also approaching some compositions belonging to the vast universe of Latin American music. The group from La Palma managed to keep the festive atmosphere alive and provided the musical closing to a night that had already been marked by emotion.
D. José María Gil, present in every note.
But above all that happened that night, one name remained.
D. José María Gil.
A distinguished folklorist born in Gáldar, Gran Canaria, and later settled in San Bartolomé, D. José María Gil dedicated a good part of his life to the defense and dissemination of traditional Canarian culture. In 1943, he founded the emblematic Folkloric Group Ajei in San Bartolomé, a group that would write a brilliant page in the history of Canarian folklore by winning the International Festival in Santander in 1960.
That is why each edition of this Memorial is also an exercise in memory. To remember D. José María Gil is to remember those who understood that preserving traditions does not mean living anchored in the past, but rather keeping the doors of the future open so that new generations know where they come from.
And that was, possibly, the true greatness of the night.
A night for memory, a night for the Canary Islands.
San Bartolomé once again demonstrated that folklore continues to hold a privileged place in the hearts of its people. The music of Teguey, the elegance of Altaja, the voice of Daniel Medina, the emotion of Johana García, the recognition of Abelardo "El Tormento," and the final performance of Tendal gradually built a night where past, present, and future walked together.
It was a night to remember D. José María Gil.
It was a night to embrace, even from a distance, Abelardo García Díaz.
It was a night to recognize those who have dedicated their lives to keeping the flame of folklore alive.
And it was, above all, a night to see that Canarian traditions continue to beat strongly.
Because as long as there is a guitar that sounds, a voice that sings a folía, a couple that dances an isa, a family that transmits to their children the love for our customs and a people willing to gather to celebrate it, Canarian culture will remain alive.
And in San Bartolomé, that night, it was demonstrated once again.
Tradition was not lost.
Tradition sang again.
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