Letter From Juan

[disbelief]

Hi,
Would someone be kind enough to give a detailed description of the 5 effects found in volume 2 and the 4 effects found in volume 3? I would like to know what each effect is before purchasing.
Thanks everyone!
Mike

[kkelly]

penguin's website lists the table of contents for each.

[disbelief]

They do, but the titles of the effects mean nothing to me. It would be nice to know what the effects actually are. Eg, what is decrypting? A suit to order? A one armed tribute etc

[Richard Kaufman]

Just buy them.

[Leo Garet]

Just buy them.

My thoughts exactly.

Over the years, like most, I've bought stuff on-spec, some winners, some less than thrilling. To me it's always been the name of the game.

With Tamariz, the odds tend to favour the buyer!

[Marco Pusterla]

I'm waiting vol. 3 - on the slow boat from the US... - but vol. 2 has:
- Decrypting: quite an intellectual effect, where letters freely associated to the numbers from 1 to 10 and eight chosen cards will spell out a spectator's name and her date of birth. This is a performance piece, for formal shows or for an attentive audience, which requires some time to perform and that needs concentration from the audience.
- Suicide Poker: from a freely shuffled deck, you deal a number of hands asked for and deal yourself the winning hand. The presentation involves the spectator call out a value (from 5 to 10) and give her the four cards of this value, allowing the magician the time necessary to do the "dirty work". While the concept is interesting, I did not particularly like it, as it would not suit me.
- A Suit to Order: A brilliant opener, where seven spectators (! you really need a large group) select cards from a deck and these are all the cards from the same suit, in order. I found this a brilliant routine, and very easy (not self-working, though).
- Progressive color change: this trick comes with two special cards. Essentially, a (wrong) card turns into the selected one, a bit a time, like a special effect. The method, relying on classical techniques, is very clever. Tamariz has a great intuition in the handling of palms that should confuse the cognosenti... Not simple.
Impromptu Double Flying: a great improvement of "Flying Through Thin Air" which you can find in Mnemonica. A spectator names a value, the four cards of that value are removed, re-inserted in the deck, then the deck is dealt out: the cards have vanished. On spreading the deck again, the cards re-appear. The effect is immediately repeated, without touching the deck, with another value. The techniques (Jennings) are classical and Tamariz's presentation is definitely his own, which may not suit many other performers, but the method and the effect is sound. A potential classic.

I enjoyed both volumes so far, and I'm sure I'll love the third one.

[erdnasephile]

Does anyone know what became of Sr. Tamariz' proposed book, "Flamenco", that was announced in a Genii interview years ago?

[Richard Kaufman]

Stephen Minch is working to bring "Flamenco" to the finishing line.

[erdnasephile]

Thanks, RK--wonderful news!!!

[Jim Martin]

That's good to hear - thanks Richard!