Sultry jazz with a Brazilian flair
By Atención staff, August 18, 2006
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Friday, August 25, 7pm, Ángela Peralta Theater 150/100/80 pesos, Info: 152-2200 Sultry, sensual jazz with a mix of Brazilian and other flavors will be dished up by Magos Herrera and the Jazz Cats in their concert next week. After an absence of more than six months from San Miguel, Herrera returns to share her special magic with local audiences. |
Considered to have one of the most beautiful voices on the contemporary Mexican music scene, Herrera is a master of jazz harmony and vocal improvisation.
To paraphrase Evangeline Kim of the New York Times, Herrera's vocal stylings and compositions are modulated by the rhythms of jazz, but her original repertory also delves into deep soul, hip-hop, bossa nova and other Brazilian rhythms. Her sound is influenced by her experience of being Latin, and her voice sounds like a great and diverse cultural legacy of Mexico. Her lyrics, melodies and harmonies cry and bloom.
Herrera is accompanied by the Jazz Cats, the talented trio of musicians Gabriel Hernández, Antonio Loyola and Alex Kautz.
Hernández, a Cuban pianist, has traveled the world playing at international jazz festivals and with such greats as Leon Thomas, Dizzy Gillespie and Herbie Hancock. Loyola, on bass, was born in Mexico City. He was musical director of the past two International Jazz Festivals of San Miguel de Allende. Drummer Kautz was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He has performed in national and international forums such as the Lincoln Center, in New York, the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, Teatro de la Ciudad in Mexico City and All of Jazz in São Paulo.
| Junta Flamenca: A San Miguel treasure
Friday, August 25, 8pm, Teatro Santa Ana, Reloj 50, 250 pesos Visiting or living in San Miguel de Allende is always an opportunity to immerse oneself in a variety of magnificent social and cultural experiences. One experience in particular captured our hearts and our souls in a fresh and memorable way. |
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Our first exposure to the world of flamenco dance two years ago pulled us into a pulsating, vibrant world of intimate interplay between song, dance, costume and music. There was powerful and intricate footwork, combined with dramatic and arresting movement, creating a montage of elegance and passion. Accompanying rhythms of instrument and voice beautifully amplified the delicate power of the dance. The effect was to transport us to a world of exquisite sensual and emotional connection. On that night, we had the privilege of viewing the performance of San Miguel's own group, Junta Flamenca.
The members of Junta Flamenca include Lorena Vargas, Ángela García, Alfredo Enríquez, Guillermo Blanco and Victor Monterrubio, and their contrasting styles will captivate you. Vargas, now living in San Miguel, comes here via New York and Mexico City, where her elegant and fiery solo appearances have enthralled audiences and received high acclaim. García, a native of Mexico City, is a well-established flamenco artist here, as well as in the capital, and is highly recognized for her powerful and expressive style. Enríquez is an outstanding entertainer who thrills audiences with his daring personality and picardía. A multitalented artist and former opera singer, he was conquered by the flamenco mystique and delivers his heart and soul in each appearance.
As if the dance were not enough to completely draw you in, you will tremendously enjoy Junta Flamenca's musical accompaniment-so essential to the rich experience of flamenco dance. Guitarist Guillermo Blanco's flamenco rhythms will astound you. He has appeared in venues large and small and has enraptured audiences worldwide with his soulful and stirring style. Percussionist Monterrubio has consistently performed with the best jazz ensembles around San Miguel and will truly take your senses to the outer limits of excitement and passion.
Tickets for the performance are available at the Teatro Santa Ana in the Biblioteca Pública.
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Armando sings of magic, nature and love Wednesday, August 23, 7pm, Teatro Santa Ana, Reloj 50 100 pesos Armando, lead singer for the local group Voodoo Chile, will give a rare performance of his original songs. If you love songs about the forces and magic in nature and love, the nurturing and support that come from everyday grace and the synchronicity of words and emotion, then you won't want to miss this concert. |
Weaving voice, words and tones into a fabric of intimate acoustic guitar rhythms, Armando uses the tension and release of India's sitar music style to blend his voice and guitar into complementary energies that become one great force of emotion. A native of Maryland and Texas, Armando grew up close to the waters and woods, where he connected to nature and its flow at an early age. He increasingly felt and recognized the magic in the flora and fauna, creeks and rivers, beaches and oceans. These elements became part of his conscious and unconscious heart to be reborn in unexpected ways as he began to sing about cicadas, swimming in the thrashing ocean with his brother, or a subtle time with a young woman, sitting and feeling quiet energy flowing from one to the other. These essential elements come together in each song to delight, enchant and inspire audiences to remember the magic in our lives. Armando will donate 20 percent of the proceeds from this concert to the Santa Julia girl's home.
About two years ago, Armando was asked to play a song for a local peace rally in the Jardín. The idea of "what if women ruled the world?" had been in his mind for awhile, and so he committed himself to write a song about this issue for the rally. He wrote the whole song in around 15 minutes and felt as though it were a gift from a higher power. In the past seven years, he has written other songs about the virtues of women, and recently he realized he has been writing about femininity in general and the need for femininity or feminine energy to become more powerful in men as well as in women. Armando now believes that female energy is the only thing that can truly heal the world, save the earth's precious few remaining ecosystems and bring an end to war, hunger and poverty. He believes that only feminine sensitivity coupled with ownership of feminine power can retrieve and heal what is best about society and the natural world. At the very least, he feels that women should get their turn at running the world for a while. He thinks they could undo a lot of the past harm in less than 100 years, and he's willing to give them that chance. Hence, the inspiration for the lyrics to his song "What If Women Ruled the World?"
What If Women Ruled the World?
What if women ruled the world?
We would laugh and sing and dance.
They would lead with hearts unfurled
If we gave them half a chance.
Our flags mean nothing anymore
With all these women at our door.
Do you see women starting war?
What if women ruled the world?
What is it men are afraid of?
To be enveloped in women's love.
Men can't surrender to love's soul
And trade love's treasure for control.
Women are the shield of peace;
They've loved, endured and never cease.
And so I pray now for the hour
When I will feel all women's power.
The feminine is so sublime-
Something you choose to love or fear.
We think its beauty is a crime,
But when we lose it, it becomes dear.
It's tired of waiting in the wings
While the mind of men destroys all good things.
Let's separate the wheat from chaff
Until it's really half and half.
Hearts can feel what minds can't see;
You just feel the mystery.
Take a chance, lay down your arms
And give into a woman's charms.
There is no balance now and here,
We've seen the worst of all we fear.
If each woman trusted her own heart
We could make a brand new start.
What if women told their men
I won't make love to you again
Until you learn to feel what's right
You'll sleep alone again tonight?
My waiting has only made you worse
Turned love's blessing to a curse.
I'd rather be all by myself
Before you kill somebody else.
I choose to hurt you as your lover or your wife
'Cause it could save another brother or sister's life.
So take this time alone in bed
To raise your heart above your head.
So what if women ruled the world?
We could laugh and dance and sing.
They would lead with hearts unfurled
And heal every living thing.
Progress means nothing any more
With all these women at our door.
Do you see women starting wars?
What if women ruled the world?
What if women ruled the world?
What if women ruled the world?
And save the earth with hearts unfurled.