Erika Luckett returns to El Viejo Topo
February 8, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Concert
Erika Luckett
Wed–Thurs, Feb 13–14, TIME
El Viejo Topo Café/Teatro
175 pesos

“To be blessed with prolific songwriting skills and a captivating voice is one thing. But to absolutely master an instrument on top of that is indeed an enormous accomplishment.”

Performing Songwriter magazine

With lyrical depth, a sensual voice, and mastery of the guitar, Erika Luckett, singer, songwriter, and musician, effortlessly crosses cultures, transporting the listener into new, but also familiar terrain.

The clarity of her lyrics speaks directly to personal human experience. As she delivers her heart and soul to the audience in her powerful and honest manner, the experience can be compared to the taste of water that has been dipped from a clear mountain stream on a hot summer’s day. Even the professional music world has difficulty with putting a single label on her distinctive globally-inspired style, describing it as “…a little bit Annie Lennox, some Ella Fitzgerald, with a hint of Edith Piaf.” Luckett’s most recent album, Unexpected, was named Best International Album (2006 World Art Celebrities Journal) and Album of the Year, 2006 as well as Best Album in the Female Singer/Songwriter category by Just Plain Folks, the world’s largest independent music organization which reviewed over 25,500 albums and 350,000 songs from 100 countries around the world. The album’s music, they said, “sounds like it was born from a weekend adventure with Sting, Annie Lennox, Carlos Santana and Bebel Gilberto.”This past spring, she enchanted the audience at El Viejo Topo with her straightforward repertoire of original songs and arrangements. Erika Luckett returns on February 13 and 14 with her one-woman show, that promises to deliver her usual candor and excitement. Seats for this and other performances are available at El Viejo Topo Café/Teatro daily from 9 am–7pm or call 154-8701 for reservations and more information.

Baroque & Beyond Festival: Music without borders
By Bob Kelly

Music Festival
Baroque & Beyond Festival
Feb 15–23
www.promusicasma.com 

Gregory Ewer, soloist for the Baroque & Beyond Festival.

Camerata Ventapane of Houston was founded in 2006 to establish a festival in Mexico “as a borderless ensemble of international artists and music lovers” meeting through “the language that needs no passport.” The result is the Baroque and Beyond Festival, whose second edition returns with 10 concerts by musicians from Mexico, the US, Colombia, France and Germany.

Musicians perform music from the Baroque period (1600-1750) on period instruments in unique settings in San Miguel. Capella Guanajuatensis of Guanajuato also will appear with the Camerata. 

Camerata co-founder and artistic director Barrett Sills will perform on the Baroque cello, bass viola de gamba and the treble viol. Sills is principal cellist with Houston’s Ballet Orchestra and Grand Opera Orchestra.

Baroque violinist Gregory Ewer is a soloist with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Colombia native Daniel Zuluaga plays the theorbo, lute and Baroque and Classic guitars. Born in Mexico, soprano Ana Treviño-Godfrey is a soloist for the Houston Chamber Orchestra and a founding member of Mercury Baroque Ensemble. Harpsichordist Miguel Cicero, also born in Mexico, is a founding member of the Baroque quartet Le Mercure. German guest Sebastian Knebel is a harpsichordist of the ensemble Telemannisches Collegium Michaelstein and has recorded several CDs and performed on television and radio.

Ken Bichel: Concert confidential
By Wendy Bichel

Concert
Ken Bichel
Wed, Feb 13, 7:30pm
Auditorio Miguel Malo
Bellas Artes
Hernández Macías 75
150 pesos

Am I biased? Of course. After all, he’s my husband. Does he have the credentials to back up my high regard?

Well, for seven years running he won the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammys) Most Valuable Player Award, having been chosen by a “jury of his peers.” That phrase happens to be used in a Paul Simon song he will be performing, “Still Crazy After all These Years.” Is he? Much less so, but how could he not be? He went through Juilliard, where angst was a prerequisite for a good performance.

Ken is downstairs in his studio, at the other end of the house, practicing. I’m typing away on the rewrite of my novel. The music is always there, grabbing my consciousness from time to time when I take a break. Yikes! (The actual expletive was somewhat more New York.) Where did he find those harmonies for “She’s Leaving Home?” Go on, baby, break my heart! He’s approaching the song like a filmmaker, finding the story, the subtext—the birth pains of the daughter, the grief of the parents—using his rendition to take it to another level. A half-hour later I jump up when he hits the chorus for “Rocky Raccoon.” Get down, Rocky boy! Yes, you’ve noticed, this concert is joyously Beatles heavy—but not exclusively so. John Holland, a recent resident of San Miguel, just hand-delivered the music for a ballad Ken and I have always loved, a gift from pianist Warren Bernhardt in Woodstock. I stop writing to listen as he plays it over and over until he makes it his own. The process is fascinating—deconstructing, reconstructing. Ken makes it easy to remain his groupie but hard to get back to work.

Now he’s practicing a particularly death-defying piano run over and over, shouting “Yikes!” (the New York version) at the end of each pass. Later over dinner I ask him, “Why such a challenging concert? Couldn’t you play it a little safer, at least every once in a while?” (I being of the school that just going on stage is risky enough.) His answer, “Why bother to play a safe concert? It’s no fun. I’m a wirewalker. That’s what audiences have always loved. They feel the tension, we’re in it together. And when I’m playing a piece and I make it to the other side, we all get a rush. If I fall, they still get the rush. I, on the other hand, will be too busy flagellating myself.” At least he’s self-aware.

He’s a magician. I never get tired of hearing him as he constantly re-invents a song or improvises a new one. Constant surprises. What genre is his music? It’s a compendium of the influences that have affected him: classical, pop, jazz—even Mexican folk songs have been re-purposed for this concert. Ken specializes in coloring a song so that you hear aspects of it you never knew were there. During the era when he won all those awards, they called him “The Sweetener.” They’d bring him in for Aretha, or James Taylor or Carly Simon. I discovered he was all over a particular Lonnie Liston Smith album I particularly loved. Always painting the song. He calls his approach “filmic.”

Obviously I’m telling you all these things because you have the opportunity to hear the concert Ken is preparing, not just because I want you to know how cool I am for having married this man. So put the date in your calendar, Wednesday, February 13, 7:30 pm at Bellas Artes. He’ll break your heart, as he continues to break mine—in the best possible way.

Wendy Bichel, a singer and songwriter, delighted SMA audiences last year with her one-woman show at Teatro Santa Ana. She is currently working on her first novel, a young-adult fantasy.

I LOVE Jazz

On Valentine’s weekend an array of stellar musicians will give San Miguel residents and visitors the opportunity to stoke their romantic fires with a variety of tempos, rhythms, moods & styles.

Featured artists: Ken Bichel, Salomon Maawad, Natalie Braux, Ken Basman, Jako Gonzalez, Tyler Mitchell, Victor Monterrubio, Alejandro Campos, Diego Maroto & Beto Gonzalez


Wednesday, February 13, 7:30pm
Ken Bichel
Concierto de Piano
Teatro Miguel Malo, Bellas Artes
150 pesos

Thursday, Valentine’s Day, 7:30pm
Salomon Maawad & The Downbeats
Sexy Sax, Sexy Blues & Romance
Teatro Ángela Peralta
200/150 pesos

Friday, February 15, 7:30pm
Natalie Braux Quartet
Teatro Ángela Peralta
200/150 pesos

Saturday, February 16, 7:30pm
The Cool Jazz Era Group
Featuring Four of the Best Sax Players in Mexico
Teatro Ángela Peralta
200/150 pesos

Traditonal folklore harp and guitar

Concert
Sergio Basurto Valencia
Mon, Feb 11, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos


The Sala Quetzal presents an extraordinary musician, Sergio Basurto Valencia, recognized and acknowledged in San Miguel for more than 20 years. Sergio Basurto’s musical career started in Mexico City when, at 16, he studied the Andean flute known as quena. This expertise allowed Sergio to become part of the most prestigious Latin American folklore groups of the 70s. While with the group, he learned to play the multiple syncopated rhythms of Latin American folklore such as milongas, zamba, baladas, rumba, bossa nova and more. From this experience it wasn’t difficult for him to understand flamenco rhythms and interpret the most representative with mastery. Sergio has being offering these well-received and appreciated concerts in the Santa Ana theatre for the past five years; Sergio belongs to the select musical community of San Miguel.

Valentine’s Day piano concert

Concert
Alejandro Mora Fonseca
Thurs, Feb 14, 8pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50ª
100 pesos

Pianist Alejandro Mora Fonseca, will be delighting lovers with beautiful love songs on Valentine’s Day. Alejandro was born in the Port of Veracruz; the warmth of the weather and people plus the sparkling happiness of the “Jarochos” compelled Alejandro to study music from an early age, with the strong influence and support of his musical oriented family.

Throughout his life, Alejandro has found a singular way to play the piano, so free and natural that he had given preference to improvisation. This Thursday, Alejandro will perform a tribute to love and lovers, choosing a program with his own compositions and arrangements on diverse romantic authors of all the times. Come celebrate this day and have dinner at the Café Santa Ana afterwards. Tickets on sale at the theatre box office.

Trio Nova Mundi stresses Latin themes

Pro Musica concert
Trio Nova Mundi
Sat–Sun, Feb 9–10, 5pm
St. Paul’s Church
Cardo 6
200, 150, 80 pesos
www.promusicasma.com 


Trio Nova Mundi’s weekend concerts highlight their goals of promoting classical music in Latin America and presenting works by Latin composers.

Saturday’s concert includes “Trio No. 3 in C minor” by Beethoven; “Trio No. 2” by Brazilian composer Hector Villa Lobos and “Los Portenos (The Seasons)” by Astor Piazzolla, who was born in Argentina.

Mozart’s “Trio in B flat major” leads off Sunday’s program, followed by “Sonata Breve” by Mexican composer Manuel Maria Ponce, several tangos by Piazzolla and “Café Music” by Paul Schoenfield. 

Trio members are Maureen Conlon Gutierrez, who began violin studies at age six at Bellas Artes; cellist Kathryn Bates, a native of Concord, MA; and pianist Rodrigo Ojeda, who was born in Caracas, Venezuela. 

Tickets are available at La Tienda in the Biblioteca; Casa de Papel, Mesones 57; La Conexión, Aldama 3; St. Paul’s office weekdays 11am–2pm; and at the door one hour before the concert.Eaton & Sanders performance benefits Casita Linda

By Michael Hager

Concert Series
Steve Eaton & Mike Sanders
Tue–Wed, Feb 12–13, 7:30pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Reloj 50A
200 pesos

Singers/songwriters Steve Eaton and Mike Sanders are lending their musical talents to a benefit concert for Casita Linda. Their versatile act includes jazz, pop, folk and some humorous satirical pieces. Performing together for over 20 years, Eaton and Sanders have headlined with Carole King and the Smothers Brothers.

They are beloved by audiences for their intimate performance style and unique interpretations of standards and original songs. San Miguel residents can meet the songwriters behind some of the top entertainers in the business, while knowing their ticket price goes to Casita Linda. Eaton and Sanders are flying down here at the own expense for this benefit concert, which says a lot about them.

Eaton’s songs have been recorded by the Righteous Brothers, Art Garfunkel and Glen Campbell. Several of his bestselling songs have been on Billboard’s Top 20 charts. He has accumulated multiple gold and platinum songwriting awards and has composed songs and musical scores for movies and TV shows.

Having lived most of his life in the Northwest, Eaton has always been connected to the outdoors and the high-country environment, lending his songwriting skills to support important environmental causes. He has composed instrumental music for film and video productions for The Nature Conservancy, CBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. His work has been nominated several times for Grammys and he has won Emmys for his work on television specials. As a performer and band member, he played with popular sixties and seventies bands like Paul Revere and the Raiders and has performed with such giants as Ray Charles. 

Sanders is highly sought-after both as a singer and a television narrator. Winner of a national songwriting contest early in his career, Sanders was invited to bring his distinctive musical talents to Nashville, where he worked with Sawyer Brown, Loretta Lynn and others. Sanders will tell you that performing on the Grand Olde Opry stage was a highlight of his career. Under contract with MTM Records for several years as a performer, he was ultimately hired by MTM as a staff songwriter. One of the top narrators in the industry, he has worked on several national TV commercials and has performed in multiple television and video productions. His voice can be heard as the narrator on such shows as ESPN Sports, American National Parks and The Great Outdoors. 

Like his partner, Sanders has contributed his special talents to supporting important charitable organizations. His benefit concerts have raised thousands of dollars for such organizations as the Idaho Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and Muscular Dystrophy. 

All proceeds from both performances will go to Casita Linda to support their work building homes for disadvantaged families in the San Miguel area. Tickets can be purchased at the Teatro Santa Ana box office, at La Conexión, or in the Jardín a week prior to the performance. A special Meet the Artists celebration will be held in a private home after the last performance Wednesday night. Tickets for that event, which will feature beer, wine, botanas and almost certainly more music, can be purchased for 100 pesos by calling 152-5814. Attendance will be limited, so call early.

Classical guitar at Teatro Santa Ana

Concert
José Manuel Alcántara
Fri, Feb 17, 7pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
100 pesos

José Manuel Alcántara is having his successful seventh classical guitar concert in the Teatro Santa Ana.

After living and studying for five years in Europe, José Manuel has started a series of contemporary Latin-American music projects; at this moment, he is leading the new guitar movement in Querétaro. He is part of the Sweelinck Conservatory’s Contemporary Music Ensemble which recently participated in the Gaudeamus International week at the Stedelijk Museum.

His last concert in Teatro Santa Ana was a great success, so be prepared and buy your tickets in advance. Limited seating.

Changing the future of Mexico through music
By Jerry Davis

Concert
Clara Dunham & Ann Reily
Mon, Feb 11, 7pm
La Posada de la Aldea
Ancha de San Antonio 15
100 pesos

Soprano Clara Dunham and accompanist Ann Reily have been San Miguel residents for several years, but have begun performing together only recently. Their strong backgrounds in classical music study and performance create a winning combination of talents. On Monday, they will present music by Brahms, Fauré, Wolf and Roussel. Bonuses will be pieces by Benjamin Britten, songs based on old English folk tunes, and musical adaptations of García Lorca poems.

Dunham studied the harpsichord when very young, began voice study at age 15 and spent summers at Tanglewood’s Young Artist Program. She attended Sarah Lawrence College where an excellent teacher awakened an “interest in the musical side of music” as opposed to her previous concentration on the technical side. She has been a soloist with community choruses, in recitals with guitar, piano and harpsichord, and performed with an early music group in Paris, where she studied musicology at the Sorbonne.

Riley has studied music since age four and has performed solo piano recitals in theaters and on radio and TV. Since coming to San Miguel she has served as accompanist for solo recitals by Cuahuté moc Tréjo and other members of the Guanajuato Symphony. A graduate of DePaul University, she attended the International Academy of Music in Nice on a scholarship. After further study in France she became a professor of music at Scholastica College in Duluth, Minnesota. Her career continued with live concerts, composition and publication. Her accomplishments earned her a place in Who’s Who in American Women.

The concert benefits the Jovenes Adelante Scholarship Fund that is currently helping 42 bright San Miguel students earn university degrees. Your participation will change their lives as well as the future of Mexico. Tickets are available at the door.

Jerry Davis has lived in San Miguel for three years and has been a member of Jovenes Adelante almost from the moment of his arrival.