Animal charities unite: Different missions, same cause
By Janielle Penner July 11, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Concert Benefit
Doc Makes a House Call
Tue, July 22, 6–10pm
Casa Jazmin
www.AnimalWelfareSMA.org 

We have all seen the countless animals that roam our streets. The fortunate few are rescued, but there remain so many that need our help. Our compassion is all these abandoned animals may have.

And our compassion has taken the form of several nonprofit organizations, three of which have come together for the very first time to put on a concert fundraiser.

“Doc Makes a House Call!” takes place on Tuesday, July 22 at the private residence Casa Jazmin. There will be a fabulous concert by Doc Severinsen and Ritmo de la Vida. The evening also includes an extensive art and jewelry silent auction. Many of San Miguel’s renowned artists and jewelry designers have been so generous to donate magnificent items. The silent auction is sure to be an exciting addition to the event, as will a few surprises that are in store for the fundraiser’s 200 guests.

All of the proceeds of the event will be going to fund the operations and expansions of three charities, Sociedad Protectora De Animales (SPA), Amigos De Animales San Miguel de Allende, and Amigos De Animales Guanajuato. Please note that the two Amigos de Animales charities are completely independent of one another. All three charities are hoping people will take note and remember that the evening is raising money for three charities, not just one. To read more about the event, please visit the new website www.AnimalWelfareSMA.org where you will also find information about each organization and links to their websites.

The missions of these three charities are distinct, but ultimately serve the same cause. The SPA, which has been active since the early 1980s, is San Miguel’s only animal shelter. Housing nearly 100 dogs and cats at any given moment, it is a 24/7 operation with full-time staff and volunteer help. There is also an on-site low cost clinic offering veterinary care, vaccinations and spay/neuter services for people of modest means. The SPA currently has many vital needs including a new septic system and a renovation of both cat and dog enclosure, which will hopefully be funded by the proceeds of the event.

Recently, a community outreach sponsorship program was instituted on-site at the SPA to teach Mexican teenagers about animal obedience and proper care. This program has a two-fold benefit providing these youth with potential employment skills in dog walking, animal sitting and care, and it helps to socialize the dogs, making them more adoptable.

Amigos de Animales San Miguel de Allende, operating since 2002, has three main objectives. They organize sterilization blitzes 3 times a year where they spay/neuter approximately 150 animals each time, preventing hundreds of thousands of unwanted births. They create and implement educational programs targeting children that focus on the care and respectful treatment of animals. And they work with the city pound, providing the medicines for a gentle euthanasia of the dogs and have hired a veterinarian to supervise the euthanasia and assure the proper treatment of these animals. “Amigos”, as they are commonly referred to by the locals, have many other accomplishments, which you may read about on their website.

Amigos de Animales Guanajuato, also in operation since 2002, conducts sterilization campaigns three times a year in the city of Guanajuato or a nearby village. They also work with local veterinarians to rescue and facilitate the adoption of homeless dogs and cats. As of June 2008, they have found homes for over 1,500 animals and have sterilized more than 3,600.

With tag-lines such as “The Voice of the Voiceless” and “Hope, Health and Homes for Cats and Dogs in Need,” it is clear that these organizations care to make a tremendous difference on behalf of these abandoned creatures, those that have the capacity to love and give us so much in return.

Making classical music more friendly
By Bob Kelly

Chamber Music Festival
July 31-Aug 17
The Ahn Trio
Sat–Sun, Aug 9–10
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Mesones 82

When the three Ahn sisters from Seoul, Korea, graduated from Juilliard and began performing, they were hailed for their mastery of chamber music classics. Their first recording, in 1995, of Ravel and Villa-Lobos trios prompted one critic to write, “This is one of Ravel’s best and never better played.”

Their beauty and penchant for designer clothes and, above all, their talent, energy and innovation led to extensive media coverage and recognition as one of the groups taking chamber music in new directions.

Now they play mostly living composers and at times integrate modern dance, painters, pop singers and others into their performances. Twins Lucia, piano; Maria, cello, and Angella, violin, will present two concerts during the Thirtieth Summer Chamber Music Festival.

While in Prague last week preparing for their appearance at the Czech Grammy Awards, they answered questions about their music and what San Miguel audiences can expect.

Bob Kelly: Are you doing anything new or different in Prague? How have the audiences responded?

Lucia: I am a huge fan of Prague! We are here recording with a Czech band called the Tata Bojs. Prague is a very special city to us for many reasons; one is that it is where we recorded our newest album. One of the members of Tata Bojs, Dusan Newerth, produced it with us.

Last year, we performed with Tata Bojs for the Czech Grammys where their music video was awarded “Best Video,” and the response was really tremendous. We find the Czechs to be so artistic and truly appreciative of the arts. I guess that explains all the great composers such as Smetana and Dvorak, and of course all the writers, painters and film directors.

BK: What kind of program will you be playing for your Christmas concert in Seoul? Strictly traditional or something innovative? The Seoul I knew was like Prague in that it was a beautiful old city with a tradition of classical music.

Lucia: Seoul is no longer a beautiful old city. Many buildings were destroyed during the war so there are mostly new tall buildings from the sixties and seventies (which may not be the best example for aesthetic architecture, in my opinion). But it is still an incredibly charming and passionate city!

As artists, we feel lucky because we have the freedom to choose the projects and concerts we like to do. In Seoul, the Christmas concert will feature songs transcribed for us by Bill Cunliffe, a jazz pianist, as well as many tracks from our newest album Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac. Our concerts are not so traditional, but always innovative!

BK: How would you describe your musical mission?

Maria: To put it simply, we want to make classical music friendlier. We would love to make classical music more accessible to more people of all ages. Classical music for me has been and is the most innovative form of music. We continually try to break the preconceptions that exist in classical music and think outside of the box. For me, classical music never goes out of fashion.

Mozart and Beethoven were avant-garde artists, the rock stars of their time, always pushing the boundaries and thinking forward with their ‘new’ music. We want people to hear the classical music of today, present works that are written especially for our trio, show that classical music is very modern and versatile.

We are constantly doing new projects that challenge us and challenge our audiences, but at the same time, we believe that music should be beautiful. We try to choose the kind of music that not only excites us but also that we would want to hear ourselves. 

BK: Are your audiences mostly young or a mixture?

Maria: Our audiences range in all age groups. The music we play truly is for everyone, not just for a specific age group. We have many fans of all ages. It is especially nice when young people who love young pop stars and rock groups also attend our concerts and express how much they love our music!

BK: Have you added any elements to your concerts, such as the kite makers or ecologists who have appeared with you?

Angella: We really enjoy doing collaborations with different artists. Although this is our first full-length album that we’re recording with a rock band, we have worked with many artists from different genres. David Benoit, a wonderful jazz pianist, wrote a piece for us and his jazz trio. We have worked with DJs, modern dancers, various singers and drummers, as well as painters and installation artists. We did a concert in Salt Lake City that revolved around the Great Salt Lake, where we were (and the audience was) surrounded by beautiful kites representing different birds of the lake, made by an Australian kite maker, and where we premiered a piece written for us by Michael Nyman, with some of the bird songs.

BK: What kind of program are you planning for San Miguel?

Angella: In San Miguel, we’ll be doing two programs that we love. We work closely with great living composers and we’ll present many of their works, especially ones written for us.

We’ll play Danceband, written for us by Kenji Bunch. We met Kenji at Juilliard (even before he was a composition major) and he has written numerous works for us that we have performed and recorded. Danceband is a suite of five dances from different periods (including Disco Boogie!).

We’ll also play a piece by a brilliant Russian composer, Nikolai Kapustin, who wrote his only piano trio for us (he is currently working on a second, for us). Kapustin is a virtuoso pianist who is very comfortable in both the classical and jazz worlds, and when you listen to his music, it almost sounds improvised. Luckily for us, he wrote every note down. His Divertissement is a virtuoso piece of four movements.

Included will be the world premiere of Pat Metheny’s piece that he wrote for us last month. We’ll also perform a lot of pieces from Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac. This is our fifth album, just released under SonyBMG Masterworks.

The Ahn Trio: Please look at our website, www.ahntrio.com for more info. We are really looking forward to performing in Mexico!

For more information about the festival, consult the website at www.festivalsanmiguel.com. 

Bob Kelly was in Seoul before the Ahn sisters were born and more recently visited Prague. He was a newspaper writer and public relations executive before moving to San Miguel.

Painter of sound
By Victor Zacharias

Concert
Tamo Tyler Experience
Tue, July 15, 7pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
Mesones 82
150/120/100 pesos

San Miguel has a knack for bringing together people from all over the planet. When this flourishing melting pot applies to talent and artistry, one could be sitting on a very explosive mixture. Such is the case with the Tamo Tyler Experience.

TaMo TuMa, Swiss born of Mexican and English origins, has toured Europe, the US and Canada as a singer and multimedia artist. She has performed at the Knitting Factory in New York, Tacheles in Berlin and Barcelona’s Palacio de la Virreina with various projects from a 10-piece band to a solo.

A graduate from acting school in Geneva with classical voice training, she says she owes her artistry mostly to the Polish voice trainer Zygmundt Molik of the Grotowski Theatre. With a background in art-rock, new music, jazz and experimental performances, she is recognized as a creator. She has developed a style of her own as a singer, thus the title “painter of sound.” Her voice and crisp delivery leaves no one untouched.

She met Tyler Mitchell in Oaxaca in the spring of 2006, where they decided on a Mexican project. Chicago-born Mitchell comes from an artistic background. The son of painter Mitchell Caton, he grew up to the sound of jazz and met many famous musicians who used to hang out at his dad’s studio. When at 15 he exchanged his flute for a bass, his future was decided—the double bass it would be. He moved to New York in 1982 and has played and recorded Shirley Horn, John Hendricks, Steve Grossman, Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine and Sun Ra Arkestra. He has been the bassist in Art Taylor’s Wailers for years.

Mitchell is an exceptionally lyrical and groove-prone musician. His warm sound and strong pulse define the ability with which he leads the dance and gets to you every time he plays that bass.

Ken Basman, from Canada, is a total musician, talented to the bone. A composer and arranger, he also proves to be a terrific producer. In the Tamo Tyler Experience, a rich soil for inventiveness, Basman reveals himself a true magician on the guitar, ingeniously blending new sounds and harmonic stretches, shaping a dreamland of surprises, luring us to the wild side of jazz in an always coherent and profoundly beautiful way. His style welds his experience in jazz, blues and rock into a perfect mixture of intelligence and humor. He has collaborated through Canada, the US and Mexico with Randy Bernsen (Joe Zawinul), Hank Stamp (Woody Herman), Lila Downs, Magos Herrera, Gabriel Hernandez and BB Gabor, and has given clinics at the Toronto Guitar Institute.

Drummer Victor Monterrubio, a native of Mexico City, just loves jazz. He has played with many notable musicians such as Gabriel Hernandez, thus consolidating his game and developing a fondness for new ways. He paces the intricate rhythmic patterns and supports the band with his thrilling playing.

The Tamo Tyler Experience is definitely an ear-opening one, an event not to be missed. Tickets are on sale at the Theater box office; telephone (415) 152-2200.

Flashing fingers, flying hands
By Edward H. Simpson

Concert
Sergio Basurto
Latin American harp and flamenco guitar
Mon, July 14, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50 A
150 pesos, limited seating

As you or I might lift a hand to adjust our glasses, a gesture so commonplace and natural it’s virtually unconscious, so Sergio Basurto moves his fingers over the strings of his guitar beginning an Argentinian milonga.

His instrument is part of him; he plays softly and between numbers speaks gently of the rhythms he performs.

Now, a delicate throbbing figure produced by the fingers on one string at time while the thumb plucks the melody gives a haunting air to a piece of romantic enchantment. And then he sets his guitar aside and takes the harp into his arms. This embrace produces a bright sound. 

We return to Spain, thinking “everything played tonight has flamenco roots.” He takes the guitar into his lap and makes it talk to us of the gypsy soul por soleares. That mobile and expressive right hand plays drum beats now and then while rendering that flying-fingers sound of the flamenco guitar. The rhythm builds to a crescendo in conclusion and listeners shout “Ole.”

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