Lamine Thiam dazzles at Café concert
By Kennedy Poyser May 9, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Concert
African Music Night
Lamine Thiam
Wed, May 14, 7pm
Café Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
100 pesos, incl. first cocktail

Workshop
Africana Danza
Mon–Fri, May 12–16, 8–9:30pm
El Sindicato
Recreo 4
044 (415) 119-3402

Lamine Thiam is a tall Senegalese dancer and drummer who trained at the Conservatoire National du Senegal in Dakar. He spent years in New York teaching professionals and novices the intricacies of West African sabar and djembe dance. “As a teacher, he is gracious, kind and challenging, the next best thing to liquid sunshine. As a performer, he is nothing short of dazzling,” said Rosa Mei in a 2001 Dance Insider article.

Drumming is an intrinsic part of his dance. “We learn rhythms as we learn steps. The steps are a part of the rhythm,” Thiam said.

When asked if he trained in ballet and modern dance at the conservatory in Senegal, Thiam replied, “We primarily studied West African dance, but we also learned ballet, modern and jazz dance. We were taught to appreciate all dance styles.”

“We learn differently in Africa. We learn more by apprenticing with a company and practicing with older students. In class, we watch and learn from the masters and practice the rhythms first without the drum. We must first learn to hear. Then we go with the drums. The younger, less experienced students do not participate. They stand on the sides and watch,” he said.

In The New York Times East Village report by David Kirby on October 26, 1997, Thiam said, “Here, black and white and everyone in between meet. We Africans aren’t sectarian.” The teacher from Senegal was playing at a fundraiser for the Fareta School of Dance and Drum. In one of those true New York experiences, 350 people from places as far apart as the Ivory Coast, Finland, Japan, Australia and Harlem gyrated to sabar, a pounding form of music and dance from Senegal.

Concert-goers at the San Miguel event are warned that Thiam is still just as persuasive. Probably everyone in the Café will be dancing within the first 30 minutes, and never mind if they’ve never given the least thought to West African rhythm. It’s irresistible.

It happened at the Molinos de Viento opening a few months ago for local artist Alan Tarbell and the party didn’t break until midnight. Tarbell met Thiam in 2006 while visiting Oaxaca and started studying African rhythms and learned to play the djimbe. Thiam accepted an invitation to come to San Miguel and has since taught many dance and drum workshops. 

His next Africana Danza workshop focuses on dance; the drum workshops are held separately. One previous participant said, “It’s an ass-kicker! You’ll sweat and get sore, but it feels fantastic. It’s fun, there are lots of people, guys and girls, and it’s all about the dance.”

Next week, the Café’s Wednesday concert series features guitarist Fransoa Quivion singing Mexican ballads and love songs. The event starts at 7pm and you can get mellow with 2-for-1 mango and strawberry daiquiris.

A young violinist out in the world
By Turkkan Osman Macías

Violinist Turkkan Osman Macías flew from Mexico City February 10, 2008 to Cleveland, Ohio, then New York City, and later to Cincinnati, Ohio, returning February 23, to audition for entry to the Cleveland Institute of Music/CIM and to the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music/CCM, and also to visit the Manhattan School of Music/MSM and the Mannes School of Music in New York City, and to take a lesson from a well-known violin teacher at MSM. This is his report of his adventures in these cities. Turkkan had his nineteenth birthday on April 12, 2008.

When I was 15 years old, I had to move to Mexico City to look for a better future. I have to admit that was kind of frightening. Leaving my beautiful San Miguel for a concrete jungle was a big step.

I remember telling my mother that while here I could see the sun hide behind a mountain, or over there it would hide behind a building. Now I know that when we look back in our life we notice that it’s these drastic changes that make us who we are. In a way that’s how I felt during this trip, having to go to three different cities I knew absolutely nothing about. It was just me, a couple of suitcases and my faithful friend, my violin.

Cleveland (Feb. 10-13)

Before I left, I read an article in La Jornada talking about the economic and social situation in Cleveland; people couldn’t pay their house mortgages and had to give up their homes. The city population had decreased significantly; many houses were abandoned and unfortunately used by gangs; a big concern. While I was at the Aspen Festival and Music School last summer somehow I had gathered another image of Cleveland from fellow students who lived there… a nice city, but unfortunately when I got there this image was suddenly put in the “nice dreams drawer.” The reality was a bit discouraging. A friend living there told me that besides the University Circle there wasn’t much to do and that going downtown was kind of creepy.

Something took me by surprise when the plane landed and opened its doors--all of a sudden I was freezing. The first thing that captured my eyes was this white thing that I had never seen in my whole life. I wanted to run and feel the snow for the first time, but I had to wait because as soon as I got out of the airport I was in the middle of a blizzard. The snow was hitting me in the face so hard I could hardly see. The only thing I wanted to do was to get inside a cab and head to the hotel. During the drive to the hotel I faced my first challenge; trying to understand what the driver was telling me. He thought I had some kind of hearing trouble because every time he told me something I had to ask him to repeat it.

The hotel was a very lovely place. It was kind of a San Miguel hotel in an old fashioned building, cozy, almost as a guesthouse. CIM was about a hundred footsteps from the hotel.

Finally the audition day arrived. I woke up trying to feel relaxed and secure but no matter how much I tried, inside I was anxious and nervous. When I arrived at the Cleveland Institute of Music, I had an “ear training” test, then I chilled out in the school lobby, waiting for the clock hands to mark 11:45am. Fifteen minutes before the interview I looked for an empty room to warm up and calm down. Throughout the years I’ve tried to not care about anything when I’m going to play in front of the public. Sometimes I manage to do it, other times I think too much about what’s going to happen. I walked up the stairs to the classroom indicated on the sheet of paper. I sat down and waited two or three minutes until the girl playing came out. She looked at me and her face was just like a strawberry. One of the teachers then called my name and invited me to step inside. I said to myself “Well Turkkan, I guess this is it.”

It’s been only a couple of times that I’ve felt completely satisfied after a performance. One is always saying to oneself, “Well, I could’ve made more retard here, this note was a little bit out of tune, this theme needed more energy or less,” that kind of thing. After playing in Cleveland, I can say I felt calm.

That afternoon I had a special treat. Some friends invited me to listen to Gil Shaham and his sister Orli Shaham. They played an interesting program, Mozart, Fauré, Bartok and Prokofiev. Everything was exceptional, magnificent, astonishing.

I loved how Cleveland looked wearing that white coat. The streets, the buildings, the cars and trees covered and hidden by it. Everything seemed so pure and clean.

After three days I had to say goodbye to my friends. I was now heading for the Big Apple.

New York City (Feb. 13-20)

What can I say about New York that hasn’t already been said?

As soon as I got out of the subway I felt like I was back in Mexico City. All the cars, noise, energy, people walking around and me in the middle of these tall buildings. So here I am, walking through the streets, trying not to get lost, with my violin and backpack on my back and my right hand carrying the suitcase.

At last, after a whole day of traveling and moving from here to there, I arrived at a place two guys call home and as soon as I stepped inside I felt its warmth. I even had a bed companion--an old cat that used half of the bed during the night, and during the day had to hear me practice.

Payam, the economist with whom I shared the apartment, was an exceptional host, showing me the neighborhood. His brother lived on the top floor and the view was just amazing. One could see nearly the whole city from there.

The next morning I had an appointment with Mrs. Patinka Kopec.

I signed my name and walked up the stairs to the last floor in the Manhattan School of Music where her classroom is. She came out with a big smile saying, “You must be Turkkan, nice to meet you, I’m a bit late on my schedule, 15 more minutes. You can warm up meanwhile.” The only problem was that all the rooms were occupied by students or teachers, so I take out my practice mute and start waking up my fingers. I have to tell you that playing for her made me more nervous than playing in Cleveland or Cincinnati. I tuned up my violin, and I started playing the first movement of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. At the end of the third page she stopped me, told me to have a seat and started to give me her opinion. She said “You have many good things, and others that have to be corrected; for example your right hand is a mess, your point of contact is all over the place. It should move, yes, but according to what you’re playing. Your bow speed has to vary in order to have different colors and sounds. You have a very nice and warm sound, but there are many things to work on to make it better. About your left hand, you play in tune, that’s good! But you play in tune because you have a good ear and not because you have a good left hand technique. We also have to work on that. You are very talented, I can see that. Musically you have a good heart. I’m thinking one lesson. What can I give you in one lesson? Let’s work on your bow arm.” So I start playing, I follow all her indications about my bow grip, this finger a little bit more like this, this other finger like that, etc. I play an open string, she observes carefully and she nods her head in a sign of approval. Then she shows me something on her violin and tells me to try it. I do it and she comes close to me and says: “Did anyone tell you to do that before?”

“No, it’s the first time” I said.

“That’s talent! The ability to imitate something, to do it quickly. With someone that is not talented or as talented, I can show him how to do it and after three months he still wouldn’t be capable of doing it” she replied. (Hearing those words certainly made me feel very good).

We kept working and after a few minutes she says:

“I’m sitting here and seeing so much talent. These things that we’ve worked on, you don’t do them not because you can’t, but because you never had anyone tell you how. I’m pretty sure that if I had worked with you before I would’ve gotten you in this year.” (She was referring to my application to the Manhattan School of Music. They did not invite me to audition for them, and that is why I managed to get to New York and take this lesson with this wonderful teacher.) She explained to me that it was too late now, because the auditions were already beginning. I asked her if we could work for the next year’s audition. I could come to New York several times during the year to take lessons. She agreed but she thought it would be much better if I could find a way to move to New York, and that way we could see each other every week, (When she told me that, I felt like a rocket being launched into space) because in the long term it would be more expensive to fly back and forth. She said that I would come to her lessons 
and do what she tells me to, but when I went back to Mexico I would have to do what my teacher there told me to. Two teachers, two ways of playing, it usually never works. She encouraged me to find the way to make this possible.

I didn’t walk out of that lesson, I flew, I wasn’t touching the ground. How would you feel if someone of her caliber that works with Pinchas Zukerman, told you that you are talented and has accepted to work with you? I leave it to your imagination. While I was walking down the street I felt free. The world could end anytime and I would die with a big smile on my face.

Stay tuned for more on Turkkan Osman's trip to the United States in next week's Atención.

Richmond jazz up close and personal
By Elsmarie Norby

Concert
Richmond Jazz Ensemble
Thu, May 15, 6:30pm
Bellas Artes courtyard
Hernández Macías 75
Free

The 14-member jazz ensemble from the University of Richmond in Virginia will give a rousing performance sponsored by ANYÉL, a nonprofit music program for San Miguel children in public schools and orphanages.

The program offers access to great music in many forms to the folks and families who otherwise can’t afford to attend concerts. 

The Richmond Jazz Ensemble is directed by Mike Davison, a legendary 

trumpet player, ethnomusicologist, composer/arranger and a widely respected scholar on Cuban musical styles. Each year he travels to Australia and other countries with the Richmond jazz combo to perform and give clinics on jazz and Cuban music.

In this concert, we will be privileged to hear selections from a array of jazz greats, including Chuck Mangione, Luis Bonfa, Duke Ellington, Oscar Pettiford, Neal Hefti and Chick Corea. The setting for the performance in the beautiful patio of Bellas Artes offers the rare chance for the audience to get “up close and personal” with the players, to experience music as it happens with excitement all around.

If you have neighbors/friends who would love a night out like this, free of charge, please encourage them to come; bring them along. The 6:30pm time is so that parents and children can come, even on a school/work night.

In case of rain, the concert will be held upstairs in Auditorio Miguel Malo. Many thanks to Ernesto de la Peña and Bellas Artes for their generous cooperation.

Elsmarie Norby directs ANYEL, planting musical seeds among the children of San Miguel and beyond (www.anyel.com or elsmarienorby@yahoo.com ).

Perfecto Efecto at the Teatro Santa Ana

Concert
Fri, May 16, 8pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
30 pesos

Love. Sex. Alcohol. Dirt. Immigrant lovers. A starless night. Drugs. Heat. Flame. Dreams. Manufactured in the factory. Dumped in the river. Family. Hope. Suffering. Class.

This, my friends, is why we were born. Come celebrate life with the music of Perfecto Efecto. With influences ranging from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Radiohead and Oasis (everything in between and after) Perfecto Efecto is a lethal injection of Brit Rock revelation!

What celestial event birthed this concoction of tomorrow? It was the alignment of one mastermind from Mexico and one shattered soul from the States. But what beauty does the supernova hold without the watcher, the listener, you? The Serum cannot be complete without you! Don’t think twice! Bring your boogey and let the music of Perfecto Efecto take you on an outer space odyssey of common people, from the minds of two young gentlemen, set to devour the planet!

Hector Rodriguez (voice/guitar/bass/stage right) is a dreamer and a believer. He expresses himself in words, melodies and images. Hailing a taxicab directly from Mexico City, Rodriguez is no stranger to the San Miguel music scene. And he has been at this music business far too long to remember the day it all began. He has played the many clubs, bars and venues that dot this colonial landscape with the gusto of various musical outlets. Under the guise of his current alter ego, Sealtiel, you can hear his soul-defining solo work on the airwaves of San Miguel radio. With him, he brings the pains and joys of life’s experiences for the entertainment of the masses. 

Brandon Lyle (voice/guitar/bass/reason) was born August 4, 1982, and dies on stage every night. Lyle was Pine Bank’s Native Son. When he was not redefining music in Mexico, he spent his time waiting tables in a diner in his homeland of Pennsylvania. His musical influences include Jethro Tull, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Pulp, Oasis, The Stereophonics, Duels, The Rakes and Dogs. Born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, he knew that higher enlightenment is only given to those whose station in life is that of the laborer. He believed that the salt of the earth had the potential to rearrange order into uncanny new geometry. Lyle will be interred at the Monongahela Cemetery.

It’s just the music, only the music
By Dick Avery

Concert 
Folklore harp and flamenco guitar
Sergio Basurto
Mon, May 12, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos, limited seating

Sergio Basurto says the thrill of playing never wanes. It’s the same emotional sensation every time he picks up his instrument, no matter what type or style of music he is playing.

“It’s like when you’re in love. No matter what feelings I have at the moment—sadness, happiness, anger—they all go away when I start to play. It’s just the music, only the music.” He feels transported during and by the music.

When the audience is responding, he feeds on their emotions, and he “goes into another place.”

He is an enviable man: appreciative of his music, the opportunity to share his music with people and the joy it brings, surrounded by loved ones and happy in his life. We should all be so fortunate.

It’s just the gypsy in my soul
By Dick Avery

Concert
Javier Estrada
Mon, May 12, 7:30pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
100 pesos


Picture this scene: a bare stage with only a spare wooden chair and microphone surrounded by black velvet curtains framed in blood red.

A tall aristocratic man with shoulder-length, salt-and-pepper hair, the face of a Spanish Grandee right out of central casting, dressed entirely in black except the blood-red boots, strides silently out to the chair bearing a Spanish guitar. Without a word, he sits. Without breaking the solemn expression, his fingers begin to fly over the strings, his boots urgently tapping out the tempo. I briefly adjusted my glasses and by then he’d played about eight notes! Wow, I thought…who is this guy?

Well, he is Javier Estrada, a native of San Miguel de Allende. He is from the ancient gypsy family of Montoya, originally from Cordova, Spain. By the time he was nine years old, he had heard many great gypsy flamenco guitar players and knew he was destined to follow in their footsteps. He implored his grandmother for a guitar, so she took him to a local pawnshop, bought one for him and he never looked back.

Largely self taught, he struggled. Impatient that expertise didn’t come quickly, he destroyed several instruments before settling down with formal lessons in Mexico City. After spending time there, he toured the US, studying and looking for other players with similar musical interests, ultimately returning to Mexico City to launch his career.

Gypsies always lived as nomads and took local music and made it their own. Music was important in celebrations and everyday life. A voice is all they needed to make music, then soon added rhythms with hands and feet. They liked embellishments, improvisation and virtuosity: traits you will find in Estrada’s concert. 

New star at Coro Voces Unidas spring concert
By Beverly Russell

Twelve-year-old Olivia Morgan made a successful debut accompanying soprano Clara Dunham in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Pie Jesu, a highlight of the Coro Voces Unidas spring concert at Teatro Ángela Peralta. Dunham sang two other solos, one by Gounoud and one of the sections of Vivaldi’s Gloria, and displayed a new energy in her voice as well as her personal appearance. She wore a svelte black dress and her hair swept up, and said after the performance that she is working with a new coach.

Choir Director Xavier Hernandez received cheers for his tenor solo, an aria, “E Lucevan le Stelle,” from Puccini’s opera Tosca. His wife, Liliana Gutierrez, the choir’s gifted accompanist, played a Debussy Arabesque with great sensitivity as her solo performance.

The choir’s program was wide-ranging, from lively canons to sections from the challenging Gloria. One of the choir’s tenors, Victor Ramirez, also made his debut with two solos.

Hernandez reminded the audience that the community choir is open to anyone. Rehearsals are on Mondays at 5:30pm and Thursdays at 6pm at the Biblioteca Pública. The choir presents three public concerts each year