Susana, of Afro-Peruvian descent, was born in Chorillos. According to Wikipedia, she has been a prominent figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music within Peru.
Once I heard her music, I knew I had to get a CD. Here’s De los Amores from her CD, Eco de Sombras.
This song, Poetry Man, reminds me of my days at university, sitting in the backyard in late spring/early summer drinking wine and having lazy conversations.
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Phoebe’s voice is languid and unbelievably rich.
Enjoy!
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I discovered Charles Aznavour when I was at university and have loved listening to him ever since.
Aznavour’s songs are profoundly romantic, his voice passionate and seductive. He sets a certain mood that’s perfect for a Sunday afternoon (or anytime!).
I’ve never seen Sade in concert but a good friend of mine has. From what I hear, she never disappoints.
More than her music, I like Sade as a woman and as a performer. Her smoky voice oozes romance. If you’re in love, you want to be more in love and if you’re not, you sure want to be.
She’s on tour this year. Hopefully, I’ll be able to catch her in concert in the New York area.
Sade has so many songs I like, it was difficult to pick one.
All the music in my collection have a personal backstory. Sting‘s Ten Summoner’s Tales CD has special resonance for me as it is the music that helped me through a stressful transition.
I knew about Sting from his days with The Police but something about that particular CD made me really take notice. Each track spoke to me in different ways. It accompanied me on the way to and from work. If it had been in the days of vinyl, I would have worn a groove into all its tracks.
I played it so often, I knew all the lyrics and could identify key guitar licks. Of course, as far as I was concerned, Sting was singing only to me. You couldn’t convince me otherwise.
So, take a listen to Sting’s Shape of My Heart. I love this version – it’s so spare, so clean, so Sting.
Enjoy!
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I’m listening to one of my favorite singers, Cape Verdean, Cesária Évora. The 69 year old Évora, who has been compared to Billie Holliday, made her first recording in 1988. She has 20 studio albums, compilations and live albums to her credit.
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In this video, Évora sings Angola.
Enjoy!
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I had been in Jamaica for a week and when I returned to New York all I wanted to do was curl up in front of the television and find a Bond marathon or watch reruns of Bonanza. I had done nothing to get ready for my trip to Montreal. I hadn’t even bought my ticket.
As Wednesday turned to Thursday, I struggled with the temptation to stay put – and disappoint my aunt – or spend what I was sure would be an astronomical amount on airfare and get the introductions she was to facilitate. I searched for last minute weekend packages.
Before I left, my aunt asked if I wanted to go to an event with her that Saturday night. Why not? I thought.
I had no clue what I was in for.
Lorraine Klaasen comes from South African musical royalty. The daughter of legendary performer and Nelson Mandela’s favorite jazz singer, Thandie Klaasen, Lorraine has been described as one of few South African artists who preserve Township music.
From the first chord sounded at the Cabaret Mile End, people were on their feet but the real dancing started when Lorraine came on stage. She is an electrifying and energetic performer.
But beyond her performance, it was something else she did that touched me. It was surprising and I couldn’t remember seeing it done before – Lorraine invited several up and coming performers to the stage and gave them space so that each in turn could entertain her audience. I was impressed.
It was because of that openness (and the fact that she was sitting at a table next to mine) that I decided to approach her at an awards dinner the following evening. When I told her about my planned trip to South Africa, she promptly gave me her business card and told me to email her.
By the time I landed in New York, she had responded.
We met again when she performed at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Summer Concert series. My traveling partners and I invited her to dinner. She gave us a list, not just of friends but also family members, including her mother and brother, and contacted them on our behalf.
Because of Lorraine, we had a welcome party waiting for us when we arrived in Johannesburg. She single-handedly opened up that city and Soweto for us.
Lorraine will be back in my city this weekend. She, along with Malika Zarra, will be performing the music of the Grammy Award-winning civil rights activist and South African musical great, Miriam Makeba, at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater on April 1 and 2.
I can’t wait to see her perform again. Watch her here in the meantime.
At some point yesterday (Saturday), I noticed that my subscriptions that had been posted on Saturday had been changed to Friday.
I didn’t think much of it until my Soulful Sundays post ended up date stamped March 19th instead of 20th. And I know I posted well past midnight.
I checked my time settings and realized that WP didn’t automatically update after the time change last week. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice this before.
So as not to break my perfect postaday2011 record, I’m posting a bonus Soulful Sundays pick.
I’ve been listening to the Buena Vista Social Club since yesterday and though I’m not playing now, I woke up humming a few songs. (I always wake up with music in my head.)
Since Buena Vista is in my head, I wanted to find something similarly atmospheric. I thought of Milton Nascimento. I haven’t listened to him in a while.
Whenever I hear Nascimento, I feel the need to learn Portuguese just so I can understand his message (Spanish only helps with a few words). Ditto Gilberto Gil. Here’s one of my favorite Nascimento CDs, Encontros e Despedidas. Again, I love every song on this CD so it was difficult to pick one. But here is Lagrimas do Sul.
