today. I'll just mention the show of music and multi-faceted spoken
word, 'Class Closed,' Noon today at Glendale CC, of which I sent a full
description on Sunday. Here's more. Ed
From: Walter Lippmann
SF CHRONICLE: Carlos Varela sings Cuba's stories to the world
(Carlos Varela is performing tonight - Thursday -
at Echoplex in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles.)
==============================================
Carlos Varela sings Cuba's stories to the world
Chuy Varela, Special to The Chronicle
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Carlos Varela is touring the United States for the first time since 1998.
In his native Cuba, folk-rocker Carlos Varela is in a league of his own.
A protege of New Song icon Silvio Rodriguez, the 47-year-old
singer-songwriter is known for his compelling and insightful songs that hook
listeners with a unique poetic perspective on life on the island nation. His
riveting performance in September in Havana before more than a million
people was a highlight of El Concierto por la Paz (The Concert for Peace)
organized by Colombian pop singer Juanes.
Well-crafted lyrics delivered in a soft, melodious voice with a nylon-string
guitar or in a scratchy growl with hard-strummed steel strings have defined
the style of Carlos Varela. He is also considered a controversial artist in
Cuba.
His latest album, "No Es el Fin" ("It Is Not the End"), is a mix of new
songs and old ones rebottled in new arrangements. The troubadour considers
the project the most coherent and musical of his career.
Varela arrives in Northern California this weekend for shows in Sonoma and
Oakland as part of a six-city tour. Varela has not performed in the United
States since 1998, when he was part of the "Dialogue With Cuba" conference
at UC Berkeley. We caught up with Carlos online for an e-mail interview.
Q: Your U.S. tour is highly anticipated as a signal that the door is opening
again between the United States and Cuba. How do you perceive it?
A: I am convinced that as artists we can achieve more than politicians have
in over 50 years of bad relations to create a special communication between
people who differ in political ideology. As artists we are more in touch
with reality and better understand the priorities of the average citizen.
Q: On your latest album, you masterfully weave electric and acoustic sounds
to complement your lyrics. How has your creative process evolved from your
first recording?
A: I try to understand and reflect the reality that surrounds me. To that
end, I weigh out the changes I experience and that continually reshapes my
songs. Having had the opportunity to travel to other countries and interact
with other artists has given me a more global perspective on certain things
which are quite noticeable on the lyrics and music of this album. I am a
fanatic for new technology too, and now thanks to computers and the
Internet, we do not have to wait years to see and hear what is happening in
the rest of the world or depend on Cuban radio or television to tell us what
is going on.
Q: Life in Cuba is not easy. Do you feel a responsibility to inspire the
Cuban people with your songs, or are you merely the mirror?
A: In the beginning my songs were like photographs, but now they are more
analytical. In either case I believe looking at ourselves through a mirror
helps us to understand better and draw conclusions that help us change what
we don't like about our reality. I know of many cases where my songs have
served as inspiration, comfort, escape, therapy or simply pleasure, which in
either case gives me satisfaction.
Q: Given the limitations in Cuba for freedom of expression, has it been
difficult to get your music out to the public?
A: It's no secret that the media is controlled by the government in Cuba
with very strict criteria about what gets on the air. In the beginning they
avoided playing my recordings to avoid any trouble, but they couldn't stop
the people from filling up the venues that I played at (even though) I could
not publicize my events. But over the years as my career unfolded. I
garnered respect and the media opened up, but it's still frustrating for
younger singer-songwriters who find themselves in the same situation.
Q: You are constantly called "the Bob Dylan of Cuba." What do you think of
the comparison?
A: I don't like being labeled but understand how the media does it to
describe your work in a few words. Last December I was in Los Angeles with
Jackson Browne and heard my album, "No Es el Fin," described as "Dave
Matthews meets Bruce Springsteen," which I found congenial. I have never met
Bob Dylan, but I did use the same microphone he used to record his last
album.
Carlos Varela performs at 8 p.m. Friday at Ramekins Event Center, 450 W.
Spain St., Sonoma. (707) 933-0450 or www.ramekinsevents.com. Also at 8 and
10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 2 (family matinee) and 7 p.m. Sunday, at
Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. (510) 238-9200 or
www.yoshis.com/Oakland.
E-mail Chuy Varela at datebookletters@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page F - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/05/DDNB1D7HN4.DTL#ixzz0n7HF87dq
***
From: "johnaimani" <johnaimani@earthlink.net>
Subject: Benefit concert for the William Grant Still Arts Center
The William Grant Still Arts Center and Music LA present
MONK MANIA - a live concert
featuring our Monk Music LA Students and teachers Joyce Maddox, Thom Dower,
Wendy Mazon and
the Marcus Miller Freedom Jazz Movement
plus special guests
Saturday May 8, 2010, 7pm
at the Wilshire Methodist Church
711 South Plymouth Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(just a few blocks W. of Vermont Ave.)
Suggested donation is $20 at the door
For more information please call 323-734-1165 or email
ami.motevalli@lacity.org
In conjunction with "I Can't Stand Still", from the Festival of New American
Musicals
The William Grant Still Arts Center is a facility of the City of Los
Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs
No comments:
Post a Comment