| Mágica Criolla from Lura
"M'bem di Fora" & Spring Tour
2007
Photos copyright William
Farrington |
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| M’bem di Fora, is Cape Verdean
Criole, meaning I’ve Come From Far Away. AfricaSounds first
witnessed Lura during the January 2006 globalFEST, a stellar first
showcase for North American audiences and she's come a long way since
then. It is a classic Cape Verdean
song and title track of the latest CD by Lura and true of the Cape Verdean
singer as she walked into the strong spotlight of Monmouth College’s
Pollak Theater, Friday night. In the harsh light she embodied both the
beauty, strength and vulnerability of her people on the small chain of
islands in the Atlantic, 300 miles off the coast of Senegal and the
urban European she was raised in. |
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Earlier
Lura told AfricaSounds that M’bem Di Fora (I’ve Come a Long Way) is a song
she remembers from her childhood in Portugal, a fast paced dance rhythm
called funana written by Alberto 'Katchas' Martins. At the heart of the
upbeat saucy song are two questions "Where are you from?" answered by
"What do you mean where am I from?" The title is the laughing chorus
response. Lura is part of a cultural renaissance led by a generation of
young artists born after the islands’ Independence from Portugal keeping
the traditions alive while pushing them in new directions. |
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| The spotlight shining on Lura
later gave way to a warmer even lighting illuminating the whole stage
where she was backed by a six piece band. The music said something about
where Lura’s heart is at the moment. The straightforward stories painted
pictures of the difficulties and joys of life in the Cape Verdean
islands. Left aside were the sophisticated arrangements of the CD,
recorded in Paris and Lisbon. In performance the band led by Toy Viera
on piano, stuck close to the heart of the spacious rural rhythms, yet
the accordion which is the standard instrument for these dance rhythms,
and which Lura performed on in earlier visits, was also missing.
It is our impression that Lura and Viera are breaking new ground by
integrating traditional rhythms in a more cosmopolitan setting
encompassing the modern Cape Verdean experience. Lura was clearly
the star of the performance, but her voice was but one instrument within
each composition and each instrumentalist shared the spotlight at
particular points. This separated her from many other artists who
tend to sing over the rhythms and melodies created by instrumentalists.
Lura's voice had a wide range, at times recalling Nina Simone and at
other times she sang very upbeat, rhythmic flourishes that rode the
rhythm of the composition. For example, on M’bem di Fora, Lura's
voice puntuates the air in time with the sharp rhtyhm of the Ferro
(scraper) that she plays on the funana beat. This may be typical
of Funana vocal technique; we look forward to discovering by listening
to more of the music. |
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| Percussion instruments backed the vocals on the faster dance rhythms and
accentuated the African roots of the music. Lura who was born and lives
in Portugal identifies closely with the rhythms of Santiago, the island
in Cape Verde
with the strongest African cultural connections, particularly Batuku,
and Coladeira and Funana. Lura’s rich and vibrant voice mesmerizes and
enchants on the CD but in performance it conveyed the raw emotions,
joyous or sorrowful of the music.
For listeners not familiar with these three
rhythms, here are some characteristics that help define them.
Batuku is a communal song and dance hailing from the island's African
roots, and traditionally has been performed by a group of women, who sit
in a circle and beat upon a handmade percussion called the Tchabeta
which is held between the thighs. Traditionally, a narrator or
leader of song performs in the middle of the circle of women, wears a
pano around the waste, dancing and performing call and response to the
members of the circle. Coladeira is more rhythmic than the morna
and typically focuses on social commentary focusing on love problems and
the discourse between man and woman. Finally, the Funana is a fast
driven beat, traditionally accordion-based with a sharp, fast rhythm
made by scraping a piece of metal over a stick calling to mind Zydeco
music.
From the opening song, the self written
So’ Um Caritinha she established a sense of intimacy with her audience.
Written by Fernando Andrade Lopes, this Coladeira featuring the violin
of Guillame Singer, is a poetic tribute of expatriate to the homeland
she misses. The
hand clap driven traditional Mazurka Mari D’ Ascencon followed featuring
interplay between guitarist Auras and Guillame Singer on violin taking
the place of the accordion. The simple folk song that talks about where
she lives and where she is going and conveys the message that its a
rugged road to travel. |
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Oh Naia featured
Lura accompanying herself on the Ferro, or metal scraper, providing a
sharp fast rhythm to the funana beat. A humorous take on Orlando Panter\a’s Vazulina
in which the audience was encouraged to participate singing the chorus
Vazu-Lina to mixed but enjoyed results. Dramatically slowing the pace,
the next song Ponciana, told a story of young love from the mother’s
perspective that mixes sadness with a quiet joy because, Lura told us
"Although things did not go as expected, love won out". |
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Fest di nha Compadre, a coladeira
rhythm, one of several written by Viera, describes a party at Lura’s
godfather’s house and featured bassist Russo
Bida Mariadu began with a slow beat from Kau
Paris’ bass drum and the chorus floated over it with a rhythm
reminiscent of waves of a calm sea and featured Lura playing the
Tchabeta seated with the percussion instrument held between her knees
playing the batuku rhythms associated with women of Santiago.
As-Agua a mournful ballad recounts
the hopes of another planting season dashed by a lack of rain.
Camin di Bo Sorriso featured solos
by Russo on bass,Viera, and Kau on drums. |
| Raboita Ruben Manel, another
Batuku written by the late Orlando Pantera again had Lura beating the
tchabeta, a tightly rolled Loincloth held between her knees as women did
in seated circles, when all drumming was banned before independence, and
was performed only by groups of seated women during their daily
activities on Santiago. The song celebrates the revolutionary importance
of women who in 1910 revolted against repressive agricultural laws and
demanded equality. Women could not own property at the time or even
harvest wild pulgiera seeds. Cape Verdean
rhythms, like its Criole language have absorbed from a variety of
sources. In the islands, Lura told us Rhythms are played for particular
occasions and are specific to particular islands. Romaria (Pilgrimage),
a sanjon rhythm, is street music associated with the celebration of a
catholic holiday. |
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Mamba desbes Cumida
featured the Conga playing of Jair to which Lura danced the "Torno"
followed by the rousing funana Fiticio di Funana had the audience up and
dancing along with Lura to a spellbinding percussive beat that ended too
soon for many. Following the show Lura signed posters and CDs for fans.
The difficulties of life in the islands have
made emigration and its pains common to Cape Verdeans who now are spread
across the world. Many are reconnecting to their culture. Lura says "The
place my family came from is a recent discovery for me and I fell in
love with the islands. It is very important to have someone sing our
thoughts… we are rich in music, culture, rhythms. I try to sing the
little things of the daily routine, the beautiful things, the simple
things." Other contemporary musicians like Sara Tavaras, Tcheka, Suzanna
Lubrano, Shokanti are also exploring the culture that unites them
expressing through their own individual styles. |
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