Cape Verdean, Afro-pop, Songstress Lura Debuts on Kimmel Center Planet World Series on April 11
March 30, 2007
Just as Mariza has breathed new life into Fado as a contemporary heir to Amalia Rodrigues, so Lura does to this Cape Verdean music first made famous by Cesaria Evora.
Cape Verdean, Afro-pop songstress Lura debuts on the Kimmel Center Planet World Series with an earthy, sensual performance of Cape Verdean music on Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30pm. Winner of Best Newcomer at the BBC Radio 3 Awards and Best World Music Album at Les Victoires De la Musique in France, Lura explores the music of women from the remote interior Cape Verde, now infused with jazz and Brazilian influences. These African musical traditions, once hidden treasures prohibited by the Church and colonial government, have now reemerged in a new generation of musicians including Lura. Her performance rediscovers the accordion-driven Funana, once deemed as too erotic, and Batuku rhythms accompanied by the very sensual dance called torno.
"The women in Cape Verde spend a lot of time together, working and talking and that is how Batuku started; from the women of Santiago," Lura says. "Now I and others are making a kind of Batuku, but singing alone, not in a group. I’m a little representation of Batuku from Cape Verde."
Tickets for Lura are priced at $34, $44 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215 790 5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
"Fusions that stayed closer to local roots provided some of the night’s best music. Lura, who was born in Portugal to parents from the Cape Verde Islands off Africa drew on some of the island’s more upbeat styles. She danced with sensual grace and sang in a richly poised alto that held memories of Africa." -New York Times regarding her performance at Globalfest, January 2006
Originally born in Portugal to parents from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa, Lura draws on the islands’ pungent blend of trade route cultures that have created a unique musical tradition embracing French Afro-pop, Brazilian rhythms and earthy, traditional African music. Lura released her international debut album and two-video dvd entitled Di Korpu ku Alma (Of Body and Soul) on the Escondida/Lusafrica label in May 2005. She has toured North America, South America and Europe electrifying audiences everywhere. Lura brings to her music a street-wise, urban sensuality infused with the passionate roots of Africa. She mixes the familiar Morna style with the little-known rhythms of Funana and Batuque: styles brought to the fore by a talented new generation of composers such as Tcheka and Pantera.
Lura’s songs reflect the concerns of this far-flung nation. "In the poems and lyrics of Cape Verde, we speak a lot about immigration," explains Lura. "A lot of people move away to make a better living. We talk a lot about rain because there is so little rain. And we talk about food, because sometimes it is very difficult to get food. A lot of things you have to buy from outside; from Portugal, the U.S., Holland. And we talk about the relationship between parents and their children, because so many families are far apart. But the words talk about immigration in a symbolic way."
Kimmel Center Presents' 2006/2007 season is supported by: Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, National Endowment for the Arts, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, ARC Wheeler, The William Penn Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Verizon Foundation, The Presser Foundation, Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents. The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com are media sponsors for the Great Orchestras on Tour series.
FREE AT THE KIMMEL events are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program supported by a generous grant from Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 / 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Planet World
Lura
Toy Vieira (Antonio Vieira), piano and musical director
Auras (Aurelio Santos), guitar
Jair (Paulino Pina), percussion/congas
Kau Paris (Carlos Morais), drums
Russo (Edevaldo Figueiredo), bass guitar
Guillame Singer, violin
UPCOMING FREE AT THE KIMMEL
Friday, April 13, 2007 | 1pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Great Bridge High School
Great Bridge High School’s choir joins us from New York to sing a selection of choral favorites.
Sunday, April 15, 2007 |Pre and Post Show
Commonwealth Plaza
Plaza Dance Party
Join us for a Dance Party full of the Geator’s DJ spun favorites; Prior to and following the ticketed Jerry Blavat concert in Verizon Hall.
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