Miami | 07.10.09
It takes a great voice to fill a concert hall with little or no accompaniment. It takes a tremendous heart to create art. Concha Buika has both.
The Spanish singer and songwriter mesmerized her audience at Miami’s Gusman Center on Thursday with powerful songs of love and desire, heartbreak and longing. Accompanied by Cuban pianist Ivan “Melon” Lewis, Buika shared her unique interpretations of Spanish copla and Mexican ranchera set to flamenco, Afro-Cuban music and jazz.
It was a pairing of two extraordinary performers. Buika, born to parents from Equatorial Guinea, grew up on the Spanish island of Mallorca and is well-versed in flamenco, African music, jazz and soul. Lewis, who now lives in Spain, embodies Cuba’s musical tradition of agility and superb foundation. Their one-hour set largely featured selections from the singer’s most recent albums, Mi Niña Lola, recorded in 2007, and Niña de Fuego, released last year.Through her recordings are superb, the renditions Buika delivered on stage were more developed, as she improvised through them, infusing them with humor, expression and emotion.
In Buika, concert-goers encountered a magical performer who pours herself into her songs. With her husky voice, impeccable phrasing and dynamic range, she transforms songs into moving and heart-wrenching suites, going from a whisper to a shout and using all of the notes in between, bringing to mind jazz singers Sarah Vaughn and Betty Carter.
The intimate setting of the Gusman was perfect for Buika, who enjoys connecting with her audience and improvising throughout her repertoire. She arrived on stage in a yellow dress and began with Niña de Fuego and with each subsequent song became more engaged, singing with raw emotion.
For Buika, singing is a cathartic exercise in which she openly expresses the joys and pain of her life. She sings to unburden herself, to release energy from her body and confront demons &mdash at once vulnerable and saucy.
She is fearless on De mi Primavera, singing “I hope you go. Nothing matters to me.” You know she means it. On Tu Volveras, a song to a departed lover which she dedicated to Gloria Estefan, Buika is tender and hopeful.
At times Buika’s phrasing reflected the staccato rhythms of flamenco or the folksy sway of ranchera. At others she employed African melodies, or chose to scat or swing her way through a tune, as she did on Desde Que Te Conoci and Mi Niña Lola, incredible renditions in which her voice at times sounded like a saxophone or flute. With the masterfully refined playing of Lewis, whom she repeatedly photographed, she reached orchestral heights.
The genres Buika sings aren’t universally known. But she does not sing for the great masses. True to her African heritage, she sings for the tribe, the fortunate fans who can appreciate her fresh and magical take on regional classics.
For Buika, singing is the prize. |♫|
PHOTO – Luis Olazabal
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