Fado, Sufi, Flamenco....
Qawwali Flamenco, live at the Barbican, Oct 25
Madredeus, live at the Barbican, Nov 2
Last night's Madredeus set at the Barbican was definitely the mellowest concert I've been too all year. It was the Portuguese band's first Barbican appearance for six years, at which they performed songs from their latest two albums, Um amor infinito and Faluas do Tejo, the latter being a homesick dedication to the band's native city, full of the sights, sounds and smells of Lisbon and images of faluas crossing the Tejo. The concert was full of sublimely lyrical songs, often combining the nostalgic melodies of fado with rhythms ranging from blues, flamenco and traditional Andean music. Sadly, Teresa Salgueido, although an expressive singer, does not sing well live, and was off-key for much of the concert. Her emotive singing nevertheless made it a worthwhile experience, although the audience apparently didn't care. Half of Lisbon must have been in the Barbican Hall; you'd have thought that Portugal had won the World Cup. Regardless, I feel I have 20 years of Madredeus to catch up on, so I'll be buying their Anthology album.
By contrast, Qawwali Flamenco must be the whackiest concert I've been to this year. A collaboration set up by a Spanish musicologist, Qawwali Flamenco pits the sufi sounds of Faiz Ali Faiz against the canto jondo of Duquende. The result is an absolutely mesmerizing mix of Punjabi chanting, complete with tabla, harmoniums and lots of clapping, and gut-wrenching flamenco song, accompanied by guitar and cajón. Faiz Ali Faiz's band had been held up in Islamabad for two days due to cancelled flights, and only arrived at Heathrow airport an hour and a half before the concert, but that didn't seem to prevent them from stirring themselves and everyone else up into a frenzy of rapturous singing, often carrying on for 20 minutes at a time, harmoniums chasing Ali Faez as he improvised or led the singers into chorus. The DVD is out - I'll be adding it to my collection......
Madredeus, live at the Barbican, Nov 2
Last night's Madredeus set at the Barbican was definitely the mellowest concert I've been too all year. It was the Portuguese band's first Barbican appearance for six years, at which they performed songs from their latest two albums, Um amor infinito and Faluas do Tejo, the latter being a homesick dedication to the band's native city, full of the sights, sounds and smells of Lisbon and images of faluas crossing the Tejo. The concert was full of sublimely lyrical songs, often combining the nostalgic melodies of fado with rhythms ranging from blues, flamenco and traditional Andean music. Sadly, Teresa Salgueido, although an expressive singer, does not sing well live, and was off-key for much of the concert. Her emotive singing nevertheless made it a worthwhile experience, although the audience apparently didn't care. Half of Lisbon must have been in the Barbican Hall; you'd have thought that Portugal had won the World Cup. Regardless, I feel I have 20 years of Madredeus to catch up on, so I'll be buying their Anthology album.
By contrast, Qawwali Flamenco must be the whackiest concert I've been to this year. A collaboration set up by a Spanish musicologist, Qawwali Flamenco pits the sufi sounds of Faiz Ali Faiz against the canto jondo of Duquende. The result is an absolutely mesmerizing mix of Punjabi chanting, complete with tabla, harmoniums and lots of clapping, and gut-wrenching flamenco song, accompanied by guitar and cajón. Faiz Ali Faiz's band had been held up in Islamabad for two days due to cancelled flights, and only arrived at Heathrow airport an hour and a half before the concert, but that didn't seem to prevent them from stirring themselves and everyone else up into a frenzy of rapturous singing, often carrying on for 20 minutes at a time, harmoniums chasing Ali Faez as he improvised or led the singers into chorus. The DVD is out - I'll be adding it to my collection......
posted by CCT at 8:32 pm
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