Wearing an elegant, vibrant and yet magnificently austere white dress, the sublime Omara Portuondo glided on stage with a sense of easiness and dynamism of an accomplished chanteuse. Her confidence, enviable, even as she opened the night with the graceful title track from her latest album, Gracias (2008). The Cuban icon and her 5-piece band--guitarist, upright bassist, pianist, percussionist, and drummer--electrified UCLA's Royce Hall with a reverent concert. A celebration on many fronts. One which remained mindful of not only Portuondo's long-standing career but also the rich musical interconnectedness of the Americas.
Omara Portuondo's musical legacy begins in the 1940s when as a teenager she became an active partcipant of the
Cuban Feeling Movement (Movimiento del "Feeling/Filín"). Influenced by American
bebop, new and "cooler" ways to execute and perform music took precedence. The aesthetic of intimacy reverberated since much of this music developed from jam sessions inside living rooms. Portuondo continues to champion this style even as her catalog spans decades, genres and performance venues. Charismatic and beautifully blunt, she drew in the audience by making the size of the space obsolete and yet welcoming through her powerful voice. The band of virtuosos only reiterated the extravagant nature of the music as they did not miss a beat, but rather paralleled the vigor of Portuondo's spirit.
The repertoire for the music fest came primarily from
Gracias although she demonstrated how mindful she is of the success that the
Buena Vista Social Club had on her revitalization; and, she made sure to commend those songwriters from across the Americas whose songs she so majestically delivers. "Yo Vi," "Adi
ós Felicidad," "Drume Negrita," "O Que Será," "Tú Mi Desengaño," and "Ámame Como Soy" reflected the ambition to promote the 2008 release. The two crowd pleasers were "Dos Gardenias" and "Veinte A
ños." Both songs are highlights of Buena Vista Social Club's 1997
self-titled album, a project which presented a plethora of Cuban musicians to those outside the island. Aware and proud of the musical output of her 79 years, Portuondo and her musicians augmented the show with renditions of some of her more classic tunes: "Y Tal Vez," "Tres Palabras," "Viento," "Nada Para Ti," "Mil Congojas," "Amar es un Laberinto," "Guantanamera," with "Bésame Mucho" being served as the encore piece.
Jorge Drexler,
Juan Formell,
Aida Diestro,
Juan Pablo Miranda, Chico Buarque,
Pablo Milanés, and
Ibrahim Ferrer received
mercis from Madame Portuondo. She thanked these individuals for providing some of the roads to her current destination, being recognized as one of Cuba's most acclaimed female singers/performers (
Celia Cruz, being perhaps
the other one).
Beholden after 90 minutes of musical bliss, the audience did their own thanking with a standing ovation overflowing with muchas "¡Gracias!"
Photo Courtesy of Cartagena Jazz Festival
