Old favorites and newcomers spice up international calendar
By Elijah Wald, Globe Correspondent, 09/13/98
The local offerings of international music just keep getting richer. This fall brings plenty of favorites and some exciting new performers. As always, many of the hottest dance shows will be from Latin stars, who normally do not book more than a few weeks in advance, but the firm dates on the calendar already look very promising.
Two of the most exciting offerings are Spanish productions from Cambridge's World Music (617-876-4275). Carmen Linares, the pre-eminent female singer in contemporary flamenco, will be at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge Nov. 6, interpreting songs from Federico García Lorca's classic collection of flamenco lyrics. The other major Spanish act is Radio Tarifa, a Madrid ensemble that is exploring the shared culture of Spain and North Africa, at the Somerville Theatre Oct. 23. With flamenco singing, Arabic wind instruments, guitar, ancient Mediterranean instruments, and electric bass and keyboard, they produce a fascinating meeting of linked worlds. Another look at the modern Spanish sound comes with the modernist flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunéz and his trio, who come to Scullers Jazz Club Sept. 23 (617-562-4111).
To cross the Atlantic: There is also a wide variety of Latin-American music. The premier dance venue, as always, is Revere's Wonderland Ballroom, which tonight has a Salvadoran triple bill including Los Hermanos Flores's famous big band. Future offerings include another Salvadoran bill on the 19th; Elvis Crespo, the hottest young star in merengue, on the 27th; and a salsa-merengue double bill of Tonio Rosario and Tito Nieves Oct. 11 (617-325-8900 for all of those shows). World Music also has a hot dance show, with the dynamic horn band Afro-Cuban All Stars coming to the Roxy Oct. 18 (617-876-4275).
Sit-down Latin concerts include two familiar divas, Argentine legend Mercedes Sosa returning to Symphony Hall Oct. 9 (617-266-1200) and the Brazilian pop star Marisa Monte coming back to Berklee Performance Center Nov. 11 (617-876-4275). An interesting double bill of the Cuban Grupo AfroCuba de Matanzas and the Puerto Rican Los Hermanos Cepeda, two traditionally oriented drum and song groups, explore a shared Caribbean tradition at Sanders Theatre Nov. 8 (617-876-4275).
Moving around the Caribbean, we come to Haiti. Upcoming shows, all at Wonderland, include the Silver Stars Sept. 26, the popular compas band Zen Oct. 10, the System Band Oct. 24, and the best-known of Haitian bands, Tabou Combo, back for the third time this year on Nov. 21. (Promoters for these shows vary, so call Wonderland: 781-289-3080.)
Following the linguistic trail back to Europe, we come to L'Air du Temps, the annual festival of French and Francophone music, held at various venues Nov. 6-15. Standout groups in this year's program include Dremmwel, a traditional group from Brittany, at the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington Nov. 8; the female singing group Les Elles at the Regattabar Nov. 12; singer-guitarist Gabriel Yacoub at Johnny D's Nov. 10, and groups from French Guiana, the Antilles, Quebec, and, of course, France (617-287-7569, or at omega.cc.umb.edu/thompson/program98.htm).
Moving south, we come to Africa. As usual, there are likely to be several dance shows promoted within the local African community, but no dates are set as yet. World Music, however, has an interesting range of concert offerings. Angelique Kidjo, the pop singer from Benin who combines modern techno beats with traditional vocals, is at the Somerville Theatre Sept. 25; WOFA, a top drum and dance group from Guinea, presents a showcase of traditional Guinean dance at Sanders Theatre Oct. 3; Le Ballet National du Senegal, a 35-member troupe of dancers, musicians, and singers that is perhaps the most famous of all African traditional ensembles, is at Sanders Nov. 2 (for all those, 617-876-4275).
Other African offerings include the annual New England Cape Verdean Folklife Festival, a three-day mix of art, crafts, food, dance, and music from this area's largest and longest-rooted African community, at the Boston Center for the Arts Oct. 2-4 (617-426-5000). The Cameroonian singer-songwriter Henri Dikongue brings his gentle guitar and lilting vocals to Scullers Sept 27. The local scion of West African music, Ibrahima Camara, brings his main group to the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Oct. 18 (617-623-3408), and his drumming group Djembe Safara to Club Passim Oct. 19 (617-492-7679).
Moving east, the season's most unusual concert is an appearance by the Baluch Ensemble of Karachi at MIT's Killian Hall Nov. 9. The Baluch are nomads from southern Pakistan and southeastern Iran, and their music combines ancient shamanism and Sufism, for a concert dubbed "Music of Love and Trance" (617-253-2826). On a somewhat similar note, there is the return from Turkey of the Whirling Dervishes, whose trancelike dancing is backed by superb Islamic religious singing, coming to Sanders Theatre Oct. 1 (617-876-4275). For a different taste of Middle East and Mediterranean culture, Voice of the Turtle presents its annual Hanukkah concert, focusing on the Judeo-Spanish tradition, with special guests Flory Jagoda and her family. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Voice is the premier group playing the medieval Sephardic repertory, and will be at the Somerville Theatre, Dec. 12 (617-876-4275).
Indian classical music is one of the most advanced musical styles in the world, and Boston has been fortunate to become a regular stopping place for some of the genre's top artists. This fall's offerings lean to vocalists, rather than the more familiar parade of sitarists and sarod players. For Western listeners, this is a unique opportunity, as vocal music is at the root of all Indian classical playing, and provides an excellent way into the other styles. This is especially true of the Carnatic music of southern India, which is earthier, with clearer melodies and much shorter pieces, than the more refined northern style familiar from Ravi Shankar and others.
The main Indian promoter is MIT's MITHAS, which brings the male Carnatic singers T.V. Sankaranarayan on Sept. 20 and P. Unnikrishnan on Oct. 16. Both will be at Wong Auditorium, and will be accompanied by a violinist and a mridangam drummer. For contrast, the north Indian (khyal) female singer Sanjukta Ghosh comes to Killian Hall Oct. 30. The other MITHAS concerts are a dance performance by the acclaimed local teacher Gretchen Hayden, at Killian Hall Oct. 3, and the return of sarod master Buddhadev DasGupta to Wong Auditorium Nov. 15 (all shows 617-258-7971). MIT also presents a more experimental concert, dubbed "Carnatic Jazz," with a student saxophonist attempting a Carnatic fusion music, at Killian Hall on Oct. 2 (617-253-8089).
Moving still farther east, the Japanese odaiko drumming group Ondekoza returns to Sanders Theatre Oct. 16, with their trademark combination of drums and astonishing physical showmanship (617-876-4275). For a smaller-scale, but more regionally varied look at Asian traditions and contemporary variations, the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center has its second annual Asian-American Creative Music Festival Oct. 9 and 10 (617-868-3172).
Finally, there is a collaboration between the Pacific Jazz Arts Ensemble and the Maori musician, storyteller, and instrument maker Ngarangi Poutu, which will create a musical dialogue between New Zealand and African-American cultures, at Killian Hall Oct. 7 (617-253-2826).
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