
I have been meaning to write about a positively magical concert I went to a little over 10 days ago. Sara Tavares is a Portuguese singer of Cape Verdean descent with a unique voice and a very international sound. I was already loving her CD "Balancé." But I have to say, I knew that I was in for a treat when she asked for a show of hands of people in the audience of Cape Verdean descent and there was a significant smattering of applause!
Sara took the audience and wrapped us up in her lovely dreadlocks. She spoke to the audience in charming English between songs and really engaged everyone in the room. I heard the guy behind me say to his date that he didn't know much about Sara, but if she was good he would get them backstage to meet her. Before the end of the encore, he and his date were racing down to the stage door. The concert venue was a rather formal university performing arts stage, but people were dancing in the aisles and on their feet during the last numbers.
Sara is one of those musicians that oozes music from her pores. A talented performer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, she mixes a little bit of Caribbean reggae, African rhythm, Cape Verdean morna, and jazzy riffs in a smooth fusion of influences. Yes, smooth is a good word to describe her sound. But she can also be funky. The blend of her musical complexity and alluring on-stage aura made this one of the best concerts I've been to in recent years. If you get a chance to see her, go.
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