Portuguese fado vocalist Mariza makes a stop in Carmel Tuesday as part of a U.S. tour that will also take her to California’s major cities. She will perform her emotionally charged traditional music at the much larger venues following our good fortune to have her sing at the lovely and intimate Sunset Center Theater. I’ve had the opportunity to hear her sing live while on the beat in Santa Cruz a good 15 years ago and I became a big fan of hers. I was so excited to see that she was coming as part of the Sunset Center’s 2022/23 season, although her local appearance is a presentation of the Monterey Jazz Festival and Kuumbwa Jazz Center organizations.
Gifted with an expressive and powerful soprano, multi-platinum-selling fado singer Mariza is inarguably the genre’s best-known global representative for the 21st century. Though her work remains within the Portuguese tradition’s boundaries, she has distinguished herself by gradually incorporating elements from other folk and popular traditions into her music. These include sounds from her native Mozambique and the southern reaches of Portugal, Brazilian samba, Cape Verdean mornas, R&B, and soul music.
After decades of neglect when fado was dismissed as a relic from Portugal’s past, a new generation of young women has reinvigorated the nation’s cherished musical style. And no one has embraced fado with more passion and charisma than Mariza, the music’s greatest star and a full-throated singer who revels in the music’s emotional power.
With its blend of Portuguese folk poetry, Arabic cadences and African and Brazilian rhythms, fado was an unintended harvest from Portugal’s far-flung empire. These days, it’s Mariza who has conquered the world as the first Portuguese musician nominated for a Grammy and three BBC Radio 3 Best European Artist awards. Her multi-platinum 2008 album “Terra” introduced a truly international sensibility with a scintillating mix of songs from Brazil, Cuba, Cape Verde and, of course, Portugal. And with 2010’s “Fado Tradicional” she returned to her roots, revisiting classic songs in an intimate setting, backed only by acoustic guitar.
Mariza’s latest, 2020’s Warner Music release “Canta Amália,” is a 20th anniversary celebration of her career as well as a centennial salute to the iconic fadista Amália Rodrigues, of whose music Mariza gives reverent, yet deeply personal, reinterpretations.
You seriously do not want to miss this rare chance to experience Mariza in performance. Tickets are available in mostly Level 2 ($84) and Level 3 ($74) seating with only several single seats at Level 1 ($94) at this writing. Visit www.sunsetcenter.org to get your tickets to the show, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Sunset Center Presents also has a couple events this week. An Evening with Marc Maron is Friday, 8 p.m. It’s gonna get wild with the self-proclaimed woke B-list celebrity, podcaster and comedian Maron. This event is for mature audiences only with tickets available in the first three levels from $55 to $85. The top tier are already taken.
Saturday’s show is with the Grammy Award-winning legends the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“Mr. Bojangles”), who first came together in 1966. There’s been many lineup changes over the years, but there are still two founding members in the band, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Hanna and harmonica/vocalist Jimmie Fadden, plus four more, including Hanna’s son Jaime. They recently released “Dirt Does Dylan,” a ten-song record of Bob Dylan songs that journeys through the career of perhaps the most important singer/songwriter the U.S. has ever produced. Visit the venue’s website listed above for more details and tickets.
The Big Sur Fashion Show pulled out all the stops last week at the Henry Miller Memorial Library. The full house was given a real eye-popping, visceral experience with all the creative clothing design and the stories (not necessarily the clothes) that were acted out with music as part of the event’s designer theme “Rewritten in the Cards.” Besides giving kudos to the organizers and the designers, I’d like to give a big Big Sur shout out to the models, who brought to life the clothing designs made of anything and everything besides traditional cloth. As an example, there were old fashioned film strips cobbled together in a 1950s style short dress, lighted from within to show off the multi-colored hues. Designer Lisa Haas and model Michelle Magdalena Maddox brought delightful energy to the proceedings. There were so many super cool vignettes, way too many for me to list.
Proceeds from the event go into the funding pool at the Big Sur Food and Wine Foundation to benefit Big Sur schools, arts and cultural organizations, the fire brigade, the Henry Miller Library, and the health clinics, among many others. Be sure to sign up on the website, www.bigsurfashionshow.org under Stay in Touch to be informed to when next year’s tickets go on sale. They sell out within hours so it’s imperative you be on the ball. The Big Sur Food & Wine Festival takes place Nov. 3-5, with pretty much all the events soldout. I did hear another dinner was being put together. Contact Elsa Rivera to look into that possibility at elsa@bigsurfoodandwine.org.
The fall season is picking up steam, especially for the next couple of weeks with the two theater venues offering big shows, a new festival the week after this one and a couple of concerts at the outdoor Forest Theater in Carmel. Not to mention a return visit from Kiki Wow who performed and produced music shows in the area until she and husband Greg moved to Missouri. So buckle up and let me unpack a bit about them all so you can pick and choose your musical cup of tea.
At Monterey’s Golden State Theatre Friday, alternative rock band Silversun Pickups appear. The L.A.-based rockers released their debut EP “Pikul” in 2005 followed by six full-length albums, the most recent out this year is “Physical Thrills.” They’ve got a driving rock sound with some electronic elements that has built them a strong following. The two founding members are guitarist/vocalist Brian Aubert and bassist/vocalist Nikki Monninger. Drummer Chris Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester joined the band in 2002. They did get nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy Award in 2009 attended by a bit of controversy due to already having some career success before that, but they didn’t win, and it was a moot point. Tickets run from $30-$60 plus fees. The Physical Thrills VIP package is $155. Opening is Eliza & The Delusionals.
And a trio of sisters out of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico are bringing their band called The Warning to the Golden State Tuesday as part of their Mayday 2022 Tour. The Vélez sisters, Daniela (guitar/vocals, 20), Paulina (drums, 18) and Alejandra (bass, 15), are a power trio and play their own brand of hard rock music. They formed in 2013 and have three full-length recordings, the latest out this year is “Error.” Tickets to their all ages show are $25-$45 plus fees. For more information visit www.goldenstatetheatre.com.
Kiki Wow is bringing Americana singer/songwriter Jackie Bristow with guitarist Mark Punch back to the area for several appearances this week. Check out her website to learn all about her at www.jackiebristow.com. She’s originally from New Zealand and has developed a style you might liken to Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin and/or Bonnie Raitt. I last saw her opening for guitar master Tommy Emmanuel at the Sunset Center. She’s a delight to see. Sunday she’s doing a house concert at The Bakers place in Carmel Valley, 79 Los Ositos, 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and it’s a BYO Happy Hour and buffet. Call Ms. Wow at (831) 235-7662 to reserve a seat. You can also ask Kiki about her appearances with the Wowettes as well.
Bristow will also appear the next night, Monday, at Chamisal Tennis & Fitness Club, 184 Robley Road off Laureles Grade, 5 p.m. concert, $25. The Courtside Bistro will be serving a special dinner menu for those who would like to eat. Welcome home Kiki!!
A heads up for upcoming shows: Get your tickets now for two back-to-back concerts presented by SLV Management Presents at Carmel’s outdoor Forest Theater. Saturday, Oct. 22, Hayley Jane, River Voices and Mirnada Perl & Adam Astrup appear 3-6:15 p.m., $25. And Sunday, Oct. 23, Chris Cain, Red Beans & Rice appear 2-5 p.m., $30. Tickets available at www.pacrep.org.
And stay tuned for next week’s column with an artist interview for the new festival brought to you by Good Vibez Presents called Rebels & Renegades, to be held Oct. 15-16 at the Monterey Fair & Event Center. Travel packages are sold-out, and tickets are being sold in person at a number of local outlets. The music style is country, alternative country/singer/songwriter. Visit www.rebelsandrenegadesfest.com for the lineup and details.
