CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS

Friday, November 5, 2010, 8pm Zellerbach Hall

Buika CAMI

Buika vocals Ivan “Melón” Lewis piano Dany Noel bass Fernando Favier drums

Cal Performances’ 2010–2011 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

CAL PERFORMANCES 5 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS

u i k a i s o n e of the most distinctive Spanish that had already won “Best Album” and “Best Supporting the singer on the CD is Cuban Lolita Flores, Antonio Canales, Niña Pastori, Bartists performing today. Born on the island Production” honors at the Spanish Music piano star Chucho Valdés, who met Buika in Luis Enrique, Pedro Ojesto, Gema & Pavel and of Majorca to African immigrant parents from Awards. Her next recording project, Niña de 2008 at Spain’s Vitoria Festival, where he was Carlos Varela. On his resume are numerous jobs , Buika has become a true rev- Fuego (“Child of Fire”), produced and arranged debuting a duet CD with his father, Bebo Valdés. as a session musician for recordings, video, film elation to those who thought flamenco had little by Javier Limón (Bebo y Cigala, Paco de Lucía) For the recording of El Último Trago, the musi- and television, both in Cuba and in Spain. left to contribute to Spanish music or to jazz. Her and released in 2008, helped to catapult her in- cians only needed two days at Abdala Studios in evident African roots and her cosmopolitanism, ternationally into the ranks of the most exciting Havana, Cuba, in April 2009. Producer Javier Born in Cuba, Ivan “Melón” Lewis (piano) re- developed in clubs in Spain and Americanized voices in modern Latin music. Supported by just Limón recorded all the vocals live, with no over- ceived his classical music training and graduated during a strange detour to Las Vegas as a Tina a handful of concerts in Miami, Los Angeles and dubs. “El Andariego,” Alejandro Fernández’s from the prestigious National School of Art. He Turner impersonator, explain Buika’s rare self- New York, the CD scored two Latin Grammy famous song, became a rumba; “Somos” (“We had toured throughout Latin America, , possession. But nothing can quite explain her nominations in 2008—for Album of the Year and Are”) was transformed into a bolero/cha-cha; the United States and , performing with ability to connect: She is one of those rare and for Best Production—and the singer was soon in- and “Sombras” started as a bolero but ended in well-known Cuban salsa singer Isaac Delgado. wonderful “one listen” artists. vited to appear on the televised awards, perform- the blues. Based in since 1998, Mr. Lewis has The singer’s latest CD, El Ultimo Trago (“The ing her searing rendition of the Mexican classic, Buika performs El Último Trago—and participated in several of the world’s most promi- Last Drink”), an homage to the Mexican singing “Volver, Volver.” celebrates the remarkable life of Chavela nent jazz festivals, including Jazz in Tête, Jazz in legend Chavela Vargas, was recently nominated Buika’s fans soon included Alejandro Sanz Vargas—across North America on this, her first Marciac, Festival de Jazz de Montreux and Spain’s for two , for Recording of and Gloria Estefan, along with Nelly Furtado major tour. Vitoria Jazz Festival, sharing the stage with such the Year (for the song “Se Me Hizo Facil”) and and Portuguese star Mariza (both of whom important artists as Mulgrew Miller, John Hicks, for Best Traditional Tropical Album. She re- she recorded duets with), Pedro Almodóvar, fash- Fernando Favier (drums) is originally from Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Wynton Marsalis. corded a duet with Seal, entitled “You Get Me,” ion photographer Bruce Weber and the iconic Guantánamo, Cuba. He became interested in In 2003, Mr. Lewis formed his own quintet for his new CD, Seal 6: Commitment; and she has Mexican singer Chavela Vargas. Ms. Vargas in music at age nine, inspired by the musical environ- and took it to several of the most important festi- also finished taping her screen debut for Pedro particular was crucial in opening doors for the ment in his home. He studied at the Regino Boti vals in Spain and Europe. He also actively collabo- Almodóvar’s upcoming film, La Piel Que Habito young Spanish singer in Latin America. School of Music in Guantánamo (1979–1983) rates with many important singers on the Spanish (“The Skin I’m In”). She closes 2010 with her Yet the story of Buika’s relationship with and at the National School of Arts (1983–1989) musical scene, such as Ana Belen and Lolita. first American tour, a 21-city swing that began Chavela Vargas began with artistic disappoint- and the Instituto Superior de Arte (1989–1995) in in Chicago on October 15 and ends in Miami on ment. It happened in Madrid four years ago, Havana, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Dany Noel (bass), a Cuban musician based in November 20. when Ms. Vargas refused to allow Buika on stage percussion education and performance. He stud- Torino for eight years, played side by side with Buika (“bwee-kah”) was born María to sing with her. After that bitter beginning, the ied drums with Enrique Pla, Afro-Cuban percus- Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez in the Latin jazz Concepción Balboa Buika to parents who came singers became friends, and Ms. Vargas was soon sion with Justo Pelladito, classical percussion with band Italuba and toured around the world. He to Spain as political exiles. Her family were the declaring that in Buika she had discovered “my Marcos Varcalcel and the history of percussion now lives in Madrid. He collaborates regularly only black residents in one of Palma de Mallorca’s black daughter” and “the most amazing and per- with Dr. Lino Neira. with many important musicians on the Spanish poor neighborhoods, and Buika remembers how sonal voice I have heard in many years.” In 1998, he moved to Madrid, where he cur- musical scene, such as Buika, Javier Limón, Lolita neighbors used to reach out to touch her hair— El Ultimo Trago, released in October 2009, rently resides, and has been active on its music and Luz Casal. an Afro styled from pictures of her early musical is first and foremost a tribute to Chavela Vargas, scene. For more than ten years, Mr. Favier has Mr. Noel also works as a music producer. He is idols, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. as the hard-living, hard-loving Mexican singer been considered among the masters of percussion currently working with singer Boris Larramendi, She found a second home among the community celebrated her 90th birthday. Buika reinvents the in flamenco music, and he collaborates regularly a member of the group Habana Abierta. In addi- of Gypsy families, finding in flamenco’s individu- repertoire that Ms. Vargas has built over her en- with such artists as Joaquín Cortés, Alejandro tion, Mr. Noel is preparing his own debut album, alistic spirit a path to self-acceptance. Flamenco tire career. “Las Ciudades” (“The Cities”), “Las Sanz, Angélique Kidjo, Antonio Carmona, Buika, which mixes copla with Cuban styles. was an open door, remembers Buika: “It’s not just Simples Cosas” (“The Simple Things”), “Sombras” about music, it’s a way of life. It’s about not run- (“Shadows”) and “Luz de Luna” (“Moonlight”) ning away from yourself. Some people sing about are some of the songs that Chavela has performed what they would like to happen or would like to at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Buenos Aires’ Luna be, but in the copla and el cante, we confront who Park, the Olympia Theatre in Paris, and in Pedro we are, with all our fears and all our defects. In Almodóvar’s and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu’s the United States there’s also a great tradition like films. On El Ultimo Trago, Buika re-imagines this: It’s called the blues.” these Mexican standards, creating a kind of “te- Buika released her U.S. debut, Mi Niña quila tablao”—as Iberian as it is Mexican, and as Lola (“My Little Girl Lola”), in 2007, an album old as it is new.

6 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 7