Buika: performing Saturday at Cal Performances. Photo: courtesy of the artist
Let us now praise awesome women. When it comes to music, this town makes it all too easy to celebrate Women’s History Month. In the coming days, a veritable tsunami of bodaciously talented women are sweeping over the city, and you can catch several without trying too hard.
Let’s start with Buika, the extravagantly gifted Spanish vocalist presented by Cal Performances at Zellerbach Hall 8 p.m. Saturday. She arrives in Berkeley at the start of a national tour with a new band and a startling new repertoire, particularly for fans smitten with her soul-baring flamenco and impassioned rancheras from her star-making 2009 collaboration with Cuban piano maestro Chucho Valdés, El Último Trago (Warner Music). Her latest album, Vivir Sin Miedo (DRO) is her first focusing on her original tunes. Drawing on an array of influences, from reggae, rock and Afrobeat to R&B, funk and jazz, the majority of her songs feature English lyrics.
Like a shot of good tequila, interviewing Buika is always a bracing experience. Even over the phone she exudes protean power, speaking with unguarded emotion. A poet, filmmaker, and music producer, she refuses to constrain her creative impulses, which is why she titled her new album To Live Without Fear. She’s joined by a disparate cast of collaborators, including Meshell Ndegeocello, flamenco singer Potito, British session keyboard star Glen Scott, and singer/songwriter Jason Mraz.(...)
Read the rest of Buika takes Berkeley! Jessica Jones returns home! Pamela Z zaps BAMPFA! (1,004 words)
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Post tags: Buika, James Cahill, Jessica Jones, Pamela Z, Sarah Cahill
