 Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca at Williams College on Nov. 3 by Seth Rogovoy
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Nov. 4) - Peruvian folk singer Susana Baca stirred up
a sensuous style of original groove music in a modest concert at Chapin Hall
on Wednesday night. Combining the polyrhythms of African music with textural
and melodic elements from Brazilian, Peruvian and other South American
traditions, Baca mixed up an hypnotic, soulful brew in the second show in
Williams College's new Widing World Music series.
Backed by her four-piece band, including guitar, bass, and two
percussionists playing a variety of conventional drums and unusual
instruments, including clay pots, cow bell and wooden boxes - one of which
was struck with a mallet and whose lid was used for additional percussive
effect - Baca sang with a dollop of romanticism and a gift for storytelling
that made her Spanish lyrics accessible to the gringos in the house.
Most of Baca's tunes were elegantly slow-paced but rhythmically charged,
propelled by inerrant syncopation and complex, twisting time signatures.
Typically her percussionists would lay down a swirling bedrock of rhythms,
atop which her bassist would suggest a simple harmonic framework for her
vocal melody. The guitarist would accent this framework or play counterpoint
to her vocals.
Most of the instrumental figures were circular, repetitive, almost
classically minimalist. In sharp contrast, Baca would interject linear lines
of melody through the spiraling grooves, accenting her own lines with
physical gestures - small, swooning, flirtatious dance steps.
Several numbers, like "Molino Molero," featured call-and-response vocals
bouncing between Baca and her musicians, further emphasizing the syncopation
that fueled her music with so much tension and release. The spoken quality
of some her vocals, which alternated with her strong melodies, added drama
to portraits like the taunting "Negra Presentuosa."
Unfortunately, the presentation as a whole was somewhat marred by the sense
that it was organized as an afterthought. There was no program or welcome or
announcement of the group; the band just wandered onto the stage and began
playing. There were no translations of the few words of introduction of
songs that Baca gave in Spanish. And when the show came to a sudden halt and
the house lights went on, it wasn't clear if this was an intermission or the
end of the show.
The worst thing, however, was that Baca performed pretty much the entire
show shrouded in darkness. There was no attempt to light the singer, either
with a stage light or a spotlight.
Strange.
[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Nov. 5, 1999. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1999. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy rogovoy@berkshire.net music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
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