CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Lura

Zankel Hall
Saturday, October 11th, 2008 at 8:30 PM

LURA

LURA
Originally born in Portugal to parents from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa, Lura draws on the islands’ pungent blend of trade route cultures that have created a unique musical tradition that embraces French Afro-pop, Brazilian rhythms, and traditional African music. Lura breathes new life into this Cape Verdean music first made famous by Cesaria Evora. Lura brings to her music a streetwise, urban sensuality infused with the passionate roots of Africa. Riding on the tide of Cape Verde's rediscovery of its African roots, Lura mixes the familiar morna style with the little-known rhythms of funaná and batuku —styles brought to the fore by talented composers such as Tcheka and Pantera. This music from the remote interior of Cape Verde is now infused with jazz and Brazilian influences.
Lura is part of a new generation of musicians rediscovering these hidden traditions of her ancestral homeland after the nation first gained its independence in 1975. Prior to that, the church and the colonial government prohibited certain forms of musical expression. The accordion-driven funaná, which Lura performs, was considered to be too erotic. In this genre, a dozen or more women would beat the batuku rhythm on folded stacks of clothes called tchabeta held by their knees, while a lead singer improvised poetry lampooning or critiquing community happenings. “The women in Cape Verde spend a lot of time together, working and talking and that is how batuque started—from the women of Santiago [Cape Verde],” Lura says. “Now I and others are making a kind of batuku, but singing alone and not in a group.”
Lura’s songs reflect the concerns of this far-flung nation. “In the poems and lyrics of Cape Verde, we speak a lot about immigration,” explains Lura. “A lot of people move away to make a better living. We talk a lot about rain because there is so little rain. We talk about food, because sometimes it is very difficult to get food. A lot of things you have to buy from outside; from Portugal, the US, Holland. And we talk about the relationship between parents and their children, because so many families are far apart. But the words talk about immigration in a symbolic way.”
Lura released her first international album, Di Korpu ku Alma (Of Body and Soul) on the Escondida/Lusafrica label in May 2005. She was named Best Newcomer at the BBC Radio 3 Awards and her debut won Best World Music Album at Les Victoires De la Musique in France. In 2006 Lura released M'Bem di Fora, its lose translation meaning “I Come From the Country” or “I Come From Far Away.”
Lura continues to generate worldwide excitement for her contemporary vision of the music from the islands of Cape Verde, seamlessly combining genres as diverse as R&B, tango, and Tropicália with her smoky alto voice. In 2007 she appeared at some of the summer’s biggest festivals in Europe and North America, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Garden Nights Festival in Merano, Italy, and the Festival de Marseille. In October 2008, Lura marks her return to the US, including her debut appearance at Zankel Hall.