Sabor y Memoria:
A Musical Feast in Seven Courses
About the Music
The first half of this concert program is a selection of pan-Latin, jazz-infused acoustic
roots songs from Sol y Canto, interspersed with contemporary string quartet music from
their special guests, Sweet Plantain String Quartet. Sol y Canto plays material from their
latest CD, Cada día un regalo (Each Day a Gift), featuring original compositions by
Brian Amador on themes of life, living in the present, social justice and love; Sweet
Plantain performs genre-bending original compositions and arrangements, as well as
contemporary works by Latin American composers, in a unique style fusing Latin,
classical, jazz, and improvisational forms. Song selections will be announced from the
stage by each ensemble.
The second half of the concert will be “SABOR Y MEMORIA (Flavor and Memory): A
musical Feast in Seven Courses,” the new, multi-media suite for Latin ensemble and
string quartet by guitarist, composer and Sol y Canto musical director Brian Amador,
with stunning visual projections.
SABOR Y MEMORIA: a Musical Feast in Seven Courses
- Music and Lyrics by Brian Amador
Nothing ties us more firmly to our origins than food and music. The
deepest, most distant memories can be triggered by a cooking aroma,
an instant reminder of home. Sabor y Memoria explores the
connections between music, food, and identity, combining Latin
genres in much the same way that flavors are blended in the cuisine
of a new land. The lyrics address issues such as immigration, nostalgia for one’s home
country, hunger, the joy of cooking and sharing food, and of course, chocolate!
(Photo by Phil Caruso)
1. Fas fud (Fast Food) – Cuban Son
Don’t talk to me about fast food; don’t give me that garbage.
I want food made with love, pride and tradition…
2. Cosas verdes (Green Things) – Venezuelan Merengue
Rain, earth, sun, seed and sweat - with time they produce
sustenance and taste...
3. Olor a chiles (The Smell of Chiles) – Mexican Vals/Huapango
I was far from home, in a strange place
when a smell of chiles took me back to my homeland.
The years vanished, the miles rolled back,
again I saw my grandmother shaping tortillas.
4. Alquimia (Alchemy) – Argentine Milonga
When I light my stove, it’s like a candle on the altar
where I prepare my offerings to friendship and love…
5. Hambre (Hunger) – Argentine Zamba
Excuse me…I want to know:
why, with such abundance, are there people with nothing?
6.
El Tamal (The Tamal) – Peruvian Landó
It began long ago in Mexico with a cornhusk or a plantain leaf.
It occurred to someone to wet it,
fill it with masa, and stick it in the fire.
What a discovery! How exquisite!
from Brazil to Puerto Rico, from Jujuy to New York,
it even reached the Phillipines, but it all began in Mexico.
7. Chocolate – Panamanian Tamborito, Puerto Rican Bomba
Oh, chocolate, elixir of the Aztecs,
somewhat sweet, somewhat bitter, dark and intense
sweet as a kiss, it’s pure delirium.
Special thanks to the MacDowell Artist Colony, where most of Sabor y Memoria was
composed in February and March, 2009.
Fas fud
Photomontage: Jon Chomitz
Photographs: © Jon Chomitz
Hambre
Photomontage: Jon Chomitz
Photographs: © Jon Chomitz
Cosas verdes
Photomontage: Owen Hartford
Photographs: © Jon Chomitz, © Rick
Grossman
El tamal
Photomontage: Owen Hartford
Photographs: © Owen Hartford,
© Angelina Jockovich
Olor a chiles
Photomontage: Jon Chomitz
Photographs: © Jon Chomitz
Photo of Brian’s abuelita: Someone in
the family
Chocolate
Photomontage: Owen Hartford
Photographs: © Jon Chomitz, © Owen
Hartford, © Angelina Jockovich,
© Equal Exchange
Alquimia
Photomontage: Jon Chomitz
Photographs: © Jon Chomitz,
© Angelina Jockovich
Video editing: Stuart Cummings, Watermark Productions watermarkhd.com
Reproduction of Painting
“Wedding Anniversary"
28" x 36" oil on canvas ©2006 Mollie S. Burke
This show would not have been possible without the generosity and talents of some
friends, to whom we are deeply grateful. Boston-based photographer Jon Chomitz took
time out of his busy schedule of corporate and advertising work to put together most of
the images presented here, and to compile four of the photomotages. In addition to
scouring his travel photos for the images in Fas fud, Alquimia, and Hambre, Jon went to
Taza Chocolates and a couple of Boston area farms to produce photos for Chocolate and
Cosas verdes. Back in his studio he phototographed the anthropomorphic vegetables in
Olor a chiles. The other three photomontages were compiled by Owen Hartford, who
also took most of the photographs in El tamal. Other photos were taken by Rick
Grossman and Angelina Jockovich. Finally, Susanne Cummings offered guidance
regarding the finished product, and Stuart Cummings combined all the elements into the
beautiful video that you see tonight accompanying Sabor y Memoria. ¡Gracias a todos, de
todo corazón!
Thanks also to:
Dr. Manuel Aguilar-Moreno
Viva Mexican Grill and Tequilería vivamexicangrill.com
Casa Bobonis casabobonis.com
Equal Exchange equalexchange.com
Taza Chocolates tazachocolate.com
In 2010/11, Sol y Canto celebrates its 16th anniversary, and Rosi and Brian celebrate their
26th musical anniversary season. Thanks to our fans for your faithful support and to the
MacDowell Artist Colony for naming Brian a 2009 Fellow.
“(Cada Día un Regalo is) unfailingly inspiring…The Amadors and their cohorts bring a
tremendous virtuosity to their music.” –Billboard Magazine
“During their quarter century, guitarist/singer-songwriter Brian Amador and his wife, Rosi
have maintained a steadfast Pan-Latin tinge entirely their own. [Cada Día] is the most
diverse and accomplished album of Sol y Canto's career.” – Christian Science Monitor
“Brian Amador is a Spanish modernist poet, in the guise of a musician...Together, Rosi
and Brian Amador create a musical marriage made in heaven." –Boston Phoenix
“Rosi has a voice like clean spring water: It’s smooth, it’s clean and, somehow, you come to
believe that it’s necessary for life.” –Boston Globe
Brian Amador – Guitar, Vocals, Composer (New Mexico, USA)
Rosi Amador – Lead Vocals/Percussion (Puerto Rico/Argentina)
Nando Michelín – Piano (Uruguay)
Keala Kaumeheiwa – Bass (Michigan, USA)/Jorge Roeder – Bass (Perú)
Tim Mayer – Saxophone/Flute (Oregon, USA)
Renato Thoms – Congas/Percussion (Panamá)
www.solycanto.com • Facebook: Sol y Canto • www.microfundo.com/solycanto
Sol y Canto is represented by Siegel Artist Management www.siegelartist.com
S TRING
Q UARTET
“It's been a pleasure to work with Sweet
Plantain both for my own compositions,
and for artists' I've produced. Their playing
is very precise, yet passionate, and the
fact that they've studied both classical and
popular music makes them very versatile
players.”
- Ryuichi Sakamoto
Academy Awards/ Grammy/ Golden Globe-winning composer
Nobody bridges the gap between generations or musical genres like SWEET
PLANTAIN, a refreshingly new string quartet. Artfully fusing the western classical
traditions in which they were trained with the hip-hop, jazz improv, and Latin
rhythms on which they were raised, their original writing and live shows educate
and entertain. Separately hailing from the South Bronx, New Jersey and Venezuela,
together these musicians give voice to a sound that is contemporary, multicultural
and very New York.
Highlights of their 2009-2010 seasons include collaborations with renowned cellist
Borislav Strulev in a tour of Russia that will include a performance in Tchaikovsky
Hall in Moscow; European engagements with virtuoso pianist/composer Matt
Herskowitz, who was featured on the Grammy nominated album The Swing of
Christmas by Barry Manilow and whose playing can be heard on the acclaimed
Academy Award-nominated film The Triplets of Belleville; and numerous
performances in North America including Northeastern University, The University of
Maryland, The Reston Center in Reston, VA, The Craver Center in San Antonio,
TX, The 92nd Street Y Tribeca, The Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley, ID
and The Amanyara resort in the Turks and Caicos
“What an amazing experience. Blending jazz, Latin and classical styles, this virtuoso
quartet brings a freshness and inventiveness to every note they play. The audience was
enthralled, and I was simply blown away."
– Stuart Malina, Tony Award-winning conductor
Violinist/Trombonist - Eddie Venegas (Venezuela)
Violinist - Romulo Benavides (Venezuela)
Violist - Orlando Wells, (U.S)
Cellist - David Gotay (U.S.)
www.myspace.com/sweetplantain
Bookings: www.sweetplantain.com/sweetplantain.html