I dislike using the word "diva" to describe female vocalists, because mainstream music has tarnished its meaning. I won't mention names, but you know darn well who I'm talking about!
However, Señora Susana Baca has redefined the term for me. She is both a profound vocalist and cultural revolutionary. As founder of the "Centro Experimental de Musica Negrocontinuo" (Institute of the Black Continuum) in Lima, she has dedicated herself to the resurrection, study and teachings of the music and dance of her ancestors from West Africa. She brings these influences directly into her music, blending them with Peruvian folk and Jazz. While she doesn't get any mainstream airplay, she has collaborated with such well-known artists as John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin, & Wood) and David Byrne.
Seeing a poster for her upcoming show on the front of the Crocodile Café [0] was cause for elation. Of all the venues in this city, she chose to perform at one of its most intimate and blue-collar. NOT the Triple Door, NOT Jazz Alley, THE CROC! May 20th is your chance to see her up close and intimate, bathe in her exotic rhythms and soulful sound ... and reclaim the term "diva."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
