MARIANNE AYA OMAC WITH SPECIAL GUEST JOAN BAEZ
September 11th, 2011
This headline struck me kind of like: “Unknown garage band with special guest Slash.” Trippy. It turns out, however, that great things were afoot in Berkeley last night.
This show happened at Ashkenaz, the venerable local non-profit venue known for it's chill vibe, great dance floor and showcasing of great but under the mainstream radar performances. I figured there must be some reason Ms. Baez was showing up, but I still mostly went to be able to finally say I saw the revered matriarch of folk. And at a small cool local venue, as of old in the Village no less. This show, however, turned out not a simple dose of nostalgia at all. Ms. Baez is not resting on her incomparable laurels, but sharing with us the the musical force of nature which is Marianne Aya Omac. As a young girl Marianne was inspired by Joan Baez to become a singer and play guitar. She grew up around gypsies in Southern France, spent time in Mexico and delivers a world music experience that is equally forceful in evoking the pastoral French countryside, the passion of Latin America, and the proud confidence of the Carribbean, whether singing in French, Spanish or English. Her formidible guitar skills are outmatched only by her astonishing vocal instrument. We're talkng something like Bobby McFerrin, Bob Marley and Louis Armstrong all incarnating in the gorgeous female body of a gypsy trained Angel Romero. If that's a bit over the top, it's because Marianne's unique and amazing music carried me there.
Musically, Ms. Baez mostly played the role of a capable and tasteful sideman. She was in excellent form and added a special joy to the show. Her son Gabriel Harris was on percussion. Together this is a power trio of top shelf musicianship. A cellist and violinist also joined on a number of pieces, taking the range of songs from plaintive ballad, to almost classical compositional interplay, to incendiary latin grooves that would put any flamenco dancer at their cardiac limit.
This was Marianne Aya Omac's debut performance in the US. Her arrival from foreign shores in Berkeley on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 perfectly symbolizes the true American spirit of inclusion. We can only hope she continues to replenish our soil with her joyful, hopeful and healing conflagration of music.
This headline struck me kind of like: “Unknown garage band with special guest Slash.” Trippy. It turns out, however, that great things were afoot in Berkeley last night.
This show happened at Ashkenaz, the venerable local non-profit venue known for it's chill vibe, great dance floor and showcasing of great but under the mainstream radar performances. I figured there must be some reason Ms. Baez was showing up, but I still mostly went to be able to finally say I saw the revered matriarch of folk. And at a small cool local venue, as of old in the Village no less. This show, however, turned out not a simple dose of nostalgia at all. Ms. Baez is not resting on her incomparable laurels, but sharing with us the the musical force of nature which is Marianne Aya Omac. As a young girl Marianne was inspired by Joan Baez to become a singer and play guitar. She grew up around gypsies in Southern France, spent time in Mexico and delivers a world music experience that is equally forceful in evoking the pastoral French countryside, the passion of Latin America, and the proud confidence of the Carribbean, whether singing in French, Spanish or English. Her formidible guitar skills are outmatched only by her astonishing vocal instrument. We're talkng something like Bobby McFerrin, Bob Marley and Louis Armstrong all incarnating in the gorgeous female body of a gypsy trained Angel Romero. If that's a bit over the top, it's because Marianne's unique and amazing music carried me there.
Musically, Ms. Baez mostly played the role of a capable and tasteful sideman. She was in excellent form and added a special joy to the show. Her son Gabriel Harris was on percussion. Together this is a power trio of top shelf musicianship. A cellist and violinist also joined on a number of pieces, taking the range of songs from plaintive ballad, to almost classical compositional interplay, to incendiary latin grooves that would put any flamenco dancer at their cardiac limit.
This was Marianne Aya Omac's debut performance in the US. Her arrival from foreign shores in Berkeley on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 perfectly symbolizes the true American spirit of inclusion. We can only hope she continues to replenish our soil with her joyful, hopeful and healing conflagration of music.
