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Full Moon in El Hatillo Sebastian Kennedy | TDJ Caracas Cuevas brought the ambivalence of her uplifting melodies and haunting lyrics to the El Hatillo Jazz Festival last weekend, accompanied by other outstanding musicians from both Canada and her homeland. – Working with such talented colleagues, the 28-year-old expressedthe importance of holding the reins of her band loosely and allowing them to "do their thing". A week last Sunday saw the close of the 8th El Hatillo Jazz Festival, with a special guest performance from Venezuelan-born Canadian singer Eliana Cuevas. The El Hatillo Cultural Centre played host to her blissful vocals and speckled lyrics, which were accompanied by musicians of the highest calibre from both Venezuela and Canada. The band recently returned from a tour in Germany, where their warm reception came as something of a surprise to the singer. "I actually thought of the German audience as Latin, in the way they expressed themselves, they were very vocal, I don't even have words to express how well the concerts went!" Cuevas told TDJ in an interview after the show, "I can certainly make a relation between the audiences we had in Germany and the Latin American energy we had here." Present from her regular line-up was percussionist Daniel Stone, Jeremy Ledbetter on piano and George Koller on double bass, whilst special guests included prolific Venezuelan percussionists Andrés Briceño and Nené Quintero. The songs selected for Sunday's concert were for the most part taken from her current album Ventura, a disc almost entirely written, composed and arranged by Cuevas and released with the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. The album is first and foremost a release of unimposing Latin jazz which, thanks to its smooth lounge manner and overall cheerful nature, can easily be taken at face value. It is only upon listening more carefully to the lyrical content – which has been reliably translated into English in the CD inlay for non-Spanish speakers – that the true nature of Cuevas' art becomes apparent. Ironically, her central achievement on "Ventura" is something of a conundrum as well. The melodies over which she delivers the lyrics, and the vocal manner in which they are delivered, are largely straightforward and relatively unchallenging, to the extent of veering dangerously close to the category of "Latin jazz by numbers". It does not seem to be the obvious choice to set the complex and poignant lyrical beauty of "Perdon" or "Luna Llena" to such upbeat and lively compositions. In the example of Luna Llena, Cuevas delivers the lines "The full moon can trick you, and with its magic enchant you. But confusion can only bring you pain, passion for fake love and frustration" over what is clearly the most melodically uplifting song on the album. The regret and dissatisfaction expressed in Cuevas' lyrics is simply not mirrored in the inspiring brilliance of the music; it is really quite unusual to find this level of disassoci- ation between semantics and melody, particularly when both are as considered and polished as they are in this case. That aside, the musical variety on "Ventura" makes for an excellent live set, which was fully appreciated on Sunday night in El Hatillo. The gig warmed the crowd steadily with strong support from the invited percussionists, whilst each musician was given the freedom to perform some jaw-dropping solos. The most outstanding examples were Koller's hypnotic intro to Alfonsina y el mar, and Briceño's call and response improvisation at the end of "Luna Llena" which received a well-deserved standing ovation. Ledbetter's funky salsa-esque numbers also provoked cheers from the crowd. "I think it is really important to give the audience a chance to get to know the musicians on their own a little bit," explained Cuevas, "it always has been important for me to work with really good musicians and to showcase their talent through my music." "I try to find musicians that are versatile, able to pick up any style easily and that are open to experimentation," she continued, "I believe that is something that you can hear, especially in live performances when we get a chance to let loose a little more." Cuevas will start recording her next album at the start of next year. "I don't have a name for it yet, but I know it's going to take up most of my time. It's something we want to finish before we go on tour in Canada," she said. |
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