García Lorca, paisajes en jazz DivaDams

Vocal trio Divadams releases their new CD: García Lorca – Paisajes en jazz
The album comprises a selection of poems by the universal poet, tracing a musical journey that covers New York, Cuba and Spain.
24-11-2009

After touring for one whole year, Divadams –which consists of female singers Loni Geest, Araceli Aiguaviva, and Carol Brunet, with musical production by composer-pianist Maurici Villavecchia- bring out García Lorca, paisajes en jazz.

This new disk consists in a selection of poems by the celebrated Spanish poet --a musical trip which takes us closer to both his life and work, bringing back his experiences in New York, Cuba, and of course Spain, through the music genres which he liked the most: jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and flamenco.

Most of Divadams repertoire consists of previously issued compositions, adapted for vocal trio with flamenco guitar, double bass, drums, and piano accompaniment. Arrangements for vocal trio, as well as a few songs in the repertoire, have been written by Loni Geest.

The Project

The group started in early 2007, when the three singers –each one with a musical career of her own– met with the intention of building a quality musical-cultural project suitable for all kinds of audiences. Their interest in jazz music, and their love for poetry, led them to the idea of recreate and set music to García Lorca’s poems, which appealed to their sense of poetry, fight for liberty, and love of music.

Divadams show premiered at Luz de Gas in Barcelona (April, 24, 2008), and was subsequently staged in L’Hora del Jazz – Memorial Tete Montoliu Festival (September, 14, 2008), the MPB, Música Popular de Barcelona Festival (October, 24, 2008), the Nova Jazz Cava de Terrassa (December, 2, 2008), and at the Música als Parcs season in the Parc de la Ciutadella (July, 4, 2008, and July, 15, 2009).

Paisajes en jazz is made up of a selection of pieces intended for musically reflecting different phases in Lorca’s life: his childhood, his painful love stories, and his trips to New York and Cuba. We encounter here a range of styles covering swing, Latin rhythms, the blues, the Vals vienés –a popular tune which Leonard Cohen set music to--, as well as a rap-like tune called ‘Lorca dijo esto’, including some of Lorca’s brilliant phrases that summarize his spirit and thought.

Previously to this project, members of Divadams had already worked individually around singing poetry. So did Araceli Aiguaviva in her record El ritme de les paraules, on poems by Joan Margarit about jazz and jazz musicians, and Carol Brunet as a member of Tricefalia and Abissal, both bands under the direction of the late Valerià Pujol, who was awarded the Premi Carles Riba.

The name of the band mixes syllables used in scat, a vocal jazz improvisation technique, and the word “damas”, which is Spanish for “ladies”.

Divadams’ main feature is the interweaving between the three leading voices, each one with its own characteristics, to converge in one –the band’s voice– through different layers of sound, and so creating space for improvisation.

In this record the band also includes: Maurici Villavecchia piano and accordion, Peter Lemberg Spanish guitar, Manel Vega double bass, Pau Bombardó drums, Yoan Sanchez percussion
Translated by Luis Murillo
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