Grown in the deep South of America (Arkansas and Texas), where to be black and sing splendidly is nearly an axiom, Amina Claudine Myers shows the possibility of a convergence of Jazz, Gospels and Blues. The synthesis is here made just by means of her voice, an instrument and the memory of John Lee Hooker, the king of Boogie, passed away somewhat like two days ago (June, 21st, 2001).

From a certain point of view, to combine different sounds and melodies in a single performer may be an unsafe bet, though. And whenever it is the soul of a woman to embody sensations that can belong to the spirit of many people, the resulting music is not often predictable; it can please and dislike alternatively. Anyway, any solution will do, as long as this provokes a reaction: if it appears fine, no question is urged; whether it seems disagreeable, on the contrary, it is merely because it probably reaches vibrations we are not used to.

In the end, what remains of Mrs. Myers’s concert in Turin –during the Piccolo Regio’s Linguaggi Jazz- is a complex mixture of contrasting emotions, meaningful details, a number of images, a shopping list for the most varied tastes:

a (sadly) half-empty theatre,

a stage destined completely for a black piano, stained with finger-marks,

a circle of light and no other tinsel,

something that is out of place,

something that creates an unrepeatable atmosphere,

a creaking stool,

a microphone that croaks at times,

a music from within, a heart that shouts its love, even with too much romanticism, unbearable because almost extreme,

an artist doing her job. At best.

SABATO 20 MARZO AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS

TRIBUTE TO JOHN LEE HOOKER

AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS, pianoforte/voce

PICCOLO REGIO PUCCINI

Piazza Castello 215 – Torino

Abbonamento a 11 concerti posto numerato: 120 euro.

Vendita biglietti senza maggiorazione:

Associazione Culturale Centro Jazz Torino

011-884477 (lunedì – venerdì, h 14-20, sabato h 14-18)

Web site: http://www.centrojazztorino.it

PROGRAMMA “LINGUAGGI JAZZ”:

SABATO 27 MARZO Teatro Regio di Torino Concerto- Evento

GATO BARBIERI QUINTETTO

featuring

ENRICO RAVA

Gato Barbieri sax

Enrico Rava tromba

Danilo Rea pianoforte

Ben Street contrabbasso

Clarence Penn batteria

di Simona Margarino