Mar de Musicas, Cartagena Spain, Full Programme of paid events in English

Mar de Musicas, Cartagena Spain, a comprehensive programme of World Music concerts 

This really is the most enormous programme of  musical events which are taking place right throughout July. There are a mixture of paid and free events.

We've posted the free events on a separate document to make it easier for you to find them as the programme is so vast it's difficult to pick them out otherwise. Some of them look as though they could offer a really superb night out.

Although this is World music, which means we haven't actyually even heard of half of the acts, it's been an enjoyable ( if exhausting) journey going through these acts and trying to piece together who they are and what they do.  We've put a few youtube links on for you, but if you have the time, just type in youtube and some of these names and see what comes up.

There are some names you're going to know, Patti Smith, Buena Vista Social Club, Youssou N'Dour, Kronos quartet, Gotan Project, The Penguin Café, Kings of Convenience, but there are many you won't, but this is what Mar de Musicas is all about, exploring, experimenting and sharing cultures.

This year the guest country is Columbia, so there are many groups here with Columbian musicians or musical tendencies, so have a good look and listen to the youtube links, you may be surprised. 

How to buy tickets for the Mar de Musicas 2010, Cartagena

In person.

Tickets can be bought directly from the

Centro Cultural Ramón Alonso Luzzy,

Calle Jacinto Benavente, 7 ( just behind the Rosell Hospital

Tel 968 128 868

 

Between the hours of 10am and 2pm, Monday-Saturday. The ticket office is on the second floor and here you can buy the abono tickets if there are any left when you read this, which are cheaper for a series of events.

 

Tickets can also be bought from the Nuevo teatro Circo, Calle Tolosa Latour, Click

From Monday-Friday 10am-2pm and 5pm-8pm

Tel number of box office 968 501 615

 

Online at ( www.) ticktackticket.com

Or by phone on 902 15 00 25

And if there are any left at the ticket office in the Parque Torres, from 9pm on the day.

 Venues for the Mar de Musicas performances

The free concerts are all in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, which is right down by the entrance to the Roman Theatre ( click for map)

The paid concerts are in:

Auditorio Parque Torres and Castillo Arabe ( Up by the Castillo de Concepcion)

The Parque de Artilleria( The patio inside the Museo Militar) Click for map.

Catedral Antigua, at the foot of the Roman Theatre Museum. From Plaza del Ayuntamiento, go up Calle Canon, at the end, turn right, and you'll find the spot.

NB. Parking. For Plaza del Ayuntamiento, and Catedral Antigua,  use either the port or Calle Real carparks. Click here for Cartagena Carparks. Parque Torres is high up, above the Roman Theatre, so is quite a steep climb either up the steps behind the theatre or down from the panoramic lift and there's no proper parking at the top, so if you have a passenger with limited mobility, it will be necessary to drive up to the top of the road which runs up the side of the park and drop off , then park. Click for info about the Castillo de Concepcion which contains info you mat find useful.

 Programme in English for Mar de Musicas 2010

 Friday 9th July, concert at 11pm

Auditorio Parque Torres

Entry Price 25 euros

 Afro-Cubism ( Cuba / Mali)

Elíades Ochoa, Toumani Diabaté, Basekou Kouyaté, Kasse Mady

The first concert of the event is given by Afro-cubism, Eliades Ochoa, Toumani Diabaté, Bassekou Kouyaté y Kasse Mady Diabaté, formerly the core of the Buena Vista Social Club, with millions of album sales under their belts.

This is a world premiere event, and all are anxious to see the fruits of this new collaboration featuring some of World Musics' top musicians.

 Click here, first day in the studio

Followed by;

Muchachito Bombo Infierno( spain)

Hard to define. Popular group of Spanish musicians fusing latin , funk, and energy. Unstoppable. Exhausting.

Have a listen, Click,Siempre que quiera

 

At 2.30am in the Castillo de concepcion BOMBA ESTEREO from Columbia will be performing.

 

 

Saturday 10th July, concert at 11pm

Auditorio Parque Torres

Entry price 25 euros

 Salif Keita ( Mali)

Salif Keita is recognized worldwide as one of the drivers of Afropop for  the quality of his voice, his live performances and for being the first leader of the African group to be nominated for a Grammy. Keita "The golden voice of Africa" as it is sometimes known, was born in Mali in 1949, in the heart of a noble family descendant of Sunjata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire in 1240. Albino by  birth and with poor sight, he suffered discrimination from  birth. As an albino, he  was rejected by his own father as a musician, was excluded by the aristocracy of his own lineage, and as a man with ambitions, had no choice but to leave a country that did not offer career opportunities. His perseverance, talent and vision have enabled him to succeed personally and professionally. At the Mar de Musicas, he presents his latest album, La Difference.

 Have a listen, Click Seydou

Following this, in the Castillo de Concepcion at 1am

Os Mutantes from Brazil and Balkatalan experience from Spain

 

 

 

Sunday 11th July, Concert at 10.30pm

Patio de Armas

Entry Price 20 euros

 

Melody Gardot

She is one of the greatest jazz divas of XXI century. At 19 she suffered a serious accident, hit by a car while cycling, and discoverd music during a long rehabilitation. This French-surnamed American, who composes and plays guitar and piano, and comes from the great American tradition, which goes from jazz to bossa nova, she has been compared with Peggy Lee and Julie London.Her third album, My one and only thrill,  has become known worldwide, combining her distinctive voice with silky string arrangements by Vince Mendoza and production by Larry Klein.

 Have a listen, Baby I'm a fool

 

Monday 12th July

Ceu, from Brazil, concert at 10.30pm

Catedral antigua

Ticket price 12 euros

 

Céu, whose full name is Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças,[1] is a Brazilian singer-songwriter whose first American album was released on the Six Degrees Records label in April 2007. Her songs reveal her many influences, which include samba, valsa, choro, soul, rhythm and blues, hip hop, afrobeat and electrojazz music.

Céu has a Latin Grammy nomination for "best new artist" of 2006 and received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary World Music Album." of 2007. She is also riding high on a wave of international success in France, where the influential Les Inrockuptibles recognized her as one of the top 5 musical revelations of 2005, Holland, and Italy, as well as in Canada, where she was recently the fourth highest-selling artist for the Archambault chain of music shops while simultaneously holding the number 32 slot on the pop charts.. In 2008, Céu received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary World Music Album" of 2007 for her debut album Céu. In 2009, her critically acclaimed second album Vagarosa reached in the position #2 on the US Billboard's World Music charts.

 Have a listen, Ceu, Nana

 

Tuesday 13th July

Kronos Quartet and Alim Qasimov Ensemble from Azerbaijan

Patio de Armas, 10.30pm

Ticket price 18 euros

 For more than 30 years, the Kronos Quartet-David Harrington, John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola) and Jeffrey Zeigler (cello)-has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 45 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world's most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning more than 650 works and arrangements for string quartet. Kronos' work has also garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and "Musicians of the Year" (2003) from Musical America.

In this concert they have teamed up with Alim Qasimov, Azerbaijans greatest singer.

The information given is not specific about the piece being performed, but it seems to hint that it could be part of the work commissioned by the Aga Khan, and also Azeri bardic songs, but that's the best info we can find about what this is.

 Have a listen

 

Wednesday 14th July

Toumani Diabete with the Symphonic Orchestra of the region of Murcia ( From Mali)

Auditorio Parque Torres, Concert time 10.30pm

Ticket price 18 euros

 "People know that in front of an orchestra there is always as a solo instrument, the violin, piano, wind instruments, but never before has it been possible to take the kora, the balafon or the Ngoni to the front." Even today in the West, we  sometimes ignore the possibilities and variety of African music, so the potential of the kora as a solo instrument is the key to this project symphony created by the Barbican Centre in London and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on the occasion of Liverpool European Capital of Culture in 2008, which is being performed at the  Mar de Músicas, along with members of the Symphony Orchestra of the Region of Murcia. The orchestral arrangements were made by two great geniuses of contemporary music, Nico Muhly, who  has arranged songs for Bjork and Antony and The Johnsons, among others, and Ian Gardiner, an arranger and composer with experience in music for film, television and contemporary dance.

The kora is an instrument which comes from West Africa. Its origin dates from the thirteenth century. Toumanis father comes from a dynasty of musicians, going back 71 generations . Toumani's father, Sidiki Diabaté was a well known musician and  was the first to record an album of kora in 1970.

Toumani Diabate's international career began in England in 1987 when he recorded his first album, Kaira. " Since then his record is impressive,  exploring the infinite possibilities of this ancient instrument and its repertoire and sharing it with artists such as Ketama, Bjork, Damon Albarn, Taj Mahal, Bela Fleck and Herbie Hancock.

 Have a listen to him playing, Toumani Diabate

Following this, in the Castillo Arabe at midnight

 

Dirty Projectors

 

 

Thursday 15th July

Youssou N'Dour " Dakar-Kingston tour" from Senegal/ Jamaica

Auditorio Parque Torres, 10.30pm

Tickets 25 euros

Just turned 50 years and to celebrate "The Voice of Africa" he has recorded the amazing Dakar-Kingston, a tribute to Bob Marley, the reggae and Tyrone Downie, a member of the Wailers. This tribute brings back the festival to one of its icons, the great Youssou N'Dour. On the album, reviews of old songs, you hear a new facet of which is considered a God in Senegal. Youssou N'Dour was born six months before Senegal gained its independence.

 

 Considered the most important singer of the twentieth century Africa. N'Dour has toured  worldwide for over twenty years outside of Senegal with his band, The Super Etoile.

 Robert Christgau, the dean of American rock critics, has called N'Dour "the best pop singer in the world"

 Peter Gabriel, whose duet with N'Dour on In Your Eyes defined a particular moment in the history of rock, has proclaimed N'Dour as a singer as "one of the best in life." Despite his international career, Youssou N'Dour remains very respectful to his Senegalese roots and local storytelling remains the main feature of his artistic personality. And of course, the biggest African music act, returning to La Mar de Músicas.

 Have a listen, Bamba mbalax 

 

Friday 16th July

Patti Smith and her Band

Auditorio Parque Torres, 11pm

30 euros

 

What can you say about Patti Smith other than that she's a rock legend.

She's an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 début album Horses. She's affectionately known as the "Godmother of Punk, and has influenced other artists right through her career, even today she still attracts widespread admiration from artists across the world.

Her best known track is  "Because the Night", which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen and reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978

.In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

What more can you say?

 Patti Smith, Because the night

Following this, at 1am in the Castillo Arabe

Staff Benda Bilili ( Congo)

Sonidero Desmadre

 

 

Saturday 17th july

Gotan Project ( Argentina/ France/ Swiss)

And

Toto La Momposina ( Columbia) 

Parque Torres, 11pm, 25 euros 

Followed by

Omar Souleyman( from Syria) in the Castillo Arabe at 2.30am

 

Gotan Project are based in Paris and comprises 3 musicians.

Their music is tango, but electronic tango if such a phrase could be used, incorporating electronic elements such as samples, breaks and beats.

 Click Gotan project

 

Sunday 18th July

Marta Gomez, ( Colombia)

Catedral antigua, 10.30pm

Entry 12 euros

Graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music, after receiving the Best Achievement Scholarship, Marta Gómez has developed an extensive music career in the US which has placed her as one of the most interesting singer songwriters on the world music scene today.

Marta and her group perform a repertoire of original compositions based on a vast amount of rhythms from Latin America. On her songs, Marta mixes the joy of the Caribbean with the nostalgia of the Andes adding jazz and pop elements, taking the authenticity of South American indigenous folk music into a hip new realm.

With more than 70 composed songs, This young singer-songwriter not only traverses a whole range of Colombian cumbias and bambucos, Argentine zambas, Cuban sones and Peruvian landos but she also writes the kind of melodies and refrains that translate across whatever language she is singing in. That may be the reason that lead Marta to share the stage with musicians of different genres such as Bonnie Raitt , John Mayer, Totó la Momposina and Mercedes Sosa.

Marta was also chosen to record Kris Kristofferson's "The Circle" on a tribute to this great American icon. Marta "lifted that song up to when it's supposed to be, to where it belongs" According to Kristofferson's own words. American writer John Sandford made a reference to that version of "the circle" on his novel "Dark of the moon" (2007)

 Have a listen, Marta Gomez

 

Monday 19th July

Martha Wainwright

And

Hindi Zahra

10.30pm

Patio de Armas

Entry Price 18 euros

 

Martha Wainwright, 1976, Canadian American folk-rock singer-songwriter.

Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright is the daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and the sister of Rufus Wainwright. She has frequently appeared on recordings by her family members, and has released several independent EPs. Her full length self-titled debut was released in 2005 by Drowned in Sound, followed in 2008 by I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too. 

Hindi Zahra is sounding like the musical child of Django Rheinhardt and Billie Holiday, the Paris-based Hindi is a captivating musician. Her song "Beautiful Tango" is a revelation-simple yet sophisticated, sparse yet emotive. It's fresh even while it reverberates with history. This style continues in "Oursoul" and "Try." A touch of hip-hop and soul influence, retaining the simple, downbeat understatement of her other songs while adding an almost ethereal quality.

 Click to listen, Hindi Zahra

 

 

Tuesday 20th July

Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal (Mali and France)

Catedral antigua, 10.30pm

12 euros

 

This is going to be quite an extraordinary concert, and very unexpected. The poor cello so rarely gets the chance to shine, but is such a beautiful instrument. This is just so different. Have a listen on youtube, click chamber music( let it start properly)

 Ballaké Sissoko, who has established a reputation as one of the best kora players of the new generation, collaborates with French cellist Vincent Ségal, known for his work with the band Bumcello. They'll be playing songs from new album, Chamber Music, out in June.

 

Chamber Music was recorded in one bare room in Salif Keita's Moffou studio in Mali, in three recording-sessions without overdubs. Sheltered from the rest of the world, Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal eschewed all consideration of genre and style, concentrating only on the essence of the music. Their complicity is such that the kora and the cello seem to express themselves here with a single voice.

 

 

Wednesday 21st July 

Kings of Convenience ( Norway)

Patio de Armas, 10.30pm

Tickets 20 euros

Kings of Convenience are an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway. Consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, the musical group is known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and intricate and subtle guitar melodies. Øye and Bøe both compose and sing the songs.

It's really easy to listen to, foot tapping, melodic and subtle.

 Click, I'd Rather Dance with you

 

Thursday 22nd July

The Penguin Café.

Patio de armas, 10.30pm

Tickets 18 euros

 

This is best described by the Evening Standard, reviewing a concert from this tour:

Arthur Jeffes has brought together Music From The Penguin Cafe, playing the music of his father Simon Jeffes and the Penguin Cafe, and combining it with their own new music. The ensemble that Arthur has drawn together around him are about the same age as the original members of PCO were when Simon first formed the group - and they will be touring from May this year into the early autumn, playing festivals, concert venues, clubs and parties.

"The Penguin Cafe's quintessentially English music was informed by a celtic, bluegrass and South American music. Giles Farnaby's Dream, a superb finale at the concerts, was a 16th century tune given a hoedown treatment. Probably their best-known numbers were the oddly addictive Telephone and Rubber Band, a tune which inevitably ended up on an ad for mobile phones, and the wonderful Music for a Found Harmonium." (The Guardian)

"Penguin Cafe enjoyed something of a cult status in the 1980s and 1990s - signed to Brian Eno's record label, their sound was experimental and minimalist in a Philip Glass kind of way, yet melodic and catchy. Their work has been far-reaching - you will have heard them in countless commercials and films. The PCO were abruptly decommissioned after the sudden death of their founder, the talented and eccentric composer Simon Jeffes. Reconvening to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death, with Jeffes's son Arthur taking his parts on harmonium, the ensemble filled the hall with a warm musical glow. The "hits" were all there - Music for a Found Harmonium used in the film Napoleon Dynamite, the wonderful Telephone and Rubber Band that is written round the tape loop of an engaged and ringing telephone sound, Perpetuum Mobile, and the delicate Paul's Dance, a duet for ukelele and Venezuelan cuatro. But it was the evening as a whole, rather than individual numbers, that was a musical knock-out: melodic, nostalgic and movingly tender - a very special show." (Evening Standard)

 

Friday 23rd July

La Mar Minera, the 50th anniversary del " Cante de las Minas".

Diego el Cigala, presents " Tango"

With invited artist Nestor Eude Marconi

 

Also Participating LA 33 from Columbia

Auditorio Parque Torres, 11pm

Tickets 25 euros

 

 

Followed by Choc Quib Town ( Columbia)

Castillo Arabe at 2.30am

 

 

Saturday 24th July

Auditorio Parque Torres, 11pm

Tickets 25 euros

 

Macaco( Spain)

Macaco is a musical band from Barcelona, Spain formed in 1997 by Dani Carbonell, who was also one of the original lead singers of the new flamenco group Ojos de Brujo. Carbonell left Ojos de Brujo after the debut album, Vengue in 2001, but has continued to make guest appearances on the group's later albums.

The members, from different countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, Venezuela and Spain, give to its music a mixed color, with electro accents of Latin music and rumba

Aterciopelados ( Columbia)

The Grammy Award-nominated group Aterciopelados is one of Columbia's top rock acts, "easily the best rock band to hail from Columbia ever," according to critic David Espinoza in a review at the Metroactive website. Aterciopelados, which means "the Velvety Ones" in Spanish, blend traditional Latin American music with rock 'n' roll; the group approaches mariachis, boleros, rancheras, and flamencos from a rock perspective. Although the band is very popular in South America and is accustomed to playing arena-sized venues, Aterciopelados pack more intimate venues in the United States.

 Click Aterciopelados

Following this it's The Very Best up in the Castillo Arabe at 2.30am

 

 

 

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