To celebrate the 2004 Summer Olympics, artists from around the globe were invited to record collaborations for the album “Unity.”  The recording features Lenny Kravitz with Kadim Al Sahir, Alice Cooper with Xzibit, Moby with Public Enemy, and Portugal’s Mariza singing “A Thousand Years” with Sting.

            A huge star in Europe and gaining acclaim in the U.S., Mariza is one of Portugal’s leading exponents of a musical style known as fado.  A passionate and elegant vocal style, fado incorporates intense poetry, complex melodies and lifting rhythms.

            Translated as fate or destiny, fado has been compared with blues and tango.  It was first popularized in the early 1830s as poetry sung to express the grief of women who had lost husbands at sea. 

            Fado is a perfect vehicle for Mariza’s heartbreaking voice.  Unconventional in appearance and approach, she casts a striking figure in concert with her dramatic haute couture gowns and sculpted blonde hair. 

            “From the moment she walked onto the stage, Mariza had the audience spellbound,” noted the U.K. Guardian newspaper.  “Mariza is a true diva: her power comes from her extraordinary voice and her complete commitment to her art,” proclaimed a BBC review.  And Billboard Magazine praised: “Mariza’s voice is a gorgeous, evocative instrument, and she sings with bravura and power – her performance is nothing short of genuine revelation.”

            Born in Mozambique, to an African mother and Portuguese father, Mariza spent her childhood in Lisbon, where she learned to sing in the fado houses. 

            Early this year, she was awarded Portuga’s Personality of the Year award, beating out President Jorge Sampaio.  In April, she helped the brand new Walt Disney Music Hall kick off its world music series with a triumphant performance backed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. “Mariza – Live in London” has just been released on DVD.

            For her Maui concert, she will be accompanied by Luis Guerreiro on Portuguese guitar, Antonio Neto in acoustic guitar and Laurindo de Sousa on double bass. 

                                    -- Jon Woodhouse