United Press International, Portuguese Fado Star Mariza On Tour >>
By John Swenson
Fado superstar Mariza opens her North American summer tour Friday at the Quebec City Summer Festival. Mariza brings her vibrant interpretation of the Portugese folk tradition to Montreal July 6 and Toronto July 7 before starting her U.S. run July 9 in Boston. Mariza began singing Fado as a child, before she could read. Her father sketched out little cartoon stories to help her remember the lyrics. At age 5, she joined in the spontaneous singing in her parents' restaurant in Mouraria, one of Lisbon's most traditional neighborhoods.Mariza was born in Mozambique but her family moved to Portugal when she wasa baby, giving her plenty of time to get immersed directly in the "Fado Houses" where singing is part of everyday life. Mariza, 26, released her first compact disc, "Fado em Mim," in the United States this year on Times Square Records/World Connection.Fado is Portugal's Blues or Rebetika or Tango or Flamenco. "They all stand on emotions," says Mariza. "Fado is an emotional kind of music full of passion, sorrow, jealousy, grief, and often satire."At the very outset of her career, Mariza was being compared to one of thebiggest icons of Fado: Amália Rodrigues. In the words of Nuno Nazareth Fernandes, one of the greatest Portuguese composers: "Mariza is an adorable extra-terrestrial being, someone sent by the Great Creator to reinvent the Fado." 07/05/02
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