By: Alastair Johnston

I saw three shows at the SF Jazz Festival in October: Doctor John (his vocals marred by muddy sound) at the Masonic auditorium, with Wild Magnolias ("somebody scream" -- bad rock) & Preservation Hall Jazz Band (suave old-timers: Walter Payton doing "Wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate" was priceless); Marisa at Zellerbach, with great backing musicians, but her stagy antics were a bit too Edith Piaf to suffer; best of all was Sara Tavares at the Florence Gould Theatre on Sunday 21 October. The place was packed and after opening with a few gentle tunes, Tavares kicked back her chair and got on her feet, quickly followed by the crowd who were dancing in the aisles. She turned it over to her guitarist for one number and he was outstanding (No wonder: I learned later it was Boy Ge Mendes!). Tavares is Cape Verdean, born in Lisbon, but completely immersed in her roots. Unlike the traditional morna & coladeira sounds of Cesaria Evora, Tavares puts her own sensibility into the music she writes. Some of her songs are in crioulo but when she sings "Bom feeling" the audience knows and gets into the groove to sing along. Not only was the sound mix perfect, everyone, including her drummer/percussionist (Ndu Carlos) and bass player (Gogui Embalo) got to show off their adroitness. Mendes on electric guitar was an added treat. Afterwards IJ dragged us backstage to meet the band, as his his wont. I prefer to leave, assuming the artists have just given their all for an hour or more and want to unwind, not hear accolades from twerps with a poor grasp of Portuguese. I met Yusuf, owner of her label, and he told me proudly that he only signs artists who can put on a great show. With today's studio technology, he said, anyone can create a perfect-sounding album. It just takes ProTools and hours of work. But he checks out potential signings and if they can do it live, he is interested. I think he has a great discovery in Tavares. She is currently on tour in Holland. Check her website for dates. Don't miss her if you are in that neck of the planet.