Carlinhos Brown - Carnival Comes to Burjassot

The penultimate day of the superb 10db festival in Bujassot ended with a high energy performance for Carlinhos Brown and his 12 strong band.
During the day, the streets and Plaza Ayuntamiento were filled with crowds visiting a huge medieval market. Live geese wandered through the straw covered streets and stalls selling everything from handmade soaps to herbal teas and enormous bread loaves to jewelry and clothing to all sorts of food. (The Market continues today sunday13 May)

Then there was a free concert by the multi talented Re-Percussion on the Pati de les Sitges overlooking the Plaza.

Brown was appearing at the Casa del Cultura, at 10.30 sounds of the shore erupted from the huge pa system, and carried on for the next 15 minutes, until the large audience began whistling and slow hand-clapping. Finally the man and his band arrived dressed in fish headdresses and carrying tridents, and the show began. What a show! Brown and his band have incredible stamina, no one stopped moving for the duration of his two and a half hour show. He is a consummate performer and his band are tight and professional. He talks between songs to the audience as though they are his best friends and at one point late in the show he invited a small Senegalese boy onto the stage to sing and dance with him. The boy handed him a CD as he was passed back to his family. The CD was of his father singing, so Brown invited him up on stage to sing too and then told the audience they had seen a star in the making.

A really great night at the 10dB festival in Burjassot, if Carlinhos Brown comes your way this summer, go see him.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Lokua Kanza at 10db

It always amazes me when someone with as big a name as this band appears and has an audience that barely fills the medium sized auditorium. Though less than half full, the audience were very appreciative of this wonderful A capella group. Their voices in harmony are quite beautiful and they spice up their performance with traditional Zulu dance and a lot of horsing around.
The second half of the evening was in the company of someone new to us at thisisvalencia, Congolese singer-songwriter Lokua Kanza. After a shaky start when his technician couldn't keep the connection to his guitar live, five minutes or so of frantic running on and off the stage by the roady, Lokua was a revelation, delightful guitar and a superb voice with an incredible range. His band were great too, a percussionist extraordinaire, keyboard and wind player and two excellent backing singers. We shall be buying this man's Albums.

Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana at 10dB

The 10dB festival in Burjassot is always excellent and the programme diverse.
Last Sunday there was a performance by the Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana, whirling derviches under the guidance of Hasan Dede. It took place in the square in front of the Ayuntamiento in the town and was free to all.
First the musicians played a variety of songs to Allah and then came the dervishes, ten of them, five men and five women, dressed in long black robes and tall fezes. After kneeling before their spiritual leader they shed their black to reveal whit and brightly colored jackets and 'skirts' and so they whirled. It was all very beautiful and on a warm early summer's evening, very uplifting!