Sabor y Memoria:
A Musical Feast in Seven Courses
About the Music
The first half of this concert program is a selection of pan-Latin, jazz-infused acoustic
roots songs from Sol y Canto, interspersed with contemporary string quartet music from
their special guests, Sweet Plantain String Quartet. Sol y Canto plays material from their
latest CD, Cada día un regalo (Each Day a Gift), featuring original compositions by
Brian Amador on themes of life, living in the present, social justice and love; Sweet
Plantain performs genre-bending original compositions and arrangements, as well as
contemporary works by Latin American composers, in a unique style fusing Latin,
classical, jazz, and improvisational forms. Song selections will be announced from the
stage by each ensemble.
The second half of the concert will be “SABOR Y MEMORIA (Flavor and Memory): A
musical Feast in Seven Courses,” the new, multi-media suite for Latin ensemble and
string quartet by guitarist, composer and Sol y Canto musical director Brian Amador,
with stunning visual projections.
SABOR Y MEMORIA: a Musical Feast in Seven Courses
- Music and Lyrics by Brian Amador
Nothing ties us more firmly to our origins than food and music. The deepest, most distant
memories can be triggered by a cooking aroma, an instant reminder of home. Sabor y
Memoria explores the connections between music, food, and identity, combining Latin
genres in much the same way that flavors are blended in the cuisine of a new land. The
lyrics address issues such as immigration, nostalgia for one’s home country, hunger, the
joy of cooking and sharing food, and of course, chocolate!
1. Fas fud (Fast Food) – Cuban Son
Don’t talk to me about fast food; don’t give me that garbage.
I want food made with love, pride and tradition…
2. Cosas verdes (Green Things) – Venezuelan Merengue
Rain, earth, sun, seed and sweat - with time they produce
sustenance and taste...
3. Olor a chiles (The Smell of Chiles) – Mexican Vals/Huapango
I was far from home, in a strange place
when a smell of chiles took me back to my homeland.
The years vanished, the miles rolled back,
again I saw my grandmother shaping tortillas.
4. Alquimia (Alchemy) – Argentine Milonga
When I light my stove, it’s like a candle on the altar
where I prepare my offerings to friendship and love…
5. Hambre (Hunger) – Argentine Zamba
Excuse me…I want to know:
why, with such abundance, are there people with nothing?
6. El Tamal (The Tamal) – Peruvian Landó
It began long ago in Mexico with a cornhusk or a plantain leaf.
It occurred to someone to wet it,
fill it with masa, and stick it in the fire.
What a discovery! How exquisite!
from Brazil to Puerto Rico, from Jujuy to New York,
it even reached the Phillipines, but it all began in Mexico.
7. Chocolate – Panamanian Tamborito, Puerto Rican Bomba
“Oh, chocolate, elixir of the Aztecs,
somewhat sweet, somewhat bitter, dark and intense…”
Photographs and photomontages:
Jon Chomitz
Rick Grossman
Owen Hartford
Video editing:
Stuart Cummings
Susanne Cummings
Special thanks to:
The MacDowell Artist Colony
Equal Exchange
Tazo Chocolates
In 2010/11, Sol y Canto celebrates its 16th anniversary, and Rosi and Brian celebrate their
26th musical anniversary season. Thanks to our fans for your faithful support and to the
MacDowell Artist Colony for naming Brian a 2009 Fellow.
“(Cada Día un Regalo is) unfailingly inspiring…The Amadors and their cohorts bring a
tremendous virtuosity to their music.” –Billboard Magazine
“During their quarter century, guitarist/singer-songwriter Brian Amador and his wife, Rosi
have maintained a steadfast Pan-Latin tinge entirely their own. [Cada Día] is the most
diverse and accomplished album of Sol y Canto's career.” – Christian Science Monitor
“Brian Amador is a Spanish modernist poet, in the guise of a musician...Together, Rosi
and Brian Amador create a musical marriage made in heaven." –Boston Phoenix
“Rosi has a voice like clean spring water: It’s smooth, it’s clean and, somehow, you come to
believe that it’s necessary for life.” –Boston Globe
Brian Amador – Guitar, Vocals, Composer (New Mexico, USA)
Rosi Amador – Lead Vocals/Percussion (Puerto Rico/Argentina)
Nando Michelín – Piano (Uruguay)
Keala Kaumeheiwa – Bass (Michigan, USA/Jorge Roeder – Bass (Perú)
Tim Mayer – Saxophone/Flute (Oregon, USA)
Renato Thoms – Congas/Percussion (Panamá)
www.solycanto.com • Facebook: Sol y Canto • www.microfundo.com/solycanto
Sol y Canto is represented by Siegel Artist Management www.siegelartist.com
STRING
Q UARTET
“It's been a pleasure to work with Sweet
Plantain both for my own compositions,
and for artists' I've produced. Their playing
is very precise, yet passionate, and the
fact that they've studied both classical and
popular music makes them very versatile
players.”
- Ryuichi Sakamoto
Academy Awards/ Grammy/ Golden Globe-winning composer
Nobody bridges the gap between generations or musical genres like SWEET
PLANTAIN, a refreshingly new string quartet. Artfully fusing the western classical
traditions in which they were trained with the hip-hop, jazz improv, and Latin
rhythms on which they were raised, their original writing and live shows educate
and entertain. Separately hailing from the South Bronx, New Jersey and Venezuela,
together these musicians give voice to a sound that is contemporary, multicultural
and very New York.
Highlights of their 2009-2010 seasons include collaborations with renowned cellist
Borislav Strulev in a tour of Russia that will include a performance in Tchaikovsky
Hall in Moscow; European engagements with virtuoso pianist/composer Matt
Herskowitz, who was featured on the Grammy nominated album The Swing of
Christmas by Barry Manilow and whose playing can be heard on the acclaimed
Academy Award-nominated film The Triplets of Belleville; and numerous
performances in North America including Northeastern University, The University of
Maryland, The Reston Center in Reston, VA, The Craver Center in San Antonio,
TX, The 92nd Street Y Tribeca, The Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley, ID
and The Amanyara resort in the Turks and Caicos
“What an amazing experience. Blending jazz, Latin and classical styles, this virtuoso
quartet brings a freshness and inventiveness to every note they play. The audience was
enthralled, and I was simply blown away."
– Stuart Malina, Tony Award-winning conductor
Violinist/Trombonist - Eddie Venegas (Venezuela)
Violinist - Romulo Benavides (Venezuela)
Violist - Orlando Wells, (U.S)
Cellist - David Gotay (U.S.)
www.myspace.com/sweetplantain
Bookings: www.sweetplantain.com/sweetplantain.html
Sabor y Memoria Lyrics (English translations)
1. Fas fud (Fast Food) – Cuban Son
Don’t talk to me about fast food.
don’t give me that garbage.
I want food made with love,
pride and tradition.
Tastiness and health
are not achieved in haste.
You have to take time to enjoy
food and conversation.
Come on in, welcome to the dinner.
Everyone come in, ‘cause this party is going to be good.
Come on in, the table is set.
Just smell – there’s nothing as delicious as that.
Come on in, welcome to the dinner - let’s share this pleasant night.
The food is hot - ¡Buen provecho! (Bon appetit)
Tasty things for my people
I want to tell you this is all natural
Absolutely nothing artificial
Don’t talk to me about fast food Life is not a race
We have to spend time together and enjoy
Because life is fleeting
2. Cosas verdes (Green Things) – Venezuelan Merengue
Rain, earth, sun, seed and sweat with time they produce
sustenance and taste.
Power, magic that produces the flower
and then the cucumber, tomato or bean.
Green things, very tasty and nutritious,
source of vitamins, minerals and flavor.
Green things, which aren’t always even so green,
and in addition to being good, they give a touch of color.
The beet is pleasing to the girl, and the guy likes avocado
Squash for the old ladies, and chiles for me!
The eggplant tastes really good, the carrot is heavenly
The onion is a jewel, the potatoes exquisite.
The beet is pleasing to the girl, and the guy likes avocado
Cucumbers for the kiddies, and chiles for me!
3. Olor a chiles (The Smell of Chiles) – Mexican Vals/Huapango
I was far from home, in a strange place
when a smell of chiles carried me to my home.
The years vanished, the miles rolled back,
again I saw my grandmother shaping tortillas.
Smell of chiles, smell of childhood –
so many years erased by nothing more than a fragrance.
Smell of chiles, smell of home –
it made me forget how life passes by.
There are mouths that speak of me with hatred and disrespect
while they eat the fruits that I pick for them.
I came North out of necessity to work without rest
and when I smell that aroma, it takes me back to my ranch.
Smell of chiles, smell of childhood….
4. Alquimia (Alchemy) – Argentine Milonga
When I light my stove, it’s like a candle on the altar
where I prepare my offerings to friendship and love.
And when I put in the garlic, smell that intoxicating aroma,
I feel the presence of the ancestors
sharing across the years the enchantment of that smell.
What happiness it gives me to cook, what joy!
With a recipe or improvised, made up, it’s all the same –
what difference does it make?
If you know how to cook, you’re going to have fun
and you’re going to eat well.
5. Hambre (Hunger) – Argentine Zamba
Excuse me…I want to know
why, with such abundance, are there people with nothing?
The table overflowing, an embarrassment of food,
the people gathered, the entire family.
For some, there’s veal, for others bread and cheese.
For some, not even that – they wait for crumbs.
It’s not a lack of production, but of will –
the reason there are people who have nothing to eat.
The table overflowing, and people begging,
children whining with tears dried on their faces.
For some, there’s tenderness, for others, little of that,
for some, not even a kiss at the end of the day.
It’s not a lack of production, but of compassion –
the reason there are people who have nothing to eat.
It’s not a lack of production, but of vision –
the reason there are people who have nothing to eat.
6. El tamal (The Tamal) – Peruvian landó
It began long ago in Mexico
with a cornhusk or a plantain leaf.
It occurred to someone
to wet it, fill it with masa, and stick it in the fire.
What a discovery! How exquisite!
You’re not going to believe how tasty this is.
You have to try this – I know you’ll like it.
Leaf wrapper holds a gift for the palate.
The Conquest arrived in Mexico
with ships full of soldiers and clerics
they liked this local dish
and the priests spread it all around the empire.
The tamal – succulent gift; The tamal – delicious tradition
The tamal – for dinner or dessert; The tamal – infinite variation
The tamal – from Brazil to Puerto Rico; The tamal – from Jujuy to New York
The tamal – it even reached the Phillipines The tamal – but it all began in Mexico.
7. Chocolate – Panamanian tamborito, Puerto Rican bomba
Oh! Chocolate, elixir of the Aztecs,
somewhat sweet, somewhat bitter,
black and with intense flavor.
Oh! Chocolate, delicious medicine,
full of antioxidants,
good for heartache.
Black chocolate, dark chocolate
sweet as a kiss, pure delirium.