Sara Tavares, Jazz Cafe | reviews, news & interviews
Sara Tavares, Jazz Cafe
Sara Tavares, Jazz Cafe
The fine art of understatement from this Cape Verdean star
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
A lightness of touch and an instinct for melody make Sara Tavares's music unique
Portuguese singer-songwriter Sara Tavares trades in understatement. She strokes rather than strums guitar chords, her two percussionists are more likely to brush a drum than whack it hard, and her soft close-to-the-mike voice specialises in gentle yearning rather than soul-girl histrionics. So the intimate space of the Jazz Café seems much better suited to her than, say, the Barbican where she had the unenviable task earlier this year of being a viable support act to the larger-than-life Malian diva, Oumou Sangare. As it turned out, Sara did a perfectly good job of warming up Oumou’s crowd, but she was definitely much more at home last night in front of an audience who were there only for her.
Portuguese singer-songwriter Sara Tavares trades in understatement. She strokes rather than strums guitar chords, her two percussionists are more likely to brush a drum than whack it hard, and her soft close-to-the-mike voice specialises in gentle yearning rather than soul-girl histrionics. So the intimate space of the Jazz Café seems much better suited to her than, say, the Barbican where she had the unenviable task earlier this year of being a viable support act to the larger-than-life Malian diva, Oumou Sangare. As it turned out, Sara did a perfectly good job of warming up Oumou’s crowd, but she was definitely much more at home last night in front of an audience who were there only for her.
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more New music
Album: Heather Nova - Breath and Air
A mellower, acoustic sound that contemplates life's rhythms
Album: Panda Bear - Sinister Grift
A psychedelic curiosity that’s unlikely to wear anyone’s stylus down
Album: Sam Fender - People Watching
The North Shields indie star's third album is a solid, sincere evolution
Album: Basia Bulat - Basia's Palace
Canadian singer's seventh album musters dreamy pop that simultaneously arrives and floats away
Josienne Clarke, Across the Evening Sky, Kings Place review - celebrating Sandy Denny
The contemporary singer-songwriter holds a torch for the late, great Sandy Denny
Patrick Duff, The Mount Without, Bristol review - sacred music for the soul
A dilapidated Bristol church brought back to vibrant life
Album: Tim Hecker - Shards
Finessed expressiveness as a compilation of soundtrack work coheres
Music Reissues Weekly: Sharks - Car Crash Supergroup
The early Seventies blues rockers admired by prime movers in British punk
Fat Dog, Chalk, Brighton review - a frenetic techno-rock juggernaut
The rising London outfit deliver a sweaty Cossack-rave hoedown
Album: Park Jiha - All Living Things
Music and nature in synergy
Album: Rizzle Kicks - Competition Is For Losers
Brass, beats, and pure fun: the UK has missed this
Album: Fantastic Twins - Suite of Rooms
Dramas within dramas and rooms within rooms in this elegant little puzzle box
Add comment