LILA DOWNS CROSSES MUSICAL BORDERS AT GPAC
2/22/08
LILA DOWNS CROSSES MUSICAL BORDERS AT GPAC
The Germantown Performing Arts Centre presents Latin Grammy award winner Lila Downs on Sunday, April 20 at 7 p.m. Best known for her work on the Oscar-winning soundtrack of the film "Frida," Lila performed on the 2003 Academy Award broadcast with Caetano Veloso. Downs creates strongly layered music in which blues and jazz cohabitate with rap and ranchera, and honky-tonk swings alongside romantic boleros. She is a compelling singer, creating a unique mixture of musical genres that leaves audiences wanting more.
WHO: Lila Downs
WHEN: Sunday, April 20, 7 p.m.
TICKETS: Single tickets range from $25 to $45, plus handling fee, and are available now by calling (901) 751-7500 or online at www.GPACweb.com.
Box Office Hours: Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and noon the day of performance. All major credit cards accepted.
WHERE: Germantown Performing Arts Centre
1801 Exeter Road
Germantown, TN 38138
CONTACT: For more information or to arrange an interview with the artist(s), please contact Carrie Corbett at (901) 751-7501 or carrie@gpacweb.com.
IMAGES: See attached
ARTIST WEB: www.liladowns.com
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:
Lila Downs (pronounced Lee/La) is a bi-cultural singer/songwriter raised in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca (a state of southern Mexico) and in Minnesota. Her mother is a Mixtec Indian, one of sixteen Native Indian groups in Oaxaca. Her father was a painter, cinematographer, and biologist that taught at the University of Minnesota. Exploring and expressing Mexico's rich culture has been a lifelong passion for Lila.
Living in such varied environments, Downs took after her mother's stage career by singing mariachi tunes at age 8. Her career continued to evolve, studying voice as a teenager in Los Angeles and then in Oaxaca City at Bellas Artes, before graduating with a double degree in voice and anthropology from the University of Minnesota. But it was only through music that Downs reconciled her heritage. "It took a long time to decide that I wanted to sing," she says. "Something needed to motivate me." That motivation was the songs and stories of the Oaxacan people. Her Mixtec mother spurred Downs to sing songs with sentimiento - a deep, almost empathic emotion that has left audiences of all cultures and countries spellbound.
In 1994 Lila met Paul Cohen, ex-circus clown and jazz musician, and together they began composing with folk traditions and contemporary music. Lila and Paul began recording in 1999, and the CD "La Sandunga" was the result. Then came "Yutu Tata/Tree of Life,"(2000) inspired by the mythological account in the 16th century Codex Vindobonesis, which tells of the first Mixtec people being born from trees, and "Border/La linea"(2001), which is dedicated to the Mexican migrants. The collection of songs exposed the plight of migrant workers as well as the hardships and racism endured by indigenous peoples.
Lila contributed to the music in the movie "Frida," an Oscar-winning soundtrack, leading her to perform at the Academy Awards with Caetano Veloso in 2003. In 2004 Lila and Paul moved to New York, and started collaborating with N.Y. musicians and musicians from Chile, Cuba and Brazil. In 2005, their album: "Una Sangre/One Blood" won a Latin Grammy. Her most recent CD, "La Cantina: "Entre Copa y Copa..." marks a unique turn, as she focuses intently on the rich and familiar repertoire of Mexico's beloved cancion ranchera tradition, giving it her particular spin.
Lila was recently invited by PBS producer Gustavo Santaolalla to sing various arias with the Twelve Girls band in Shanghai, China. The TV special aired in June of 2007. She is also to be featured in Carlos Saura's upcoming film about Portugal's "fado", a deeply soulful form of music, which has many things in common with Mexican "ranchera"music, which originates from the local "taverna" or "cantina". The musicians in the band are: Celso Duarte (harp) from Paraguay/Mexico, Guilherme Monteiro(guitar) from Brazil, Rob Curto (accordion) and Booker King (bass) from New York, Yayo Serka(drums and percussion) from Chile, and musical director Paul Cohen (tenor saxophone and clarinet) from New Jersey. Each brings his particular musical slant to Downs' highly distinctive sound.
###
