On November 5th the sublimly talented, Angélique Kidjo took to Carnegie Hall to pay tribute to one of her inspirations, the incomparable Miriam Makeba. It was a special night that included host, Whoopi Goldberg, and singer/musician, Laura Mvula. Jon Pereles sums up the experience,
It was by no means Ms. Kidjo’s first acknowledgment of Makeba as her role model. Ms. Kidjo is from Benin, in West Africa, and has lived in Paris and now Brooklyn. Like Makeba, she has drawn deeply on her African heritage while making global fusions; the concert included songs in six languages. She recorded a Makeba standard, the Tanzanian love song “Malaika,” for her 1991 album, “Logozo,” and sang it on Wednesday night.
Ms. Kidjo is a rawer, more brazen singer than Makeba; with bent notes and raspy peaks, she brings the West African roots of the blues into her songs. What she shares with Makeba is conviction and compassion as she seeks the universal sentiment in songs from particular places: a lullaby from Indonesia (“Suliram”), a song about working in South African mines (“The Retreat Song”), a topical message (“Soweto Blues”).
Read his full New York Times review.
Watch the trailer for the 2011 documentary about Miriam Makeba’s life, Mama Africa.
Miriam Makeba speaks and sings about the beauty of Africa
Tags: angélique kidjo, carnegie hall, Miriam Makeba, New York Times
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