Eugenia León, combined an eclectic range of musical traditions resulting in a modern revisiting of her culture.
Magnetic and charismatic León and her band of four, performed songs that ran the gamut of the Mexican musical tradition. Moving seamlessly from tango to folk music, she even borrowed from other Latin American folk music traditions.
Saturday’s performance was the culminating event of Alegría Mexicana, Wesleyan’s weeklong celebration of contemporary Mexican art and culture. The CFA, in conjunction with several academic departments, organized a range of performances and accompanying workshops by lauded artists. Participating groups included Delfos Contemporary Dance Company, organist Rossina Vrionides de Gómez, and poet Carmen Boullosa. A Day of the Dead celebration and lecture, and a screening of the movie “Y Tu Mamá También” were also part of the exploration of Mexican aesthesis.
Accompanied varyingly by piano, violin, acoustic bass, percussion, and the “jarana,” an eight-stringed Mexican guitar, León proudly presented herself as a strong woman singing for other strong women. This is not a new task for León, who has sung at the women’s global summit in Beijing as well as many international arts gatherings. Applauded abroad and celebrated in Mexico, she won the Augustín Lara Medal in recognition of her versions of a selection of the Mexican composer’s songs.
León, called by fans as the “Grand Dame of Mexican song,” was recommended to Wesleyan by Adjunct Associate Professor of Music Angel Gil-Ordoñez.
“[She is] a voice representative of Mexico,” Gil-Ordoñez said. “She has been able to combine indigenous and pre-Hispanic tradition with contemporary voice in a modern form. Combining the folklore of other parts of Latin America, she infuses a Mexican soul in everything.”
She laughed and joked with the audience in halting English about “camareras coquetonas,” or flirtatious waitresses, and the force they wield. Introducing another song about the guile of females, she warned the audience with a smirk about feminine power, “women are very dangerous.”
She sang largely about love, of note were the songs entitled “Yo voy a ofrecer mi corazón,” “Color morena la piel,” “Tatuagem” and an old tango, “Los mariados.” Although most of the songs come from the Mexican tradition and transcend genres, León borrows from a wide range of sources. For instance, she shared a Peruvian song about the color of the sea and a Brazilian one entitled “Tatuagem,” or tattoo.
Introducing one song by composer Jose Fredo Jiminez, León shed light on her devotion to Mexican culture.
“[Jiminez is] a composer who understands the Mexican experience,” she said.
The performance served as an introduction to another type of music.
“It was not what I expected. I liked the tango about the two lovers who ended up drunk,” said Nicole Strayer ’07.
Throughout her set, León charmed the audience with little dance steps.
“She had great interaction with the audience,” said Annie Rorem ’07. “She was wonderfully dramatic and had incredible breath support. Her stylings were professional yet casual.”
Her band complemented her vocal stylings well and exhibited their versatility as musicians. The percussionist alternated between bells, a small drum and sometimes a guitar. Another man played the guitar, violin and “jarana.”
As León ended her set, the audience demanded “bis!” and she happily returned to the stage for an encore.
Leave a Reply