EVA AYLLON 40th ANNIVERSARY Performance, ROYCE HALL UCLA Live

 

OMARA PORTUONDO: talking to a walking story… (photos by Rich Spirit, words by Renzo Revelli)

Omara Portuondo, is an amazing person, besides from being an amazing songstress.  Rich Spirit had the pleasure to work with the Popper Room at the Ethnomusicology Dept at UCLA.  Early this year, Rich Spirit coordinated/produced a lecture / music showcase with Peru’s Afro Peruvian Icon Eva Ayllon.

After the great success of the event, Rich reached out once again to UCLA LIVE into producing a lecture / music showcase with Omara Portuondo.  This phone call took place 7 days prior to the show.  The Ucla Live accepted Rich’s proposition in to producing the lecture / music demonstration.  All we need it was the agreement from Omara’s people.  We had to reach out to Omara’s eldest son, who happen to be also her manager.

The answer from the band took longer than we wanted.  But they accepted.  With out any compensation from the School, being that it was going to be a free event for Omara’s fans as well as the students.  Even thou this event was a short notice, the room “WAC MUSEUM” Gladys Kaufman Theater.  The room had approx 250 seats.  To our luck and good faith, the theater was entirely full. It was time for the lecture.  The Lecture was given by Prof. Paul De Castro, giving a very detail history about the “Feeling Movement”.

The Prof. took about 25 min. Then Omara came out from the side of the stage along with her two percussionist and guitarist.  It was a trio.  Due to “legal rights and copyrights” we could not take photos during the performance.  So we kept our integrity and did not. lol.  We met Omara back stage and had a nice conversation about her travels to Latin America…

“She IS an amazing voice and a down to earth lady” Renzo Revelli (Listen Recovery)

UCLA LIVE and LISTEN RECOVERY present: OMARA PORTUONDO

http://www.uclalive.org/

http://www.omaraportuondo.com/