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Uschi
Ottl (Ött) 7.04. 06, Augsburger
Allgemeine Zeitung
Translated by Florin Bican |
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Germany
has welcomed Charito...
During her first and,
so far, only concert in
Europe, hosted by Augsburg's
recently restored Augustana
Hall, Japan's megastar
took the audience by storm,
unleashing a hurricane
of emotion which swept
them of their feet, driving
them to unprecedented
heights of trance-like
enthusiasm. In Asia Charito
is hailed as a most charismatic
jazz singer, while in
Europe her name only elicits
appreciative response
from connoisseurs. She
performed the hottest
numbers in her newly released
collection to the accompaniment
of young local musicians.
Tim Allhoff (piano), Harry
Alt (drums), Kay Fischer
(saxophone) and Martin
Schmidt (bass) rose to
the occasion with flawless
ease. It took the band
half a year to shape up
for the challenge of keeping
up with the outstanding
singer. They'd been practicing
the pieces they performed
with nothing but a CD
to start from. It was
two years ago at a workshop
in Poland that Thomas
Burzler of Augsburg first
met this unique musician,
who originally comes from
the Philippines (Manila).
On that occasion she spontaneously
agreed to sing at the
opening concert inaugurating
the Anna Event jazz series.
It was a charity concert,
and the proceeds went
to the Philippine street
children whose well being
is the purpose of an ongoing
project Charito has been
involved in for quite
a few years now, back
in her native country.
Over the past two decades,
the artist has been known
from Tokyo to New York
(where she has recently
sung with Herbie Hancock)
as one of the big names
on the international jazz
scene. She effortlessly
steps from one culture
into another with a natural
grace reflected in the
highly expressive individuality
of her style. She seems
so identify with the spirit
of music, and thus transcend
all borders. With amazing
ease she switches from
jazz to swing, from funk
to soul. Among the influences
she acknowledges as shaping
her style, Ella Fitzgerald
and Sarah Vaughan feature
next to Stevie Wonder.
Charito's latest CD, Non-stop
to Brazil, her ninth to
be released so far, was
granted the Best Vocal
Award 2004 by Swing Journal
Magazine. This Lady is
indeed a phenomenon. Her
radiant temperament and
her soft, emotion-packed
voice allow her to breathe
fresh life into such classics
as Lullaby of Birdland
and Caravan. For the space
of three hours she managed
to transform the dignified
Augustana Hall into a
New York jazz club, with
exotic Asian overtones
thrown in for good measure.
The musician engaged in
non-verbal communication
with the ecstatic audience,
taking full advantage
of the universality of
musical discourse. She
expressed genuine excitement
at being in Germany for
the first time, and was
delighted about Anna,
as she chose to refer
to the event. She sang
in perfect harmony with
the Augsburg musicians.
Tim Allhoff's exquisite
performance on the piano
verged on the fascinating.
The audience packing the
hall to the very last
seat was spellbound by
Charito's riveting presence.
Such standards as They
Say it's Wonderful and
I've got you under my
skin benefited from highly
original renditions -
they were highly charged
with soul feeling as they
eerily wafted through
the hall. Her version
of Stevie Wonder's Why
I feel this way was most
impressive through an
original mixture of cool
jazz and high-grade live
funk. Charito is the jazz
singer par excellence,
and it is not her voice
alone that earns her the
reputation. On stage she
seems to embody the very
essence of motion, while
her every pore seems to
be oozing with the lifeblood
of jazz. After the break
she performed songs from
her recent collection
Non-stop to Brazil - Charito
meets Ivan Lins, recorded
in 2004 in Sao Paolo.
Come fly is a tempestuous
love declaration to the
world of samba and tropical
sound. When you are near
and Non-stop to Brazil
swept the enraptured audience
into the sensuous dream
worlds of Latin rhythm.
With a breathtaking dialogue
between the piano and
her incredible voice as
an encore, Charito took
leave from an absolutely
dazzled audience, not
before promising to be
back in Augsburg next
year. To experience Charito
live in a performance
rising to the highest
imaginable standards worldwide
is about as close as one
can get to experiencing
the unforgettable. |
