Sponsored article courtesy of the Gaithersburg Arts Barn.
By Cindy Majane
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36017/performance/11358695
When jazz singer Irene Jalenti was little (and knew only Italian), the music of other languages still spoke to her emotions and feelings. As an adult, her strikingly rich cello-like tone is equally impressive across five languages! A creative force on the Baltimore jazz scene since 2010, Irene was excited to talk about her latest project.
The concept for her June 1st concert began with the exploration of the influence that Italian immigrants had on Latin American music. People of Italian descent form the majority of the population of Argentina, and 28 million Brazilians are of Italian descent as well. For example, Argentinian tango composer Astor Piazolla and bossa nova Brazilian guitarist & composer Luiz Bonfá were sons of Italian immigrants – both had a huge impact on the music of their countries.
“The concert is called ‘Terra-Mar’ because it’s the story of the immigrant journey,” explained Irene, “starting with the land ‘Terra’ and going through ‘Mar,’ the sea; navigating an ocean to reach Latin America and follow their dreams. In some cases, these dreams turned out to be music and poetry… They shaped the future of a style of music.”
Joining her at the Arts Barn will be Cristian Perez, an Argentine-American 7-string guitarist, composer, and arranger based in Northern Virginia. Cristian has performed throughout the world, including Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, and South Korea; and he is very active in the greater D.C. area. He is a former artist-in-residence at Strathmore and won two Wammie awards for his work with Project Locrea. Cristian collaborated on two songs for Irene’s celebrated first album Dawn – we are excited to have them performing together again!!
Irene says the concert will be “…an intimate journey into the human experience of leaving a land to go somewhere to follow your dreams and finding a new home… From a soft and sweet, melodic song of love, to a more tumultuous (and maybe a little melancholic and nostalgic) groove.” It’s about “… finding inspiration and purpose in a new place, but never forgetting where they came from. Immigrants have these two worlds we have to coexist in; sometimes we find ourselves a little lost as to which one is the home. This confusion in our feelings [translates into] different kinds of grooves, rhythms and melodies of the music.”
“People don’t empathize with immigrants much,” Irene notes, “I understand that I was like that before I became an immigrant. It’s difficult to really relate to an experience that you have never lived. I wanted to bring a little bit of awareness, a different perspective, into why people might move to a different place, and also how they feel. Maybe, with one song or two songs, maybe you can make two or three people feel differently… To have a little more empathy and grace towards somebody who just moved here. Even the simple act of having a little more patience talking to them and letting them take their time to express something in the non-native language [makes a difference.]”
“I try to communicate human emotions through the music. I’m not trying to change anybody’s mind or their beliefs, I’m trying to bring more humanity where it, maybe, is a little lacking. I believe that’s the power of the arts – to bring up emotions and feelings.”
Irene enthused, “The Arts Barn is a beautiful listening venue, it’s small, more personal and intimate. I love to look at everybody, I like the vibe. I hope people will be excited and motivated to come to the performance!”
Join Irene and Cristian June 1st at 8:00 p.m. for a musical journey from Italy to Latin America, with old traditions and new, sadness and laughter, celebrating our common humanity.
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36017/performance/11358695
