You don’t need to know much about Portuguese music to enjoy this concert. Hell, you don’t even need to know Portuguese –Sara and Carminho make sure of that!
Waltzing on stage with salsa toes, Sara Tavares introduces her bandmates: “My family on the stage.” Indeed, Sara is at home on stage, even though she hasn’t been in Vancouver for seven years. But her voice compensates for the lost time. Sara sings with warmth, coaxing the audience into a blissful trance.
“This song is called ‘mar azul’, which translates to ‘blue sea.’ The sea is common among all of us, it touches all of our homes. I hope that this song, like the sea, will wash away all the negativity.”
Before we know it, we’re all standing up, dancing and swaying our hips much like the Portuguese personality before us.
“Sing with me! Oy-yo-yo good vibes! Oy-yo-yo good vibes! Why are you all so quiet? The truth is, nobody is really listening, so come on and sing with me!” The crowd is laughing by now, flushed with dancer’s feet and vocals.
Sara notices the Portuguese flag flapping in the crowd, and cheers for the fact that two thirds of the entire crowd shares her heritage.
She is very popular amongst her newfound family.
Carminho enters the stage in stark contrast. She wears high waisted black pants and six-inch heels, striding her way onto the stage. In the darkness, her first note is a high tremor of heartbreak. Her elbows, knees, and spine contort to each vocal fragment.
“What I sing is frado. It’s so difficult to explain that it’s simple. We sing what we feel in our hearts.”
Carminho navigates the crowd through her lullabies from her mother:
“When I was young, my mom told me a story of a fisherman who had a lot of trouble in the sea. Then suddenly, someone saved him, but he never knew whom. I sing about it because I realize we are all fishermen, and we all go through that rough sea. But we are surrounded by people who help us through all those times.”
From her father:
“My father was a storyteller, and he described to me a girl who always sat by the window, hoping her love would find her. You wish to know if it has a happy ending? Hopefully, because that girl is me!”
And from her to us:
“Repeat after me: bom dia amor –good morning love. If you find your love in Portugal, how will you greet them? And if you’ve already found your love, it’s always good to add some spice!”
Those are, indeed, fantastic Portuguese life lessons.