Ana Moura to kick off U.S. tour at the Zeiterion, New Bedford.
NEW BEDFORD — Ana Moura’s soulful contralto voice has marveled audiences around the world, filled prestigious concert halls and even blown away music giants like the Rolling Stones and Prince.
On Feb. 4, the Portuguese fado singer will kick off her U.S. tour at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford.
Ana Moura, who enjoys experimenting with other genres, said she will bring a new flair to the songs that most mark her career, as she will be accompanied by a new trio of musicians.
“I think the influences of everything we hear and experience end up changing our vision of things a little bit, and that way we also end up putting a more personal mark on songs that have been part of fado history for so many years,” said Ana Moura in a phone interview.
The new trio is composed of Bassist Yuri Daniel, who played with Jazz musician Jan Garbarek and will offer a “bolder sound;” Pedro Soares on classic guitar, who also has “a fantastic repertoire;” and Angelo Freire, a 21-year-old Portuguese guitar player, considered “one of the best guitarists at present day.”
Ana Moura will perform songs from her four CDs, including 2009’s “Leva-me Aos Fados (Take Me to the Fados),” which went triple-platinum in Portugal and was 7th on Billboard’s Top World Albums Chart.
At 32, the lush-voiced Santarém native has became one of the most respected fado singers around the globe — she was the first Portuguese artist to set foot on New York Carnegie Hall’s stage and she has sold out prestigious venues all over the world.
Yet, she was drawn to fado by chance, or perhaps, by fate.
She began her singing career in her teens as a rock singer. One night, at age 20, she and some friends went to one of Lisbon’s fado houses. At the urging of her companions, she sang and people listened.
“My first encounter with fado was at a very young age; my parents played and sang on weekends, not professionally, among friends,” said Ana Moura. “As I grew up, I became curious about other musical genres, like soul and rock.”
Later that year, at a Christmas party attended by many fadistas and guitarists, she sang again and noted fado singer Maria da Fé, who was in the audience, invited her to sing at her fado house.
“It was on that night that my path as a fadista was dictated,” said Ana Moura. “It was then that the passion for what fado really represents started… It is the best way to express myself, my inner self, what goes on in my soul. It’s a very intimate type of music that speaks of sentiments.”
Fado even speaks to audiences who do not understand Portuguese, as she believes the soul knows no barriers.
“It wakens up people’s senses, since it’s sung with soul and sentiment. It ends up being a universal language, a sentiment that radiates, and people can feel it even though they don’t understand the poem,” she added.
Take, for example, the Rolling Stones and Prince.
In 2007, Ana Moura was invited to record two songs with The Rolling Stones — “No Expectations” and “Brown Sugar” — for The Rolling Stones Project vol. 2, a collection of Rolling Stones songs interpreted by World Music artists. She also joined the band in concert at the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon singing “No Expectations.”
In 2010, she collaborated with music icon Prince. He performed onstage with Ana Moura in Europe and has also worked with her in the recording studio.
“We did some things together in his studio in Minneapolis as an experiment,” said Ana Moura. “He played some of my songs, I sang some of his, and we sang some songs together by other soul singers. He has an immense liking for the fado, he’s bought my records, and he adores the sound of the Portuguese guitar.”
If the two will work together again remains to be seen. Ana Moura admits there is a good chance such musical collaborations will happen again and may even be included in her upcoming album.
“Yes, yes… but it’s still a kept secret,” she said with a few laughs.
She expects to record the new album shortly after returning to Portugal. It will probably be released at the end of the year.
“I enjoyed these experiences very much,” she said about working with the Rolling Stones and Prince. “They were very gratifying. They were not just unique, but very enriching. It was nice to see that music legends, from rock and funk, have an appreciation for fado. It’s good for us Portuguese, advocates of our culture and of what’s ours. It makes us proud.”
The U.S. tour will also take Ana Moura to UMass Amherst (Feb. 5), New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Berkeley.
As career goes, she said she has “No Expectations.”
“I am not one for setting goals or saying that one day I would like to sing in X concert hall or receive Y award,” she confessed. “I think one of the most beautiful things we have in life is to live in the surprise of what the next day will bring us. My career has offered me so many surprises, with collaborations I never thought could exist. It’s a lot more interesting to live in surprise.”
Ana Moura and her trio perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Zeiterion Theatre, 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford. Tickets are $40, $35, $30 and $25. For more information, call 508-997-5664 or visit www.zeiterion.org.
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