NPR wrote that Concha Buika’s voice doesn’t come from inside her petite body: It comes from Africa, and from the past. There are obvious traces of flamenco, itself a historical mash-up of the Moors and various transitory cultures in southern Spain and north Africa.
During her flights of improvisation, we also hear the influence of Cuban vocalist Celia Cruz, a product of Afro-Cuban culture, mixed in with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the pinnacle of African-American jazz vocal expression.
Since her introduction to the American marketplace in 2007 with her album Mi Niña Lola (My Little Girl Lola), Buika has experienced a meteoric rise, earning lavish praise from The New York Times, The Miami Herald, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as NPR which quickly included her in their “50 Great Voices” radio gallery.
Her next release, Niña de Fuego (Fire Child) paved the way for relocation to Miami in 2011. After achieving success in Europe, her works were compiled on the 2-CD set En Mi Piel (In My Skin) to coincide with the Pedro Almodovar movie of the same name in which she appeared. Buika was nominated for a Grammy for best Latin Jazz album this year, for her latest album La Noche Mas Larga.
Part of the free shows at SummerStage in Central Park, Sunday, June 22 at 7:00pm, FREE
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