Inside Portugal

Fevereiro/February 2009

Mariza, the Fado, and Lisbon

They say that the music of Fado is as old as Portugal, though it has African and Moorish roots as well. Fado is a particularly Portuguese genre of music embraced throughout the ages by the nobility, the poor, the prostitutes and the bullfighters. It has survived the centuries, often after being dismissed as irrelevant. Someone always comes along to make the ancient song sound new again. At the moment, that someone is Mariza (Marisa dos Reis Nunes), a 34-year-old woman who is considered the great Fado singer of her generation. But, as with the history of this song, her life is a tale of many lands, and a certain neighborhood set between the ancient Alfama and the commercial heart of Lisbon. Mariza stared signing in eh Alfama and Moravia, and has gone on to perform this iconic music in venues throughout Europe and the United States. Mariza will return to the U.S. in 2009 as her new album, "Terra," is released to U.S. markets.  In so doing, she will be sharing a glimpse into the very soul of Portugal.

See Mariza.com

Read a full review of the new album here:

Source: http://www.songlines.co.uk/topoftheworld/top-of-the-world.php?id=36

 ++A bit of Fado history and soul

Can a song define a people? Some say that the songs of a sad people are happy, and the songs of a happy people are often sad. But Portugal's Fado is neither sad nor happy--it is cathartic. In its verses of suffering, survival, loss and death, a sense of hope and survival always prevails. Fado transports the listener back in time to a mythical place that erases the present pain. The Portuguese have a particular word for the feeling Fado invokes—saudade—a longing to return to a place in time that never existed, a fictional past. The word Fado literally means "fate," It is, however, not meant to imply a fate we can't escape, but one we can transcend and view through the history of human emotion.

Though the Fado style and lyrics often display intense suffering, it has a lighter side. Some songs describe the conquests, love affairs and life experiences of various communities in Portugal. The music's popularity was built in "Fado houses" where Fado singers needed a professional license to perform it.

++ Mariza continues the revival of a fading tradition

Thirty years ago, Fado was written off for dead. People associated it with the fascist regime that was finally deposed on April 25, 1974. The music was bourgeois. No one under 30 wanted anything to do with it. Then, younger artists began experimenting with the style, adding their own touches.  Today, Mariza has emerged as one of the new voices of the ancient song. At 35 years old, she has sung Fado at major venues throughout Europe, America, Africa and Australia. She has also been nominated for two Grammy awards, and her albums have all gone Platinum.

++Mariza,  the "Fadista", is born:

"I started listening when I was five years old when Fernando Mauricio -- in some way he was the king of the Fado -- used to come to sing in my parent's tavern. He had a jazzy way of singing, but he was such a traditional person. He never wanted to sing in a big theater, on big stages…to make him happy, you just had to give him a taverna and some friends…I try the whole time to listen to the old Fado singers because we don't have schools or conservatories. It is an oral tradition; we have to live on the streets, in the old neighborhoods… You just have to be there at the right time and you just have to listen. The message is passed on from the old singers to the younger generation."

 - Mariza

Like the Fado, Mariza has an international story. Born in Mozambique, her family moved to Portugal when she was three. She grew up in the heart of the Mouraria district of Lisbon, one where Fado flourished. Many of the great singers of the Fado, such as Julia Florista and Maria Severa, sang in the Mouraria district.

Fado played a huge role in the life of this neighborhood. It still survives, very much like it was in the time of the Fado singer Severe. The Taverna de Poco Largo here offers a traditional Portuguese lunch. Visitors will be surrounded by locals, lunch is about 15 euros, and Fado is heard most evenings.

++ Mariza on Fado style and history

"Fado happened in the tavern(s), with wine and people sitting around tables just singing. Fado players weren't professional; they had other jobs -- a plumber, a taxi driver or something like that. But they knew how to play the Portuguese guitar and they knew another person who knew how to sing…People are there just drinking a glass of red wine and suddenly someone starts singing. That's what we call free Fado. The Portuguese guitar is very important because if you sing something melancholy it is like the guitar is almost crying, but if you sing something happy the guitar comes alive and makes very up tempo rhythms so the guitar is the base to make Fado music. If you sing Fado only with an acoustic guitar it would just be another folk song. Each guitarist has his own technique because we have no schools. You learn from the traditions.

- Mariza

++A Lisbon song

Steeped in history, Lisbon is famous for its tile-covered façades and the stunning views from the tops of its seven hills. You can ride through its historic quarters in a tram or just soak up the city's special atmosphere on the terrace of one of its many cafés.

"The capital of my country is the only one in Europe where the sun sets over the sea. Lisbon is a city of contrasts where history and modernity are to be found standing hand in hand on the banks of the River Tejo. The places where I can see other Fado singers, where I don't feel an obligation to sing like at a concert, it's just for fun. And walking in the streets of Lisbon inspires me. It's inspiration all the time. It's like having a big painting and it's changing all the time because it has life, the light changes and suddenly you see a bird or you see a trolley passing. Lisbon today has top-quality hotels and restaurants, where you can sample a real gourmet menu. But don't leave the city without tasting the famous cream tarts known as "pastéis de Belém" or without enjoying a cruise on the river. You will take back with you fond memories of Lisbon's beautiful light and its skyline of rooftops and domes, one of the few European cities that combines both river and sea."

--Mariza

 ++Mariza on the Fado style and history

 "We have about 200 tra
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