Feria del Mariachi | Sunday, Sept. 28th Alternative Latin Stage 5:45pm – 7:15pm
Lila Downs(pronounced Lee/La) is a bi-cultural singer/songwriter raised in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca(a state of southern Mexico) and in Minnesota. Her mother is a mixtec indian, one of sixteen native indian groups in Oaxaca. Her father, was a painter/cinematographer/biologist who taught at the University of Minnesota. Exploring and expressing Mexico's rich culture has been a lifelong passion for Lila.
Living in such varied environments, Downs took after her mother’s stage career by singing mariachi tunes at age 8. Her career continued to evolve, studying voice as a teenager in Los Angeles and then in Oaxaca City at Bellas Artes, before graduating with a double degree in voice and anthropology from the University of Minnesota. But it was only through music that Downs reconciled her heritage. “It took a long time to decide that I wanted to sing,” she says. “Something needed to motivate me.” That motivation was the songs and stories of the Oaxacan people. Her Mixtec mother spurred Downs to sing songs with sentimiento — a deep, almost empathic emotion which has left audiences of all cultures and countries spellbound.
In 1994 Lila met Paul Cohen, ex-circus clown and jazz musician and together they began composing with folk traditions and contemporary music.
Lila and Paul began recording in 1999, and the CD "La Sandunga"was the result. The came "Yutu Tata/Tree of Life,"(2000)inspired by the mythological account in the 16th century Codex Vindobonesis telling of the first Mixtec people being born from trees, and "Border/La linea"(2001), dedicated to the Mexican migrants, the collection of songs exposed the plight of migrant workers as well as the hardships and racism endured by indigenous peoples.
Lila contributed to the music in the movie Frida, an Oscar winning soundtrack, leading her to perform on the Oscars ceremony with Caetano Veloso in 2003. In 2004 Lila and Paul moved to New York, and started collaborating with N.Y. musicians and musicians from Chile, Cuba and Brazil. In 2005, their album : "Una Sangre/One Blood"won a Latin Grammy. Her most recent CD, "La Cantina: “Entre Copa y Copa...” marks a unique turn, as she focuses intently on the rich and familiar repertoire of Mexico's beloved cancion ranchera tradition, giving it her particular spin.
Lila was recently invited by PBS producer Gustavo Santaolalla to sing various arias with the Twelve girls band in Shanghai, China. The TV special will be airing in June of 2007. She is also to be featured in Carlos Saura's upcoming film about Portugal's "fado", a deeply soulful form of music, which has a lot in common with mexican "ranchera"music, which originates from the local "taverna" or "cantina". The musicians in the band are: from Paraguay/Mexico, Celso Duarte(harp) , from Brazil, Guilherme Monteiro(guitar), from New York, Rob Curto(accordion)and Booker King(bass), from Chile, Yayo Serka(drums and percussion), and from New Jersey musical director Paul Cohen(tenor saxophone and clarinet). Each brings his particular musical slant to Downs’ highly distinctive sound.
Filmographers Elena Pardo and Johnny Moreno have created the visuals that accompany the live performances.
