Thursday, October 11
Latin Vocals and Percussion
Perla Batalla's
"Discoteca Batalla"
LAXSON AUDITORIUM | 7:30 p.m.$18 Adult | $15 Senior | $12 Student/Child
"One of the most gifted vocalists I've ever heard." — P. Jesperson, Crawdady Magazine
Renowned for her recordings with Leonard Cohen and K.D. Lang, Perla Batalla returns to her parents' Discoteca (their southern California Latin-American record shop) and invites us to join her. In a multi-media presentation of song and storytelling, Perla weaves a vibrant picture of growing up in an ethnically rich neighborhood, encompassing family, myth, and her own lyrical journey through the unique landscape of Latin American cancion.
The posters and albums are up, the coffee is hot and the pan dulce is out, ready to be broken and dipped. When the open sign is flipped, friends begin to drop by. It the meeting place for the neighborhood — a place to swap stories, recall youth, and meet up with friends.
With this performance, we hear the stories and share the songs that every Latin American kid heard a million times growing up: about "La Llorona," who wanders weeping through the night in search of lost children; "Gracias a La Vida," a song simply thanking life for its simple, abundant beauty; desperate lovers begging the clock to stop on their last night together in "Reloj"; "Caminito," a poem equating the obliteration of a familiar road with the loss of hope, or "CuCuRruCuCu Paloma" where a man dying of a broken heart learns from a dove that to feel unbearable pain is worlds better than to be made of stone.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Discoteca Batalla was a very important place in Los Angeles. This mom and pop discoteca (record store) was a haven for homesick immigrants from all over Latin America. It was a spot to gather, exchange news from home, get the latest Spanish language exitos, or maybe just drink sweet coffee, eat pan dulce, and listen to Javier Solis or Carlos Gardel with the proprietors, Jorge and Barbara Batalla. Jorge, a Mexican immigrant, was a singer and radio disc jockey. Possessed of an encyclopedic knowledge of Latin music, Jorge knew the lyrics to virtually every traditional Spanish language song ever written. Barbara, a native of Argentina, ran the business side.
Whether requested or not, customers could expect to receive an abundance of sage advice from La Dueña Barbara on matters of love, finance, immigration, psychology, child rearing, dental health, home repair or anything else on which she held strong opinions . . . which effectively left out nothing at all. On holidays and special occasions it wasn't uncommon for guitars and tequila to materialize and singing to begin. With the promise of mole poblano, empanadas, posole and carne asada, Jorge's mariachi buddies would arrive and the party would spill from the shop out onto Lincoln Avenue. Unlike in the U.S. where so few know even the second verse to jingle bells, Latin Americans are prone to sing because everyone knows not just the lyrics, but also the stories behind the songs and, most importantly, knows that it's less important to sing perfectly than it is to sing honestly.
Discoteca Batalla closed its doors over 30 years ago. The shop is difficult to envision today, in part due to the explosion of discount music megastores, corporate coffee franchises and anonymous online "communities." And while it may be true that we are what we eat, the things we choose to sing about say much more about us. Songs are our stories — who we are, the roads we've chosen, and the people and dreams we've followed or left behind. As our nation grows in cultural diversity and becomes ever more polarized, the importance of finding common ground through sharing each other's stories is now more crucial than ever.
Perla Batalla's "Discoteca Batalla" is an unforgettable journey through the rich landscape of Latin American cancion. An opportunity for audiences of all types; those who already know and love these songs get the chance to hear one of the best singers of our age interpret them anew; while many hearing them for the first time will leave with both a newfound appreciation of the art form and just maybe a greater understanding of some of their fellow Americans as well.
This performance is supported, in part, with funds provided by the California Presenters and the California Arts Council.
If you enjoy this performer, you might enjoy:
Zap Mama
Lila Downs
Musafir
Youssou N'Dour
Chava Albertein
Anonymous 4 with Darol Anger & Scott Nygaard
Assad Brothers Brazilian Guitar Festival
Peru Negro
Tiempo Libre