Soul Divas || Bellas Artes

Soul Divas

May 25
7:00 pm

Bellas Artes

By Tere Urtusástegui

This month’s concert for the 25th International San Miguel Jazz and Blues Festival will honor the female singing stars known as The Soul Divas: Aretha Franklyn, Etta James, and Nina Simone. Mark your calendars for May 25 and come to the Bellas Artes Auditorium for this major treat.

Soul music, a popular music genre that originated in the African American community in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s, combines elements of African American gospel music, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening to in the US, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic, and Stax were influential during the civil rights movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.

Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. She found acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” and “Think,” propelled her past her musical peers. By the end of the 1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as “The Queen of Soul.”

Etta James (Jamesetta Hawkins), an American singer who performed in genres that included blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz, and gospel, started her career in 1954. She gained fame with the hits “At Last,” “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.”

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, known professionally as Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned a broad range of musical styles, including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and soul. Some of its most representative songs are “Feeling Good,” “My Baby Just Care for Me,” and “Be My Husband.”

Musicians participating in this concert include: singers María Piedra, Ana Karen Aboytes, and Aurora Nunez; pianist Pablo González; guitarist Roger Vargas; drummer Rick Shlosser; and bassist and musical director Antonio Lozoya.

Tickets are available at the Cultural Center El Nigromante cafeteria at Bellas Artes, or through PayPal : www.sanmigueljazz.com.mx/tickets.html.

The festival is a nonprofit organization preserving the jazz and blues culture in México. If you want to support this organization with a donation, please visit our site www.sanmigueljazz.com.mx, and we will gladly give you details about the benefits for your contribution.