Music: Lisbon nights

Anyone who's seen Lisbon Story will remember the film's beautiful fado music. On February 22 Warsaw gets a live taste as well, when fado singer Mariza performs at Sala Kongresowa. 

Fado emerged in the 19th century in the poor harbor towns in Portugal. "Fado means doom, fate, destiny. It is a melancholic style performed by one vocalist to the accompaniment of two guitars ... It is the music of town, night entertainment and pubs," explains Dionizy Pištkowski, president of the Era Jazzu (Jazz Era) project. For a long time fado was a traditional folk music known only in Portugal and performed at local festivals or family occasions. 

However soon it crossed Portugal's borders and, like flamenco in Spain, became a national export.  Today it is enjoying a renaissance. In Lisbon tourists flock to pubs playing fado, CDs of the genre are selling by the million and fado singers attract audiences to the most prestigious concert halls in the world. 

Much of the credit for the popularization of fado goes to Lisbon Story and to Mariza, who also performed in the film. She has been singing fado since the age of five. In 2001 she recorded her first album and critics immediately heralded her as one of the greatest fado singers. One Portuguese composer said of her, "She is a charming supernatural being, someone sent by God to revive fado."

Mariza has received a number of prestigious awards, including the BBC Radio 3 World Music Artist Award, the German Record Critics' Award and a Golden Globe. She has performed in many of the world's most famous concerts halls.

Log on to www.jazz.pl   for more details.