“We have come to bring the sound of music as a blessing and healing for all you have gone through lately”
With those opening remarks, the husband and wife team of Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda and vocalist Andrea Tierra turned the Moss Theatre into a celebration of family, friends and faith through the power of heavenly music.
And speaking of heavenly, Mr. Castaneda powerfully displayed that the harp is not simply an instrument for celestial beings in the next world. Opening the 90 minute concert in solo format, he mixed sounds and melodies from his heritage with modern jazz ideas and directions. Alternating between using his left hand as a bass line, and right for melody with both hand prancing and plucking out kaleidoscopic colors, Castaneda’s “Cuarto De Colores” feature festive dance modes and moods, while the Pat Metheny/Charlie Haden composition “Spanish Love Song” was a graceful evocation of lyricism and romance and his own “For J aco” a formidable display of digital multi-textured prowess.
Castaneda’s deep Christian faith was not only displayed in his intimate and devotional “ Hechos” (inspired from the book of Acts in the Bible), as the strings flickering like a church candle, but it was also shown in his testimony as when his lovely wife Andrea Tierra joined him on stage, and he explained how they got married within a month of meeting, and how their faith has kept them together as a family and musical team. “My husband is even a better person than musician” beamed Tierra before delivering passionate folk pieces like “Cancion Con Todos” and “Libertango”.
Tierra then let us know how she and her husband have grown both musically and spiritually over the years, particularly during the COVID draconian lockdown. Their teaming up of the Bolero “Amar Y Vivir” (meaning “to love and to live”) had Tierra delivering heartfelt encouragement alongside Castenada’s stringed sketches that mixed chords and single South American-styled notes in such a full bodied tone that his harp sounded like a flamenco guitar wanted to be when it grew up.
Closing with a version of “My Favorite Things” that made you think that the Von Trapps may have escaped to Bogota, Tierra mixed declarative cries with festive Spanish lyrics to Castaneda’s relentless and joyful cadence. The uplifting evening had the two artists remind the appreciative audience of what is really important in life, namely faith, family and friends. Who’s coming with us to church next morning?!?
Upcoming shows sponsored by the Jazz Bakery include Carmen Lundy 04/05 and Diego Figueiredo & Ken Peplowski 05/24