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Azul y Serena

by Lourdes Perez

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1.
1. Serena Serene serene blue and serene the white lily flower i have come to offer you serene dark, little face the white lily flower i have come to offer you to adorn your dress that came lit with stars they saw you on the way to the laurel groves and angelic painters combined the colors rained by the aurora borealis river of love river of love beautiful woman of the daybreak... river of love river of love black woman of the daybreak... to adorn your dress that came lit with stars they saw you on the way to the laurel groves crowned victorious a rose kissed the cloak sealing the divine and the earthly river of love... serene....
2.
2. Nombrando rumbos Naming paths i am from the birthplace of the river the tiny stone, the morning dew i am and i have the most unusual voice of the bird who announces the sun i am snow/mount/desert the hope that has not died the moisture of the one who is alive i am a memory i am the silouette that loses itself in the truth path, path, tricks of smoke and mirrors love cannot bear walls...come! careful that amongst the beautiful things you do not entomb the stars...see! let our plea soar above the flames...see! this mortally wounded world those with defeated hearts i have come to see i have come naming the paths truth opens the way and where one path closes another will open
3.
4. Segun quien cuente According to who is telling the story 1531 - according to what history tells us - she appeared to juan diego like, directly from the heavens a precious dark woman of poetic oratory cuatlesupe - or guadalupe - ...depending on who's telling it all the way in puerto rico I knew of it this imposing image of a woman without shoes stomping on a serpent! those were times of conquest and of colonization there are many points of view one has to pay attention they say that if you don't smarten up you will be swept away by the current! i want to know your opinion eva, in front of this audience tonight in san ntonio ...or mexico, depending on who's telling it is this mystery true? or was it a convenient miracle? lourdes, dear sister the story has already been proven i don't know why you look for the fifth leg on a cat if that's what you came for you should have stayed in your house in guanajuato you, who knows so much about conquest, war and colonization and of all those points of view you need to pay attention to me it is said that those who don't smarten up are swept away by the current here goes my opinion tonight in front of this audience in my house, san antonio ...mexico, depending on who's telling it to me our little virgin is the bridge of the americas but you should have already known this? ...didn't you used to be intelligent? because i bring forth an argument you question my intelligence? you sound to me like the government so at ease in your complacency hiding behind the divine providence listen to me, four times she appeared, this bridge but no one wanted to believe an indian who was a servant always looking for "signs" the impatient bishops! the immaculate, merciful one seeing their incredulity sent them a mantle of roses with her true face and then they said to juan diego, "come in, your majesty" and through the front door entered juan and he was honored the conquest was of the mind mestizaje, consecrated alll that was aztec or independent was relegated to myth ...that is what people say it is not something i invented following your argument here is another point of view that does not have the elements of colonizers or conquest just to prove to you that the divine is wise: to send us a dark-skinned woman by way of a beautiful song she did not appear to the bishop but to an indian in the countryside as a consolation to the poor to alleviate their sorrows she spoke not in spanish but in a beautiful nahuatl a dress with a flower, xochitl and a special touch - it had a constellation not an imperial crown instead of gold she brought roses and she was winning over a dangerous animal with a deadly bite what a metaphor you present to me the story inside out from zapata to chavez the guadalupana is a symbol of hope of a culture, its faith (2x) we are your little ones protected beneath your shadow what else is there to need? liberated are those who name you
4.
4. Mosaico Mosaic Tribute to Jesse Treviño an incarnate illusion a miracle is existence it is alive universe from the nothingness an infinite journey loud, entertaining uncontrollable, unmeasurable beautiful, impertinent jesse, it is an imposing mystery it is a mosaic, this life every nuance is planned the spirit molds it it makes the idea of red with gold, tangible then the delineated face the image, reappeared constellation on fire and in a brilliant reflection jesse, in front of you is a mirror it is a mosaic, your life brother, luck changed you vile war, that animal broke the beautiful crystal and death danced close by instead of this embittering you the skill, already learned rose up in a fury and the soul united the parts jesse, you are a masterpiece and your life, a mosaic and it is because piece by piece like each petal of the flower the pain of the memory of an arm transforms itself into a violent brushstroke the colorful vengeance the distinguished beauty of a colossal statue add it up, jesse, and in total it is a mosaic, your life jesse and the villareals present us this december with the most precious gift - our loyal mother
5.
5. ¡Ay, María ven !oh, mary come! chorus: oh, mary come, mary come, mary come! cross of my arms maternal lap lose me in your embrace come! anoint me beautiful with rose water and simple things come, come, come! a sonorous voice at the arrival of the morning star announces you, dear lady come! a sonorous voice at the arrival of the morning star announces you, dear lady come, come, come!
6.
Santuarios 07:15
5. Santuarios Sanctuaries (complete version) 6. sanctuaries a candle goes out the smoke lifts to the heavens in my memory i will light it again with my own eyes, witness so many processions of towns and of histories there is more than enough bread no misunderstandings a light, a mantle, rose petals and two beautiful birds pass by to see god's emissary owner of his artistry centenary dust you know the feet and to the visitor you offer sanctuary/ plaza, the ordinary today it is sacred and the visionaries see a world upside down/ a sea of hats noisy children headscarves, shawls 1-2-3/ long live faith and happy times and to all who celebrate the sacredness of being i come from the dream of not owning anything/ sun, moon and firewood have been my home/ being that which is distant free and errant making the road... i come from the dream of not owning anything/ sun, moon and firewood have been my home/ being that which is distant free and errant making the road by walking i come from the dream of not owning anything/ sun, moon and firewood have been my home/ being that which is distant free and errant and being the road that is walked
7.
7. te buscaré i will find you if i could hold your hand shorten distances cross the sea play the game where we dream a new world where to play i bring marbles i bring paintbrushes i bring watercolors i bring stones i bring memories of sweet lullabies that my grandma used to sing and spinning we will dance until we feel that we can fly your hand i will hold tight so that the fear cannot come in and we will dance and we will spin until we feel that we can fly fear is a game and we will win if we hold both hands you and i my little ones, my little ones close to you i will stay i give you this embrace and this handkerchief for the road that you will face i will find you i will find you
8.
Ave Maria 03:17
9.
10.
10. espero que esta carta te encuentre i hope this letter finds you (is the opening greeting of letters in many Latin American countries, “I hope this letter finds you” is usually followed by “in good health and spirits”) now they are eliminating the doves freedom - they've counted its days and i don't want to even imagine what is on the horizon mother, more than ever, i require your company i don't mean to sadden you because i love you to bring you good news, is what i would prefer it's that the more the world pains me the more i call you to me mother, more than ever, i require your company take me by the hand give me the security of seeing like one that has just been born the innocence the affection the miracle of being the tenderness the freshness of the earth at the time of rain the beauty the firmness of the guamá tree at the time of flowering mother, tell me who is going to redeem what has been lost?

about

All lyrics and music by Lourdes Pérez unless otherwise noted.
Original lyrics/librettos are all in Spanish
Provided are English translations.

This thematic work was commissioned by a Ford Foundation Grant for the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center to inaugurate a 4-story high, handcut tile mosaic of the Mexican cultural icon, La Virgen de Guadalupe, by artist Jesse Treviño in San Antonio, Texas (SEE PHOTO: www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13364) .

ABOUT AZUL Y SERENA:
Puerto Rican composer and performer Lourdes Pérez was commissioned to create a tribute concert and studio recording for the unveiling of one of the world's largest artistic representations of the "Virgen de Guadalupe." Her breathtaking new CD, Azul y Serena, is the result.

The ceremony to unveil Jesse Treviño's 4-story high, hand-cut tile mosaic/sculpture was held on December 12th in the streets outside the historic Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St in San Antonio, Texas where Pérez performed the 60 minute tribute live, accompanied the Dama de Noche Orchestra.

The stellar, 7-piece orchestra included the all-female Tosca String Quintet, San Antonio's accordion queen Eva Ybarra, and Indian multi-instrumentalist Oliver Rajamani. Special guest vocalists, 11 yr. old Sarai Rodriguez and 8 yr. old Michele Yamin joined Perez and the orchestra to sing, "Te buscare," both in the studio and for the live performance.

This 10-song album is a trip through the genetic memory of this continent and is already being called, "a music box filled with precious gems." Azul y Serena includes "Mosaico," a moving tribute to the artist, who lost his painting arm in Vietnam and created the mosaic with one hand and one hook, "Segun quien cuente" an irreverent duel between Lourdes and Eva over the apparition, the flamenco-inflamed "Nombrando Rumbos" featuring Rajamani, the lush danza "Serena," and an unforgettable arrangement of the "Ave Maria" with "Las Mananitas." The final song, "Espero que esta carta te encuentre," is a moving, hand-written letter to the dark mother in the face of war.

Perez' music in general and Azul y Serena in particular, is contemporary roots music at its best. In her music, the spiritually and politically passionate genres of cante jondo, fado, nueva cancion, música jíbara and the versador traditions of Puerto Rico and Mexico, are incarnated in a modern, vibrant voice.

Pérez says: "To me this project embodies the most precious elements of Latin American culture and artistic expression. It is hard to miss the beauty and significance of constructing a giant, dark-skinned woman of peace, in Texas, especially at this moment in history. I'm honored to be a part of it."

Pérez is a native of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico and was based in Austin, Texas for many years. Pérez now makes her home in Guanajuato, Mexico. She has performed internationally since the mid-90's and has released four previous albums as well as a CD single in Arabic and Spanish that benefits Palestinian children. A highly celebrated, independent artist known for her distinctive contralto voice and human rights work, Pérez has performed duets with numerous legendary artists, among them Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa and Canadian recording artist Jane Siberry.

The Dama de Noche Orchestra, which takes its name from the "night-blooming cereus flower," performs music written and arranged by Lourdes Pérez and Annette D'Armata Candela and its members are soloists, bandleaders and recording artists in their own right.

OF INTEREST: Lourdes Pérez is a prolific composer who does not read or write standard musical notation. Instrument lines were individually sung into a recorder and then transposed to the page by musician Kay Rivers Kidd with the help of translation software, Sibellius, over one very long weekend. Sheet music was then produced for the Quintet.

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released June 10, 2013

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Lourdes Perez Puerto Rico

Lourdes Pérez (b. 1961 San Sebastian, Puerto Rico) is a prolific, contemporary recording artist, songwriter, composer, arranger, poet, vocalist and guitarist. Considered by many to be “among the great Latin American female vocalists” and songwriters, she has performed duets onstage with diverse artists, from Argentinean singer Mercedes Sosa to pop artist Jane Siberry. ... more

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