An exponent of the great legion of Natal (Rio Grande do Norte) musicians who emigrated to Italy, Ligia França dedicated herself with tenacity in the diffusion of Brazilian Popular Music, with particular attention in that genre that Brazil successfully exported in the world, bossa nova . The connections between Italy and Brazil are many, and Ligia arrives in Milan in 1994, invited for the inauguration of a Brazilian place; in 1996 returns to two months of tour and again in 1997 participates in concerts and festivals in all the peninsula. "I did not go to Italy, I was always called," says the singer, "who since 1998 resides in our country and after living in Bergamo and Turin, she lives in Dolo, in the province of Venice.
This first album of Ligia França is not very recent, being of its period of stay in Turin, but was published only in the summer of 2006: sooner than never of anyway. The album contains original compositions by artists from Natal, with Pedrinho Mendes, Babal, Roberto Taufic, Romildo and Fabio Fernandes. The title of this work, optimally arranged by guitarist Roberto Taufic, - who took care of all the details of the recording - was given by a song, Vida (Bossa for Ligia), written by jazz pianist Raffaele Olivieri (but the texts are by the Brazilian singer) . The album is completed with excellent versions of songs by famous Brazilian authors such as Ivan Lins (Iluminados), Djavan (Muito Obrigado) and Caetano Veloso (A Rã).
Ligia should not be estimated only for being an excellent "Brazilian singer", but also for her qualities as an exquisite vocalist, able to pass, in her warm and attractive voice, from the lower to the higher tones. But it is mainly a true interpreter of the authentic musical tradition of his country. Even today, in her approach to bossa nova, samba-canção and Northeastern musical tradition, the influence of the never-forgotten Elis Regina, unanimously considered the greatest Brazilian interpreter of the last forty years, is clear. "Especially the region of the Northeast, where I was born, is rich in musical traditions, here the Europeans arrived, here slaves from Africa came ashore. It all started in the Northeast, which is Brazil "true", says Ligia proudly - "the samba also, which everyone wants from Rio origin, is actually born in Bahia. Ours is a song made from roots, but it is full of demands for renovation, experimentation, research...
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Ligia França (voce/vocal)
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Paolo Porta (sax tenore e soprano, flauto)
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Danilo Pala (sax alto)
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Roberto Taufic (chitarre/guitars, samples, banjo, cavaquinho)
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Romulo Duarte (basso/bass)
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Gilson Silveira (percussioni/percussions)
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Simon Papa (voce/vocal)