Songstress draws jazz and world music fans

PORTLAND — On Saturday, Feb. 20, Portland Ovations will present songstress Maria de Barros of Cape Verdean, an island republic off the west coast of Africa and ancestral home of her parents.

Cape Verdean jazz is a sub-genre with wide appeal among both jazz and world music fans.

An evocative songwriter, de Barros' music is steeped in the cultural traditions of the Cape Verde Islands but also includes influences from France, Spain, Portugal, Senegal and Latin countries, where she has lived or visited.

Her voice and exquisite phrasing coupled with rhythms and inspiring world music have gained her notoriety and an eclectic group of fans.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Hannaford Hall on the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus.

Prior to the performance, Ovations Offstage, Portland Ovations' community outreach and education program, will host a lecture by George Hillman, a contributor to Maine's Visible Black History project who has a four-generation family history tied to the Cape Verde Islands.

Concert tickets are $34, $10 for students. They are available through PortTix by calling 842-0800 and online at www.portlandovations.org.

Cape Verdean singer-songwriter Maria de Barros will perform Saturday, Feb. 20, in Portland.