In the space of just a few years, Mariza has gone from an unknown singer of a barely remembered musical style to a major star across Europe and a celebrity in her home country of Portugal. Fado — the style she has championed — has in turn been recognised as one of the most important and fertile native musical idioms on the continent.

I believe that these cultural exchanges have helped to contribute to a greater knowledge and maturity, which is completely necessary for singing fado

Her latest work, Transparente, will delight audiences and divide critics because it has a more lush and orchestrated feel than previous albums did. For Mariza, “Transparente, reflects my maturity as a singer and embodies an unstoppable search for my sonority, for my fado.

“With Jacques Morelenbaum’s help as producer, I was able to achieve a greater intimacy, not only with music but with poetry as well. For this intimacy I had — as I always do — to do some research about poets from my country in order to find poetry in which I can see myself, for me to show the world a sonority which I crave more and more for being my own.”

Jacques Morelenbaum, perhaps better known as Caetano Veloso’s musical director, is a veteran of over 500 recordings and one of those producers who can play every instrument, adapt any style to their purpose and achieve almost any result with an artist. He is also connected with: Egberto Gismonti, Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Carlinhos Brown and Ryuichi Sakamoto. If you could choose someone to help you on the search for your own voice, he would be pretty high on the list of any musician.

Whatever the challenges in developing her voice and in the selection of poetry, the process of recording the album was pretty idyllic, “It was wonderful. We flew to Rio de Janeiro, because Jacques Morelenbaum’s entire working environment is in Brazil. For two months, I didn’t do anything but thinking, working, and singing on this new album.

“I woke up every morning and waited for the hour to start working. It was very good for me. Besides having the chance to meet and work with new musicians, it helped me to concentrate completely on my new album.”

Certainly, the new LP shows an artist who has successfully developed her sound and introduced new musical elements into her work at a rate that allows her to grow as an artist without losing touch with her base, the fado fans around the world who see in this extravagantly presented singer something of the magic of Amália Rodriguez.

In contrast with the process of recording her latest album, Mariza knows as she embarks on a huge tour that life on the road is not always so easy, “Sometimes it’s very hard work. But it’s very rewarding, due to the fact that I’m able to show my music to different cultures and in different countries.”

In fact, she takes it further than that, for her there is an element of hardship that is necessary to allow her to develop as an artist of that most tortured of musical forms, “I believe that these cultural exchanges, and my traveling around the world, have helped to contribute towards a greater knowledge and maturity, which is completely necessary for singing fado.”

The third album was never going to be easy. How do you please fado traditionalists and offer something fresh and personal? When I last spoke to her, she told me that she was open to different kinds of music but unlikely to go down a more obvious commercial route. “Time will tell the directions, but there will always be fado in my way of singing… even if I’m not singing fado.”

With the help of Jaques Morelenbaum, it is clear that Mariza has pulled it off once again and, like its predecessors, Transparente is certain to top the world music charts this summer.

Read our interview with Mariza from last summer

Discography:
Fado em Mim
Fado Curvo
Mariza — Live In London DVD
Transparente released on Real World
All links go to amazon.co.uk

New: Pictures of her London gig at the Royal Festival Hall, 2005

MARIZA TOUR SCHEDULE 2005

6 August 2005 Santa Cruz, Campo de Tiro-Portugal
8 August 2005 V. Real d.Stº António, Praça d.Vila Real-Portugal
12 August 2005 Moita-Praça de Toiros-Portugal
14 August 2005 Valença do Minho, Praça Forte-Portugal
3 September 2005 Sta.M.d.Feira, 500 A.d.Festasd.Fogaceiras-Portugal
8 September 2005 Angr.d.Heroísmo, Açores, Ctr.Cult.d.Congr.-Portugal
9 September 2005 S.Miguel,Açores, Ttro Micaelense-Portugal
12 September 2005 Carre, Amsterdam-Netherlands
17 September 2005 Câmara de Lobos Madeira-Portugal
24 September 2005 Chan Ctr Perf. Arts, Vancouver, BC-Canada
25 September 2005 Winspeare Center, Edmonton, AB-Canada
27 September 2005 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON-Canada
1 October 2005 Berklee Performing Arts Center, Boston-USA
4 October 2005 American Theater, Hampton, VA – USA
6 October 2005 Lisner Auditorium, Washington DC-USA
7 October 2005 Carnegie Hall, NY City, NY-USA
9 October 2005 Kimmel Center, Philadelphia-USA
12 October 2005 Gusman Theater, Miami -USA
14 October 2005 Buckman Performance Center, Memphis, TN- USA
16 October 2005 Humphreys Conc. b.t.Bay, San Diego, CA-USA
19 October 2005 Royce Hall-UCLA, Los Angeles-USA
21 October 2005 Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley,CA-USA
27 October 2005 Auditorio Buero Vallejo, Guadalajara-Spain
30 October 2005 Aud. de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela-Spain
2 November 2005 Barbican, London - UK
3 November 2005 Dome - Brighton UK
5 November 2005 Usher Hall, Edinburgh - UK
6 November 2005 The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead - UK
7 November 2005 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester - UK
9 November 2005 Corn Exchange, Cambridge - UK
10 November 2005 Anvil, Basingstoke - UK
12 November 2005 Lighthouse, Poole - UK
13 November 2005 Dublin-Ireland
16 November 2005 Colston Hall, Bristol - UK
17 November 2005 Arts Centre, Warwick - UK
27 November 2005 Théatre des Champs Elysées, Paris-Frankrijk
29 November 2005 Théatre Duchamps Villon, Rouen-France
1 December 2005 La Passerelle, St Brieuc-France
29 January 2006 De Vereeniging, Nijmegen-Netherlands
30 January 2006 De Vest, Alkmaar-Netherlands
1 February 2006 Theater a/h Vrijthof, Maastricht-Netherlands
2 February 2006 De Doelen, Rotterdam-Netherlands
4 February 2006 Muziekcentrum, Enschede-Netherlands
5 February 2006 013, Tilburg-Netherlands
7 February 2006 De Oosterpoort, Groningen-Netherlands
9 February 2006 Vredenburg, Utrecht-Netherlands
11 February 2006 Stadsgehoorzaal, Leiden-Netherlands
12 February 2006 De Veste, Delft-Netherlands
24 March 2006 Theatre de Suresnes, Suresnes - France
25 March 2006 Colisée, Roubaix - France
28 March 2006 Théatre le Vanves, Vanves-France
30 March 2006 Odyssud, Toulouse- France
31 March 2006 Scène Nationale, Tarbes-France
18 April 2006 Philharmonie, Berlin-Germany

Link:
Mariza Online
Mariza — fan site