Maria Bermudez

Maria's show on Tuesday (this is a photo of the photo in the paper) was so different than anything I've seen in Spain. It was sort of a one-woman show - WHICH I'M TOTALLY INTO BECAUSE I WANT TO DO ONE! And, like the one-woman show I want to do, Maria showcased all her talents and literally spoke to her audience. She flamenco danced one song and then she would step up to a microphone at the front of the stage and sing a song. She sang American jazz standards mostly, like "Summertime and the living's easy" and "I put a spell on you". I've known of her since I was 20 & I had no idea she could even sing. And her voice was incredible. I think she could have pursued singing instead of dancing if she'd wanted to. Maria was born in California to Mexican parents and then she married a singer from Jerez (whose band was popular in the 90's I think) and so she'd lived in Spain for a decade or so...maybe longer, I don't really know, but a significant amount of time. So her show was about all of this, about her, who she is - an American, a Chicana and a gypsy. She even sang a song she wrote that was very Mexican-oriented. She included words like 'lowrider', 'tequila', 'chiles' & 'East LA'. And she danced with a huge mariachi hat and a silk shawl that looked like a poncho - it was my favorite number of the night. At the end of it I think her actual husband walked her off the stage with his arm around her waist. They held the hat up to their heads as if they were kissing behind it...it was so adorable. It was a good experience for me to see it and next time I see her I'm going to tell her how much I loved it.

Footnote: As I'm typing this I'm having spanish breakfast as my merienda! Tostada with butter and honey...it's my favorite so far. If they can make their breakfast look like afternoon snacks then my afternoon snacks can be breakfast - hahaha!