TigerHawk

Yesterday Sunday July 2,2006 Grand Performances went into high gear.Sara Tavares had the crowd on their feet strumming her guitar and singing in Portuguese,Cape Verde Crioulo and English. The Cape Verde contingent was in full attendance including the other Cabo Verde songstress Maria de Barros(on the right in bottom photo,Cila the other Cape Verde lady is in Comments->).Sara performs tonight at The Temple Bar in Santa Monica.Be sure to catch this spirited West African islander.Based in Lisbon,Portugal I was impressed with her facility in English language.The charismatic and humble sister explained it was necessary as English is the lingua franca of business. A smart woman.

Cape Verde or in Portuguese Cabo Verde is a group of ten islands and five islets off the coast of Senegal. Since the trans-Atlantic Whaling era a sizable population of Cape Verdeans have settled in Massachusetts for over a century.The island nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975, along with Guinea-Bissau under the vision of Amilcar Cabral.Recently Cape Verdes have been integrated into the Portuguese economic arrangement of the Euro currency.Of course, it's geographic reality etched Cape Verde's historic role in the Atlantic slave Trade.

 

Grand Performances in L.A is always a ritual of Los Angeles Summer.If you enjoy the vibe of World and African music here is your Summer series.It's always a big re-union of artists who have travelled the globe 'checking-in' to L.A .The energy of the African diaspora is stonger every year.The spirit of love and history in the air. The full schedule is posted in my Summer Calendar ->.DJ Nambdi who I mentioned in my Yemanja blog was representing as always.This Yoruban DJ gentleman is single-handedly responsible for African music performers and awareness in L.A.Brother Nnamdi hosts the World-famous Afrodicia show on L.A's Pacifica KPFK.

Big Up brother Nnamdi!!Much Respect!! 

Sara Tavares' African islander vibe was followed by Emiline Michele of Haiti.These two artists are signed to Times Square Records label.We connected both ends of the Atlantic .Singing in Haitian creole,Emiline used the whole stage for her mesmerizing and enchanting movements.The audience was thrilled. A wonderful start for 4th of July festivities!

 

 

 

World Cup Soccer is reaching climax with a Semi-Final tomorrow July 4,2006, at 11.30 Pacific Time.Italy vs Germany. I'm one of the global millions who rate this quadrennial gala on par with the Summer Olympics.World class athletes at the peak of performance and skill.My source for the soccer action are Telemundo and Univision.More exciting and international flava than ESPN.I had avoided writing about the tournament,but last Saturday's games were just too significant.

 

The Saturday morning game was England vs Portugal. 

I was happy to see UK captain David Beckham read the 'Say No to Racism' message.The players are making a stand against the ugly head of intolerance and hatred at European soccer games.

However, I felt the Brits were in for a surprise as the Portuguese had a few games earlier dispatched the  formidable Dutch.It had been a grueling brawl, the Portuguese losing Costinha and Deco to Red cards.It was a gamble which earned the under-estimated Portuguese victory over Holland. 

My suspicions were proven accurate as the score was 0-0 at half-time.

By midway in the second half the British desperation was evident. The English fans sang 'God Save the Queen' to cheer up the lads. By then the star Manchester United player Wayne Rooney was dispatched by Red card for overt physical 'tussle'.Beckham had earlier hobbled off with leg injury.

Full time still 0-0.

A further 15 minutes of overtime and still 0-0. 

The dreaded penalty shoot-out phase.

Psychologically with Rooney and Beckham not in the penalty line-up,that was 2 less sure goals for the men of Albion.

The unimaginable happened .Portuguese goal-keeper Ricardo stopped 3 of the British penalty kicks.The Portuguese scored 3 of their allotted 5.

Portugal wins 3-1.A shocker. Queen Elizabeth II has just suggested a national parade in London for the team.Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, also from Rooney's Manchester United scored the winning goal.There's talk in UK he's not welcome back. He's also viewed as the finger-pointer for team-mate Rooney's Red card. 

 

The shock of England's defeat was still lingering when the Brazil-France match came.Again the captains read the anti-racist message.Cafu for Brazil and the Algerian-Francophone Zinedine Zidane for France.Zidane won the toss,and as the team made formation to kick-off, Brazil's star forward Ronaldo gave a warm'Ca va' to Zidane.They are team-mates on Real Madrid.Zidane genuinely acknowledged the Brazilian's greeting smiling broadly.My earlier thought was the French team was majority Afro-French, and were physically taller and bigger than the opposing Brazilians. Yet, there was something un-nerving about Zidane's demeanor.He seemed to have a secret.The French had many surprises for the Samba ballers.

The French defensive lines shut down Ronaldo and fellow star Ronaldinho.Names such as Patrick Vieira,Claude Makelele and Louis Saha will be legendary in Brazil for years hence.It was if Brazilian strikers weren't on the field.Zidane and Thierry Henry gave the Brazilians a peek at plays practiced when Zidane crossed the ball to Henry hovering around the Brazilian goal.The referee caught Henry 'off-side' once, and he mis-directed the ball the other instance.

At half-time it was 0-0.

I said the French had surprises. A special mention must be made of Monsieur Frank Ribery.This Frenchman of modest height energized the game with his fiery breaks and bold plays down the wings.Incredibly he was matched by Brazilian defender Robero Carlos . In fact, I reflect on the several intense skirmishes between Ribery and Roberto Carlos, both sprinting with the ball like 100 metres specialists.Left-footer Roberto Carlos saved many French offensive plays from being goals.

Then around the 12 th minute of the second half Zidane tried the free-kick cross once more. Henry's foot instinctively guided the ball into the goal  before it bounced.This one was good. France 1-Brazil 0.

I felt it was over then, although the Brazilians are world class veterans to pressure. Captain and defender Cafu, even made a drive to the French goal bar, as if to wake up strikers Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The French defense lines were impregnable under the stewardship of goal-keeper Barthez.Ronaldinho had a free kick just outside the penalty box.He squandered it over the goal posts.Another time and another game, it would be recognized as a brilliant kick which failed.(Ronaldinho even has a soccer samba CD).This Saturday...Sabado Gigante it was only failure for Brazil.The French President Jacques Chirac was in attendance. A glorious moment to celebrate French vision of colonials becoming French citizens.The Foreign Legion were the best hired guns around.N'est pas?The French out-played and out-Braziled the Brazilian team.Ronaldo had the class to concede that much.The French victory of 3-0 in 1998 will have to be avenged by another generation of Samba Ballers.

Thierry Henry who plays for Arsenal in UK club season gave the French a well deserved victory.The challenge in the Semi-Finals is the Portuguese. The 2 Portuguese players  who had Red cards can play on Wednesday.Rumours are that the physical game has the French players injured.Much like Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali when Frazier won.At what cost?Frazier took a punishment for that win.He went to the hospital.

The World Cup is worth every moment.Enjoy.