Blue Tango Project

This weekend I had the good fortune to see Blue Tango Project live at the Red Poppy Art House. 

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Blue Tango Project is the creation of Argentine Latin Grammy nominee María Volonté and California-raised harmonica player Kevin Carrel Footer. When Kevin moved to Argentina many years ago, he became inspired by the tango community of Buenos Aires. There, he met María, a celebrated singer and songwriter.

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The Blue Tango Project website has the perfect description of their sound: “This globe-trotting duo celebrates the deep spiritual bond that joins tango and the blues, as two musical genres born in desire and marginality, many times censored yet always resurgent and speaking directly to our hungry souls. When they play together, Maria’s voice and guitar fill the stage with echoes of tango’s forbidden pleasures while Kevin’s harmonica whines with the lament of the solitary blues soul.”

You can see the passion for their music clearly when they perform, and they compliment each other so well. The word is out that they’ll be touring again in the U.S. and Canada this time next year – so do go hear them.

Here’s their song “Niebla del Riachuelo.”

All images courtesy of www.bluetangoproject.com.

5 Ways to Give your Spanish an Energy Boost

Learning a language can fun and exciting. It can also be a challenge, especially when faced with boring grammar rules or hearing someone speak so fast that all you can glean from the entire conversation is that you think they ate at McDonald’s yesterday.

So, how to keep your Spanish learning alive and well? Here are 5 energy boosts that will help you get through the low points!

#1: I give you permission to watch TV. Watch shows and movies in Spanish. Make it a mix of your favorite films with subtitles or dubbed over as well as some new-to-you movies that will expose you to fresh content.

#2: Listen to Spanish-language podcasts. I highly recommend Notes In Spanish Advanced and Radio Ambulante.

#3: Be choosy with grammar. No, you do not need to master the imperfect tense, the preterite tense, and the subjunctive all in one sitting. Pick one and think about the rest later.

#4: Read poetry. Much less intimidating than Cien años de soledad, don’t you think? Check out Pablo Neruda’s Odas elementales and selected poems from Antonio Machado.

#5: Find a friend to chat with. Offer to take a Spanish-speaking friend out to coffee or a drink. Ask them to speak only in Spanish with you and give them complete permission to correct you. Chances are you’ll have fun catching up and they’ll enjoy sharing their knowledge.

Want more tips? Visit here and here.

Image courtesy of Gerry Walden Imaging.

Autumn Reading List

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The weather is cooler and the nights are longer, so it’s time to muse about books to read this fall and winter. Here are three books that I plan to read in the coming months…

Daniel Alarcón: At Night We Walk in Circles – Daniel Alarcón is a prizewinning novelist with family roots in Peru. He lives in the SF Bay Area and is also Executive Producer of Radio Ambulante, a Spanish language narrative journalism podcast. At Night We Walk in Circles was a finalist for the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award.

Cristina López Barrio: Tierra de brumas – Cristina López Barrio is a Spanish author. She has a background in Law. Her previous novels include a prizewinning young adult novel and two novels for adults. Tierra de brumas was just published last month and takes place in Galicia, northern Spain.

Javier Marías: Los enamoramientos – From Amazon: “Los enamoramientos, Marías’ latest work, is a reflection on the state of infatuation, considered as something positive and even redeeming to the extent of justifying all: the most noble and selfless actions but also the largest excess and abuses. It is also a novel on the impossibility of ever knowing the truth, not even our own.” Javier Marías is a Spanish writer. Read a great article about him here in the Paris Review.

And you? What do you have in the pile next to your bed??

Inspiración: Just Seeds Artist Cooperative

Justseeds.org is an artists’ cooperative that, in their own words, is “committed to making print and design work that reflects a radical social, environmental, and political stance.” I learned about the site via Rethinking Schools. I love the vibrant images and strong messages in these artist prints:

Favianna Rodríguez - ¡Prepárate!
Favianna Rodríguez – ¡Prepárate!

 

Favianna Rodríguez - Quiero Ser Artista
Favianna Rodríguez – Quiero Ser Artista

 

Mazatl - El Amazonas Resiste
Mazatl – El Amazonas Resiste

 

Mazatl - El Diablo Anda en Bicicleta
Mazatl – El Diablo Anda en Bicicleta

All images c/o justseeds.org. Have a great week.

-Alison

Paella Mixta

 

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This past weekend my husband made a delicious paella mixta, complete with chorizo, chicken, shrimp, and even oysters from Bodega Bay Oyster Company. This was an all-day affair, which is to be expected, given the prep and the research he wanted to do about the best methods for making paella. He decided to cook it on the grill outside, over wood chips, which gave the it a delicious, smoky flavor. He earned major points with this endeavor!

I was inspired to share some video clips with you about the cooking process. A clear recipe for paella mixta can be found here. Keep in mind that everyone likes different ingredients, so it may take a few tries until you establish your “style.” I know that every Spanish family has their secret to the perfect paella. I especially like this video, which shows in detail the different steps taken to prep and cook the ingredients before combining everything in the pan for simmering.

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I also can’t resist sharing this video – just in case you want to know what cooking paella for 400 people looks like.

Finally, a post about paella is not complete without a mention of fideuà. I fell in love with fideuà while in Valencia. This pasta version of paella is, to me, the epitome of comfort food. I made some awhile back for a Spanish friend of ours, and he pronounced it proper…so, feeling confident in my skills at this point. Between my husband’s paella and my fideuà, we are covered.

One big piece of advice is to give yourself enough time for cooking. Make it an all-afternoon affair, complete with a bit of manchego and Albariño, and you’ll be a happy camper. Buen provecho.

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Nueva Edición: Buenas Noticias

Back by popular demand, I have a new edition of good news tidbits from around the Spanish-speaking world. Shall we begin?!

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If you’d like more, head over to my first good news post for more articles. Have a great weekend!