Monday, March 14, 2005
A sambista in Paris
Dona Inah at the Festival de l’Imaginaire
 Dona Inah
If you’re in Paris for the Festival de l’Imaginaire 2005, don’t miss a performance by Dona Inah, billed as the queen of São Paulo samba.
The sambista will give three concerts on 24, 25, and 26 March at Maison des Cultures du Monde, 101 Boulevard Raspail.
Dona Inah has been likened to the legendary Clementina de Jesus in her musical trajectory. A native of Araras, in the São Paulo state hinterlands, Ignês Francisco da Silva has been singing since the 1950s in her town’s radio stations and clubs. Eventually she made her way to the big city and sang on Rádio Record. Her first disc, a 78-rpm platter, came out in 1960. Since the ’70s, Dona Inah has been performing mostly in rodas de samba in São Paulo. She made her living as a nanny, cook, and housekeeper.
In 2002, her career took a new turn when she participated in the musical Rainha Quelé, a tribute to Clementina de Jesus. Last year, at the age of 69, she released her first CD, Divino Samba Meu (listen to two audio samples). The repertoire includes songs by Nelson Cavaquinho, Paulo Vanzolini, Noel Rosa, Ary Barroso, Cartola, Ataulfo Alves & Hermínio Bello de Carvalho, and Eduardo Gudin.
In the Paris shows—her first outside Brazil—Dona Inah will be accompanied by Zé Barbeiro, the musical director of her album (guitar), José Carlos Cipriano (guitar), Marco Bailão (guitar), and Cássia Maria (percussion).
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