For Immediate Release
27 September 2017
Contact: Jodi Joseph
Director of Communications
413.664.4481 x8113
jjoseph@massmoca.org
Ani Cordero
“Profound ruminations on love and the state of the world” — NPR
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS – Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican songstress Ani Cordero is a storyteller of the first order, winding through topics from feminism to immigration to friendships and relationships. She visits MASS MoCA on Saturday, October 7, at 8pm, with her quartet in a whirlwind of pan-Latin stylings. Jota Sete Duo, featuring Williamstown native Jason Ennis, opens. Join us before the concert for the opening of artist Liz Glynn’s Building 5 exhibition, The Archaeology of Another Possible Future.
Singer, songwriter, drummer, guitarist, and Latin American music researcher Ani Cordero, who cut her teeth as the touring drummer for the legendary Brazilian psychedelic-rock band Os Mutantes, was raised in Atlanta by Puerto Rican parents and spent her childhood traveling between Atlanta and San Juan. She was surrounded by music from an early age: her parents are musicians who performed and recorded with the traditional folkloric music group “Tuna de La Universidad de Puerto Rico” during their college years. In the early 2000s, Cordero led her own bilingual art-rock band, Cordero, which released feminist anthems such as “Vamos Nenas” and “Matadora,” and more recently she was a founding member of the celebrated Mexican rock band Pistolera. She has toured extensively, appearing on many stages as singer and drummer, from Radio City Music Hall to Montreal Jazz Festival, and in Europe performing with such notable acts as Os Mutantes, Rasputina, Josh Joplin Group, and Dean and Britta, to name just a few.
Cordero released her first solo album entitled Recordar: Latin American Songs of Love and Protest in 2014, re-imagining famous political protest songs by influential Latin American songwriters of the turbulent “Nueva Canción” era, many of whom were killed or exiled because of their music’s message of democracy and social justice. She became interested in this subject after taking a class taught by the nephew of Chilean president Salvador Allende, who was overthrown by dictator Augusto Pinochet. The album opens with a song by Victor Jara, an ally and outspoken supporter of Allende, who was hunted down, captured, and tortured by the Pinochet government. “It is a beautiful, haunting love song,” Cordero tells NPR. “But it has a different feeling…when you know the political situation in Chile and what happened to Jara: ‘It’s very intense. It’s one of the most direct and horrifying stories of retribution against musicians for being part of a political cause.’” Cordero’s critically acclaimed debut received praise from NPR’s All Things Considered, Alt-Latino, Soundcheck, Billboard, USA Today, and BUST, among others.
On Cordero’s most recent release Querido Mundo (Dear World), she returns to the topic of protest, this time with all-original tracks. A love letter to the world, the album addresses themes ranging from immigration to Black Lives Matter to feminism and government corruption, hoping to elicit the same call to action and heart-wrenching emotions her predecessors did. “I made this record as a reaction to recent political events,” says Cordero. “Music is my main form of activism, and it’s my hope that these songs will encourage political participation and much-needed conversations” (Billboard).
On Saturday, October 7, at 8pm, following the opening reception for Liz Glynn’s The Archaeology of Another Possible Future, Ani Cordero joins us in Club B10 for a night that will have us sipping our drinks and swaying our hips one moment, raising our voices and ready to march, the next. Jota Sete Duo, built around the uniquely Brazilian Violão de Sete Cordas (7-string classical guitar) and featuring Williamstown native Jason Ennis, will get the night started bringing their southern hemisphere sounds all the way up to our northern hemisphere streets. Lickety Split, MASS MoCA’s in-house café, serves up fresh salads, homemade soup, and lip-smacking pub fare. The MASS MoCA bar is always well-stocked with local beer from Bright Ideas Brewing and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Concert tickets are $10 for students, $12 in advance, $18 day of, and $24 preferred. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 x1 during box office hours or purchased online at massmoca.org. All events are held rain or shine.
Sponsorship
This performance is sponsored by the Hans and Kate Morris Fund for New Music.
Images
High-resolution images of MASS MoCA’s fall 2017 events are available through this link.
About MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making, displaying, and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. MASS MoCA nearly doubled its gallery space in spring 2017, with artist partnerships that include Laurie Anderson, the Louise Bourgeois Trust, Jenny Holzer, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and James Turrell.
Gallery admission is $20 for adults, $18 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is seasonal and currently on view. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit our website.
Hours
11am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays
