Chavela Vargas 'Live at Carnegie Hall' album

On September 15, 2003 an adoring and sold-out Carnegie Hall audience gathered to pay tribute to a true legend and revolutionary, Chavela Vargas. The New York Times wrote," The audience did not want to let her go, bringing her back for encore after encore." Everyone in attendance was aware of all the magic and history on that stage and in awe of how an eighty four year old woman making her Carnegie Hall debut wielded fearlessness and heartache to command the venue. Fearlessness is what brought her to the public's attention in Mexico in the late 50s when she dressed in men's clothing, smoked cigars, carried a gun and chased women in a time when this was unimaginable. She openly seduced women with Rancheras, Mexican folk songs of love and loss intended to be sung by men, that became a transgressive force in her mouth She has never stopped seducing and has been an inspiration and muse to countless artists.

"Chavela belongs to an ancestry of singers on the way to extinction. I'm talking about Edith Piaf, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday... geniuses whose brilliant and explosive talent caused their early demise. For me, to know Chavela has been like knowing them all. A miracle."
—Pedro Almodóvar

"I love Chavela with all my heart. She is an extraordinary woman. Her voice has so many colors in it, and is so real and so raw."
—Salma Hayek

In 1990, the great German movie director Werner Herzog discovered her in her whereabouts and coaxed her to play an Indian woman in his movie "A Cry of Stone". One year later, the Spanish movie director Pedro Almodóvar discovered her and let her sing a song in the sound track of his movie "Tacones Lejanos", "Piensa en mí". In his latest movie (La flor de me secreto/ The Flower of my Secret) she is heard with the song "En el ultimo trago". Chavela appears alongside Salma in the film Frida as the woman of Mexican myths "La Llorona" (the cryer) , a legend that may as well be Chavela herself with a voice internationally renowned for consistently moving her audience to tears. Frida Kahlo and Chavela's affair is well documented so it’s fitting she should appear as a tribute to her lost love.

Live at Carnegie Hall captures more than just a spellbinding performance; Chavela's history, bravura, and pride make it a tribute to all those who have dared carve their own life never even considering any limitations. It is a surefire contender for the "Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album" GRAMMY next year.

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Chavela Vargas - Live at Carnegie Hall