Mesmerizing Sights, Sounds of the Rain Forest

There were moments in Marlui Miranda’s performance at the Cal State Northridge Performing Arts Center Tuesday night when the Brazilian singer-ethnomusicologist’s catalog of sounds, rhythms and physical movements produced an almost palpable connection with the rain-forest cultures she has been studying for two decades.

Her eyes circled with black paint, her thick mane of dark hair flowing, Miranda stalked the stage in dance-like movements that were alternately graceful and menacing. Occasionally, she knelt amid a circle of sound-making devices, using shakers, log drums and a lush-toned wooden flute to support her chanting, keening supplications and story-like dramatizations.

Only Miranda could testify to the material’s authenticity, but the presentation was startlingly effective, especially when she worked in a solo context.

With her ensemble--keyboardist, bassist and percussionist--Miranda’s songs sounded more transformative and interpretive than authentic, with the bassist’s jazz-like phrasing and the keyboardist’s rich harmonies often lending an oddly anachronistic quality to her singing. In one curious case, her melody line was accompanied by a series of dissonant 13th chords--not exactly what one expects to hear from the Amazon.

For the most part, however, Miranda’s work was mesmerizing--one of the more offbeat and appealing entries in the World Festival of Sacred Music.

Singer-songwriter Perla Batalla, who opened the program, offered a far different slant, using her attractive, warm-toned voice to deliver a set of her own life-passages songs.

Both women make additional appearances during the weeklong festival.