In review--Legends sing fate
Legends of Fado Compilation Arc Music The first fado recording I heard did not feature the new generation of fadistas. I discovered fado after a music librarian in Seattle referred me to Amália Rodrigues, a name that sounded exotic to my ears in 1996. Yet, the first CD that I purchased (a scratchy archival recording) featured lesser-known vocalists from the 1920s and 1930s. I fell in love with the vocals and when I played it for a vocalist (colleague) she glanced at me as if I had lost my mind. Flash forward to 2000, when I discovered Mariza and no one looked at me as if I lost my mind. These days fado enjoys worldwide acclaim and while a new generation of vocalists innovate the tradition, they too pay homage to the mothers and fathers of fado. After all, a plant can’t grow without its roots. The compilation Legends of Fado features Rodrigues, of course, but also other male and female fado legends that give Amál...