Avotcja

Latin Beat Magazine, March, 2005 by Jesse Varela

AVOTCJA. A renowned poet, radio host and musician, Avotcja (pronounced a-va-cha) is an important voice in the San Francisco Bay Area cultural scene. Recently, the Bay Area Blues Society selected her 2004 Live at Yoshi's CD as "Best Jazz Album of the Year." It is an outstanding effort with Modupué, her powerful band featuring Jon Jang, Francis Wong, Coto Pinchiera, Val Serrant and others. It is also her debut recording as a leader.

Born and raised in New York City, Avotcja has played music and written poetry since she was a child. As a teenager she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked as a waitress, factory worker and barber. But it was precisely in L.A. where she blossomed as a jazz and spoken word artist, when she joined Horace Tapscott's Underground Musician's Association.

A master pianist and composer from Watts, Tapscott was an outspoken critic of racism. Over 300 musicians passed through his Pan Afrikan Arkestra, and he was known for loading His entire band onto a flatbed truck and riding through the streets during the 1965 Watts rebellion. It greatly inspired Avotcja, but given the social conditions of the time, she made the decision to move to Europe.

After a year, she returned to the U.S. and eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. There she stepped into the international lime-light by performing with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Handy and a long list of others. As a poet, her books were published in the U.S., México and Europe and she has shared stages with luminaries like Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sánchez, Piri Thomas, José Montoya's Royal Chicano Air Force, Michael Franti and many others.

As an artist, Avotcja has long shared her gifts within the surrounding community of the SF Bay and whether teaching in public schools or penal systems, she's done it for little or no money. Now, as she nears retirement age she finds herself without a pension and compounding medical problems.

So her many friends and fans gathered earlier in the year for a benefit on her behalf at Kimball's East in Emeryville. The benefit line-up was a who's who of people in the local music and poetry scenes, and garnered much needed financial help for this renaissance woman.

Much like her mentor Rahsaan Roland Kirk used to say, "bright moments are for those who have never known any bright moments." Her unselfish dedication to do for others has kept her on the frontlines of strikes and anti-war protests, while inspiring the lives of the children and incarcerated teens she touches in inner city schools and juvenile halls.

On a personal note, Avotcja touched me years ago with her poetry at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco, when she performed as part of the JAMMIES, a now defunct jazz awards presentation. I recall how she got up in between sets and recited a poem titled "Betty Carter," and dedicated to the jazz vocalist, her longtime friend. It sent chills up my spine and garnered her a standing ovation from the audience.

I share with you my favorite poem by Avotcja to close out this month.

Talkin' About La Música

   Hablando de la música
   Mi música
   Música corriendo por mis sesos
   Escuchando la música en mis sueños
   Aiiiiii, música
   Una comida del alma

   I said, I'm talking about music
   La música sagrada
   Sweet music/precious music/música caliente
   Like Cachao & Puente
   Like Patato y Totico y Kako
   Talking about Celia Cruz
   El fuego de Tito Rodríguez, Cortijo y Miguelito Valdés
   Can't leave out Papín, La Lupe, Johnny Ventura, Machito, Graciela
   & Héctor Rivera

   Got Xiomara on my brain
   Talking about flying
   Flying high on music
   Crying/dancing/laughing music
   Freedom music
   Living for more
   More music
   Mas música
   Mi música preciosa

   La-La-la-la ... la-lo-le-lo-la ... AJA!!!
   When along comes Señor Planchao-Pelao
   Pouring buckets of rain on my sunshine
   Diciendo, mami, turn off that mess
   Tune into the modern
   That Stuff died with the Last Supper
   Tu-tu-cu-pla
   Tu-tu-cu-pla
   Tu-tu-tu-cu-pla-cu-pla
   La música, mi música

   Aiii, Compay, pienso que tienes cacahuates en la cabeza en vez de
   sesos
   (Cacahuates sin los huates)
   Cada loco con su tema (and another brother bites the dust)
   I got to have it
   I can't live without it
   Talking about guaguancó/el son montuno/la plena/guajira
   Y la bomba for days and days and days

   Go take your rainy lack of pride elsewhere, papi triste
   La gente me dice La Merengona
   Estoy hablando de la música
   Sweet music/precious music
   Música del alma/música sagrada
   Got beautiful bad El Conde running wild inside my brain
   I got El Gran Arsenio racing como loco through my veins
   I ain't got time for no pelao soul-drain ... you dig?

   Estoy hablando de la música
   Talking about great music/soulful music
   Pulsating Palmieri music
   Mi música/música de la gente/street music
   Hablando de la música
   Sweet/sweet/sweet/behind shakin' music
   Magic music/always music
   Hablando de la música/la música/la música
   Para siempre jamás.

   ¡Hasta la próxima! chuyvarela@aol.com