Chronicle of Ledeberg

October 2023

Paola Márquez and Roni Ben-Hur’s passion for Latin American music ignites the audience at the last concert of the Ledeberg’s Salon Concerts.

On Saturday, October 21, the Paola Marquez-Roni-Ben-Hur duo closed the annual Ledeberg Salon Concerts in the Theater Hall. Paola has not been a stranger in Flanders for a long time. She exchanged South American Bogota for Ghent, where she graduated from the Conservatory in 2009.

With her group “Maguaré”, she put Afro-Colombian rhythms, such as cumbia, on the map and sang in quite a few formations and initiated several musical projects herself in which the Latin aspect was in the foreground. As a teacher at the De Poel art academy, she also trained many vocal talents. Roni Ben-Hur is an Israeli guitarist who dazzled New York with his beautiful timbre and subtle improvisations. He teaches there, among others, at the Lucy Moses School in Manhattan. In Belgium, we met him thanks to saxophonist John Snauwaert, with whom he often played. For his concert, guitarist Ramsy Irani and violinist Ann Vancoillie joined them as guest musicians.

The duo started the performance with a sophisticated jazz version of “Yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón”, by the Argentine Fito Paez, which became world famous thanks to the version of Mercedes Sosa, one of the people Paola most admires. From Argentina they also brought some wonderful zambas. We also heard the romantic songs of Mexican Armando Manzanero and, above all, Brazilian songs such as “Manha de Carnaval” from the movie Orfeu Negro, with Ann Van Coillie accompanying and soloing, as well as a virtuoso Djavan song, of which Paola did a masterful version. A scat duet was performed with Ramsy Irani and a song by the guitarist in which the two alternated a Dutch and a Spanish version. The evening ended with the Latin classic “Obsesión”, with which the duo once again shared their passion for Latin American music with an enthusiastic audience.

Written By : Francis Cromphout