ARIA Award winning musician, singer-song writer, theatre collaborator and choir director Kavisha Mazzella sings her song Amour
About this song Kavisha writes
I saw a fantastic film by Tony Gatlif in 1996 called Latcho Drom about gypsies and thier music
and in it there was a scene where the french gypsy musicians visit the medieval church and play to Saint Sara in her shrine … it really touched me and I said to myself one day I will go there … well it happened – 3 years ago I caught a train from Paris down south and went to the Pilgimage of the Gypsies on May the 24th at Saintes Maries de La Mer in the Camargue… it’s a small fishing village south of Arles… Saintes Maries de la Mar is surrounded by fields of pink flamingos, black bulls and white Camargue horses … The bulls are bred for the special bullfighting they have there where the bulls are not killed but a rose is put between their horns and the young men try to snatch it away … many Gypsies have their caravans there and it’s the home of the Gypsy Kings … Every May and October gypsies from all over gather to celebrate the feast of Saint Sara the patroness of gypsies and travellers … The area is a magnificent wetlands and surrounded by mediterranian sea beaches … its a sacred site to the gypsies and on the feast day there is mass celebrated by 7 priests and an archbishop and a procession down to the sea carrying the statue of Saint Sara led by the proud retinue of Camargue Cowboys on the White Camargue horses … after mass the church bells ring out and when you walk into the throng you are surrounded by musicians playing their musics from different countries … over here is flamenco from Spain and there Balkan Brass Band from Rumania and still here organ music of the english travellers … and in that cafe is Manitas Di Plata the legendary guitar master (father of the Gypsy Kings) who I saw on television in the 60′s as a child … I couldnt believe my eyes! Here he was – his white hair cut shoulder length, in his black rap round sunglasses and white linen suit with flashhy shoes … all of 87 years old and holding court in the cafe … it was a real buzz … later when I looked back at the photos I hadn’t realised it but in the crowd watching the musicians play was another great french gypsy musician Titi Robin!
When the pilgrimage procession walks down to the sea with music playing there is an ecstatic feeling as people immerse themselves in the sea as if being baptised by the water made holy by Saint Saras presence and the gypsies wade into the water playing guitars waist deep and singing to the sky … it was unhinged, honest, and beautifully breathtaking! A revelation and a renewal in the beauty of Life even after great sadness …..
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Thu, Jul 23, 2009
In the studio, Performances