Concha heats up Hyatt

CONCHA BERNAL, singer and composer, from Santa Marta, Colombia, had the San Fernando room at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain hot with her vibrant performance on Tuesday.

Backed by her three-man band, Bernal had guests dancing to La Piragüa (Carlos Vives), Pasaje (Neil Sedaka), Sabores Del Porro (Totó la Momposina), her own composition Pareces Agua, Fiesta en Corraleja (Alfredo Gutiérrez), La Plena Que Traigo Yo (Mayito Rivera), Mas Papaya ( Sidestepper) and Soy Lo Que Soy (Monogem).

Ambassador of Colombia Martha Cecilia Pinilla-Perdomo said Tuesday night’s dancing concert signified the opening of the Colombia gastronomic week at the Hyatt which ends Satuday.

So infectious was the music that Pinilla-Perdomo led guests on a number of occasions to the dance floor during Bernal’s performance.

The ambassador said Bernal is a nice example of what the Caribbean folklore fusion is. “Her work represents the mixture of typical folkloric rhythms and sounds of the Caribbean through ‘tambor’, ‘llamador’, ‘gaita’ and other tropical symphonies with a modern atmosphere. Her music transmits and reinforces the artistic, cultural and ancestral Afro-Colombian roots.”

Pinilla-Perdomo added, Bernal and her band have taken her music to some of the most important venues and music festivals.

Until Saturday, the embassy of Colombia, in collaboration with Hyatt Regency Trinidad and Copa Airlines are hosting in the hotel’s waterfront restaurant, authentic Colombian dishes prepared by celebrated Colombian chef, Santiago Marcías with Hyatt’s culinary team and performances by the renowned salsa dancers who came from Cali, Colombia for the event.