Mama Africa Dances across Continents: Funky Global Citizen Christine Vaindirlis Channels the Spirit of Home
Born in London, raised in Johannesburg, trained in Milan under La Scala supervision and in Boston at Berklee, singer, composer and arranger Christine Vaindirlis is more than a mere globetrotter; she is the world. Yet wherever her free-spirited journey has taken her, she’s always yearned for home: Africa!
Vaindirlis lets her global chops and love for her South African homeland shine on her vivacious debut, Dance Mama! (Ubuntu World Music; November 3, 2009), a shout out to South African jazz greats, as well as to an eclectic mix of R&B and funk icons from Chaka Khan to Tower of Power, all filtered through Vaindirlis’s unique worldly perspective as a classically trained opera singer, former English teacher, audio gear specialist, and corporate executive.
“My inspiration for the album was the concept of ubuntu: helpfulness, caring, trust, unselfishness, what one can do to improve the community, as well as oneself as an individual,” Vaindirlis explains. “‘This is my Place’ is a song of encouragement for the people of South Africa to work as one nation. There is so much ethnic diversity, and the whole blend is such an extraordinary fusion when everyone brings something to the table. I’m calling for us to embrace a new day, to work together for a wave of change and make South Africa, our home, an example”.
09/30/09
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