Fiddling around at Coffee Gallery
By John Sollenberger 09/18/2008
Coffee Gallery in Altadena on Friday lives up to its reputation for presenting eclectic acts with the fiddler Nerea, whose music and footwork are unfamiliar to most Americans.
Nerea Gourlaouen Alonso was born in California to a French father and Spanish mother and later raised on Cape Breton Island, Canada. There she fell in love with music and dance, particularly the traditional music of the isolated island on the Atlantic coast.
Studying with various masters, she learned the sounds developed by Scottish immigrants of the 1700s, which then blended with other cultures on the island — Irish, French and aboriginal.
Eventually, Nerea put her own voice to all that she had learned.
Her already unique performances are punctuated with the percussive footwork of traditional step dancing.
Having performed in Europe and North America, in 2007 Nerea produced her first solo album, “Footprints,” which earned her a nomination for the Canadian Folk Music Award’s Young Performer of the Year.
Music starts at 8 p.m. Friday at Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N. Lake Ave., Altadena. Call
(626) 398-7917.
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