What a distinctive voice singer Buika, the Spanish-born daughter of African parents, possesses. Hailed by NPR as one of its “50 Great Voices,” the woman born María Concepción Balboa Buika will bring her raspy, mournful timbre to the George Mason Center for the Arts Saturday night. Over the course of five albums, Concha Buika, as she is also known, has used that husky croon for Spanish-lyric songs that incorporate flamenco, Spanish torch balladry, Nina Simone-like jazz, Gypsy melodies, Mexican ranchera dramatics, American R&B, and Cesaria Evora-style Afro-Portuguese morna.

Buika grew up in the only black family in a Gypsy neighborhood on the Spanish island of Majorca. Her politically active parents went there after escaping the brutal government in Equatorial Guinea in Africa. While she learned how to play the guitar, piano, bass, and drums as a child, she found more opportunities as a singer—though relying on tips for vocalizing on the street was difficult. Eager to make a better living as a singer, she spent 2001 in Las Vegas, as a wig-wearing Tina Turner impersonator performing in the casinos.  She returned to Majorca the following year, and within a few years began releasing albums under her own name.

Her most recent effort, the wonderful 2009 album, El Último Trago (The Last Drink), a tribute to  Costa Rican-born singer Chavela Vargas, was recorded in Havana with Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes and some occasional bass, percussion, trumpet, and flamenco guitar. Valdes, who has a new CD, Chucho’s Steps, is performing, unfortunately, at the same time Saturday night at the Warner Theatre. Trago came together because one of Buika’s fans, film director Pedro Almodovar (who has her warbling in his next movie), saw her sing a tune by Vargas, and encouraged her to record a full album of Vargas' songs. (Buika grew up hearing her mother play Vargas tunes.) On the album, well-produced and arranged by Javier Limon, Buika passionately stretches out words, wails emotionally, and scats over Valdes' subtle, expert transformation of rural Central American songcraft into Cuban son and bolero, as well as finger snapping, swinging jazz. While she won't have  Valdes with her tomorrow, expect that voice of hers to be enough.

Buika performs Saturday night October 30 at 8 p.m. at the George Mason Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive Fairfax, VA. $ $42, $34, $21.  703-993-2787

The Myspace site for the Surf Club (aka the Surf Club Live and previously Chick Hall’s Surf Club) now plays Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin,” but perhaps it would make more sense to play something in Spanish.  Concerned about small turnouts for the blues-rock, country, and other roots styles he has been getting, owner James Byrum has decided to reach out to the current local demographic and will now be featuring a dj spinning ranchera, bachata and other Spanish language sounds.  Byrum informed folks on a local listserv that “the summer is always a tough draw and now is a good time to experiment with bringing a more consistent source of revenue to the club. There may still be shows in the future. But I am taking the summer to try new things.” 

At least  the club still exists.  In 2007, it appeared that the rectangular cinder block and brick roadhouse would be sold and knocked down.  This honky-tonk bastion has been located at 4711 Kenilworth Avenue in Hyattsville since 1975, and previously was on Bladensburg Road in Colmar Manor from 1955 to 1975.  But Byrum acquired the place and has been booking local Americana acts and zydeco dances.  While the latter draw a dedicated 40-something and up crowd, they do not drink much.  Meanwhile, the audiences have not grown for DC roots-rock, alt-country, blues, and blues-rock bands.  Compounding things, the club is not located near a Metro station, has been unable to get much media or internet attention for the groups booked, and its older hard drinking blue-collar regulars have moved away.  On July 4th Byrum experimented with a teen reggaeton event featuring Spanish language acts from NY, Boston, and DC, but he says he has no plans to start booking more well-known Latin acts.  He is staying local for now.