"Questions, Questions..."

A series of interviews with the members of The Latin Jazz Discussion List. All the questions were submitted by other members of the group, their peers. Each artist was given a number of questions with the option of answering as many as they wished. Further discussion with the artist in this forum is invited...

Today's Subject:

Samia Panni
Vocalist
Seattle, Washington

Samia has performed as vocalist and percussionist with various Brazilian, Cuban & African groups in the
Pacific Northwest & Canada since 1983. She is the featured vocalist on North Carolina based percussionist,
Jim Brock's 1990 Grammy-nominated album, What Is What Was. Currently, Samia is recording her first album with the Seattle based ensemble she co-founded, Beija Flor. In 1987 she initiated Washington state's only Brazilian radio show, Raizes, on KBCS 91.3FM, which continues to attract many listeners.

Q: "Tell us a little about your childhood - where were you born and raised?"

I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh when it was part of Pakistan. I was raised in Bangladesh, Kenya, Argentina, Phillipines, Indonesia, Canada & the States. Which ever country I lived in dance & music were always part of my life. Why so many countries? Well, my father was ambassador of Pakistan, defected in 1970 & joined the Bangladesh revolutionary government & later became ambassador of Bangladesh. I guess you could call me a diplobrat. One of the requirements of the diplomatic lifestyle was entertaining dignitaries. Since my brothers & I could sing & play guitar I was commanded by my parents to perform for their guests. Years later, when they were upset at me for having chosen a musical path I had to remind them that they were the ones that gave me my first opportunity. My first public performance was at the age of 12, when a couple of TV producers in the Phillipines were on the prowl for talent amongst children of diplomats...I won't even tell you what we performed on TV!

Q: "Who was the most influential person in your life that affected you, and your decision to become an artist?

I don't remember going through one day of my life without music being a part of it, yet I was discouraged from becoming an artist. Ironically, it was one of the two people who discouraged me from becoming an artist, who affected my decision to pursue the arts, namely my father. During his college days in Calcutta (before the 1947 partition of India & Pakistan) he sang classical Indian music on the All India radio, but family pressure led him away from his love of the arts into politics. Although he shared his liberal political ideology with me, when he shared his passion for poetry Omar Khayam & Mirza Ghalib), philosophy & music he touched my soul.

Q: "When did you first fall in love with Latin music - or - when did you first choose latin music as a career path? Can you remember which band or artist turned you on?"

Latin music was one of many kinds of music that I grew up listening & dancing to, especially cha-cha-cha &
bossa nova, which my older brothers would put on the sound system. It was when I lived in Argentina that I truly immersed myself in Latin music, especially Brazilian music, which happily became an incurable disease for me. Artists who turned me on, as I said in a previous post: Elis Regina, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Moacir Santos, Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66, Chico Buarque, Zimbo Trio, Baden Powell & let me not forget my favorite Brazilian composer, Edu Lobo.

Q: "What piece or pieces of music made the most impact on you and why?"

This is a hard question, since there are hundreds of pieces that have impacted me at different times or
stages of learning. Of the earlier pieces, I think Elis Regina singing "Aquarela do Brasil/Nega do Cabelo Duro," "Upa Neguinho" & "Casa Forte" still impact me. Also, another Edu Lobo song, "Zanzibar" is such a
tremendous piece of music! Rhythmically, I feel very much at home with the baião & partido alto.

Q: "Who's an artist you think more people should be aware of..."

Again, hard to answer...there are so many...all of YOU in this group for starters. Composers: Edu Lobo &
João Donato; Male Vocalist: Filó Machado & the late Virgilio Marti; Female vocalist: Rosa Passos; Guitarist: Lula Galvão & Marco Perreira; Arranger: Jaques Morelembaum, Claus Ogerman & Dori Caymmi; Genius: Hermeto Pascoal....

Q: "At what hour of the day are you most productive and why?"

I am a night owl, as much as I fight this tendency, so 11pm to 2am, when everyone is asleep, no annoying
telemarketers calling...all is quiet.

Q: "Are you a song writer?"

Have collaborated in the writing of several songs.

Q: "What kinds of things do you do to inspire your writing?"

Relax while recording whatever my muse directs my voice to sing. Sometimes the ideas come to me when
convening with nature. Yet sometimes the best ideas come to me while sitting on the throne...if you know what I mean...LOL...

Q: "What things do you practice day to day?"

I simply sing songs throughout the day, especially ones that are challenging. Every so often I will dive into
some vocal exercises. lately I've been working with a group of wonderful women, exploring all kinds of different music in different languages, including vocal percussion, which I love to do.

Q: "What are your priorities when you go to the stage?"

Be relaxed & well rested, warm up my voice, have plenty of throat soothing liquids at hand, stay focused on
the performance & enjoy myself.

Q:"How do you see yourself in relation to the 'tradition'?"

I have a very deep respect for the tradition, and feel that it should be given it's due place, recognition &
should be kept intact so the next generation can have a more immediate experience of history. Nonetheless,
things evolve & change is inevitable. One needs to be flexible enough to bend the tradition if it doesn't work for present day circumstances so as to avoid stagnation.

Q: "What music do you listen to when you are relaxing?"

When I'm not listening to Brazilian or Cuban music, I like to listen to the great ustads of classical Indian
music, especially sitarist, Ustad Vilayat Khan; violinist, Prof. J.G. Jog; shehnai (spelling?) Bismillah Khan & sarod, Ali Akbar Khan. I also enjoy listening to Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McCrae, Betty Carter, Jackie Cain & Roy Kral, Singers Unlimited, Coltrane, Monk, Miles, etc....

Q: "Give us a mental image of your favorite view in the world".

The Balinese believe that in order to thank the Gods for giving them such fertile land to live on, they should
create beauty on this land.Therefore, on each level of their rice terraces they plant the rice seeds at different
times, thus you see all the different hues of green, from light to dark going up the hill. I don't think I can ever
forget this view or the significance of it.

Q: "If you have children what kind of musical education have you given

When I was pregnant with my now 10 year old son, Khalil Itagibá, I remember placing the headphones on my belly when something I loved was playing on the sound system. When I would bathe him I would make jazzy arrangements of all the kiddy tunes, so I didn't have to get bored singing them to him. Therefore, he learned to scat & trade twos with the Barney song, while getting a bath. We like to create songs together while riding in the car. He's a better at the lyrics than I am. I gave him my nylon string guitar & he's learning the recorder. Poor guy has music shoved down his throat every day & I take him with me to great performances, so I let him tell me what he wants to learn. He keeps amazing me with what he seems to know, and always leans towards more complicated melodies & harmonic lines.

Q: "What does the music you play do for you, emotionally, spiritually, socially, whichever-other-ly?

The music I play has kept me sane, relieved a lot of pain, made me a more loving human being and has
uplifted me to some profound spiritual places.

Q: "What changes or landmarks in your life can you attribute to the music you play?"

The music I play has led me towards becoming a radio programmer, meeting so many wonderful people &
making everlasting friends.

Q: "When the music is at it's best in your opinion, what is it that'shappening (to make it the best) and what do
you feel?

Everything fits like a glove, everyone is listening to each other, there is respect for each other & joy for the
music being played. The music comes before the individual, yet each individual performer is essential to
the music. It's like God answering a most fervent prayer. The energy fed into you from such a performance can keep you going for a long time. I've even been cured from the flu after a great session.

Q: "What one CD of those you have recorded would you keep if the others were forever lost??!!"

The one I am recording right now.

Q: "What one CD of someone else's would you keep if all others were lost??!!"

Can't answer this one...there are so many gems out there.

Q: "Name an all-star band of your favorite musicians (and arrangers) or one band for each genre (charanga, conjunto, big band, etc.)"

I would be repeating myself here...
Composers: Edu Lobo, João Bosco, João Donato, Hermeto Pascoal, Michel Legrand
Arrangers: Jaques Morelembaum, Claus Ogerman, Dori Caymmi, Eumir Deodato, Pat Williams
Singers: Rosa Passos, Filó Machado, Nana Caymmi, Leny Andrade, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Caetano
Veloso, Gal Costa, Alcione, Beth Carvalho & Carmen McCrae
Background Vocals: Ceu da Boca, Boca Livre, Garganta Profunda & MPB4
Saxophones: Gerry Mulligan, Moacir Santos, Carlos Malta & Wayne Shorter
Keyboards: Hermeto Pascoal, Chucho Valdes, Rubalcaba, Jovino Santos-Neto, Cesar Camargo-Mariano,
Cristovão Bastos, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock & Oscar Peterson
Trumpet: Marcio Montarroyos, Claudio Roditi...
Flute: Carlos Malta...
Guitar: Marco Perreira, Lula Galvão, Toninho Horta
Percussion: Airto, Djalma Correa, Armando Marçal, Marcos Suzano, Giovanni
Hidalgo, Papete, Carlinhos Brown, Trilok Gurtu & Zakir Hussein
Drums: Robertinho Silva, Teo Lima, Paulinho Braga
Bass: Luizão, Zeca Assumpção, Abraham Laboriel
Cello: Jaques Morelembaum

Q: "What musicians would you most like to play with, now living on earth or elsewhere?"

All of the above.

Q: "What band or musicians would you have wanted to play with from the past and why?"

The following are sadly no longer with us or existed long ago & I admire their work, Antonio Carlos Jobim,
Baden Powell, Nico Assumpção, Ary Barroso, Noel Rosa, Heitor Villa Lobos, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, Eric Satie, Claude Debussy...I know there are more...

Q: "Are critics important? Or do you rather see your music reviewed in the vanity press?Are you susceptible to bad reviews?".

Critics help spread the word about your music, if they write about you. A friend of mine who passed away
quite a few years ago & who was a respected drummer but dealt with some controversy in his life, Otis Candy Finch, once said, "Whether you're famous or infamous, it doesn't matter, as long as they write about you." I'm not sure if I ascribe to this viewpoint, but I think I would be susceptible to bad reviews, but shake it off & move on. You can't please everyone.

Q: "Do you believe in music as art, as opposed to a product for merchandising?"

Music is definitely art, if you love what you are doing, but if you are performing top 40's for the sake of putting bread on the table, then it stops being art & becomes simply a means to an end. If you have recorded
something, put all your love & passion into it & if people like it enough to buy it, then this is a great
accomplishment.

Q: "Would you still be a musician even if that means you´ll die of hunger?"

I'm not that stupid.

Q: "If you had to choose a short segment (a few bars) from your work to represent you, which would it be?"

Jovino Santos-Neto wrote the Portuguese lyrics to a song that I & our friend Joyce Yarrow wrote, called
"Saltando":

Vay la saltando menina,
deixa as pedras pra traz,
bem pra traz,
A estrada se abre pra frente
Si você abre sua mente, muita paz

Q: "What food would you most liken your music to?"

I love to cook, and I tend to create dishes on the stove...so I would call it "Sauteed chicken, fish, seafood,
spinach, asparagus, brocolli, ginger, garlic, onion a la Samia. Garnished with cilantro, shallots & sesame
oil" served with feijão & rice.

Q: "Do you believe in aliens? (HAHAHAHA!)"

Why not...there are billions of possible "m" class planets out there.

Q: "If it were up to you, what would the names of Hermeto's pig and rooster be?".

Bicho & Bichinho

Q: "One piece of advice for musicians"

Good grief...I need more advice then I merit giving! I guess I would say: There's always something to learn & room to grow, so keep listening & trying...don't stop. Remember it's best when it's expressed from
your essence or heart. Enjoy yourself in the process!

Q: "One piece of advice for listeners (or dancers)"

Keep your ears, heart, mind & spirit open.

Q: "One piece of advice for life"

Make the best of whatever you have or whatever situation you are in, and don't forget to stop & smell the
roses. Care about what you do & the people around you. Be honest with yourself & learn to clean your own
house first.

Credits:
Allan Johnston - format questions
Eliseo Cardona - translations

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