By Hunter Ramey
Special to The Observer
There were odes to her hometown of Sudbury, Afro-Peruvian tributes to her grandmother and many quips about the boys in her life.
Last Saturday Patricia Cano delivered those treats and more to a half-capacity crowd at the Harrison Memorial Hall, when the Harrison Festival Society presented the artist’s performance Illusion.
Cano, who says she had a love for language ever since she was very young, presents herself as a multi-lingual performer singing in Spanish, French, Portuguese and English.
She grew up in a Peruvian household speaking Spanish at home, but lived in a Francophone community and attended a French school.
After spending seven months in Brazil, she fell in love with Brazilian culture and the Portuguese language.
Cano found her vocal ability when she began to study theatre.
Often directors would ask her to sing, leading her to realize her talent.
Amongst many, one of her greatest musical influences was Mercedes Sosa, an Argentinian singer considered the “Voice of Latin America.”
Cano plans to do a tribute performance to Sosa in the coming future.
Her current influence, directly linked to the music she is doing now is Carlos Bernardo, a Brazilian from Paris, and guest guitarist at her Illusion performance.
Cano states that she, “musically shares a strong complicity with Carlos, something that doesn’t come around very often.”
Cano has performance plays in Quebec in a week and is hoping to have a packed summer tour schedule.
There is also a new album in the making to anticipate from the seductive Cano.
To learn more about Patricia Cano, visit her website at patriciacano.com.