Acclaimed singer, songwriter and educator Taina Asili rocked out for an audience of students, faculty and community members performing at the L.P. Young Student Center’s Mabel Brown Room on Tuesday, April 16. Over 30 people attended the show.
The Puerto Rican artist sang original songs encompassing a variety of musical styles, including the Afro-Latin music of her childhood, punk rock and jazz. The performance was sponsored by KSC’s Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and included songs performed in English, as well as Spanish.
Asili’s music is composed of many different musical styles and highlights her diverse performing arts background.
“I grew up in a home that was vibrant with Afro-Latin music with parents who were both musically oriented,” Asili said.
“My father was really big on jazz, and my mother was a beautiful dancer. Those were super formative in my upbringing, as well as my training in opera, my background in musical theater, and my involvement in punk rock,” Asili added.
Asili’s concert included songs that touch upon social issues, including climate justice, food justice and abolition. Asili said music can be a powerful tool to interact with social issues in an inspiring way.
“These can be really heavy topics, and we can easily become overwhelmed with despair in a way that doesn’t transfer into our hearts,” Asili said. “ Music can be a vehicle that transforms that heaviness into action … into hope. It helps us move these important topics from the head to the heart and spirit.”
Asili’s guitarist and digital music producer Gaetano Vaccaro said the accompanying band is a talented group of musicians.
“We have a regular group of musicians we’ve been blessed to work with for a long time, and people all over the country we perform with,” said Vaccaro. “Taina and I work together to make this music. I help put chords to some of the songs, but she’s the musical driving force who writes the songs and develops the concepts.”
KSC’s Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Dottie Morris arranged for Asili to perform on campus. Asili had previously given workshops at KSC, after being introduced to the college by Women’s and Gender Studies Department Chair Dr. Patricia Pedroza-Gonzalez.
Morris highlighted the importance of music as a medium to express important ideas and topics.
“Our students are going to function in a world where there are so many different ways of thinking,” said Morris. “When it comes to the role music has in different cultures, there’s so much opportunity to engage with ideas and topics in a way we may otherwise not have the chance to. It’s really exciting to have these opportunities to bring that here and share it together.”
Morris added, “It’s such a viable way to bring people together, make your voice heard and educate people in a new and meaningful way.”
Community member Jak Thomas was invited by friends to see Asili’s performance and enjoyed the show.
“I think being louder and more open about what you believe, especially when speaking about equality and justice is so important,” Thomas said. “ I’m also a musician, so I really connected with the way Asili used her music and her voice to speak truth to power. Expressing emotion and truth through music is so powerful.”
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
