Thursday, February 11, 2010

Cape Verdean Sounds for a Wintry Night

Sara TavaresOutside my window is a sea of white: Boston is blanketed by snow. The three inches outside are nothing compared the ‘Snowpocalypse’ that my sister had to deal with down in DC. She sent me pictures of her frolicking about in snow that was up to her thighs.

Snowy days and nights are for staying inside, covered in a comforter, watching movies. Or listening to quality music. It’s been awhile since we had mornas playing in the Lounge. For nights like these, or if I’m just in the mood to listen to something calm, relaxing, for the soul, I’ll put Tcheka or Sara Tavares or Mayra on the stereo, volume not too high, not too low, but just right. Cape Verde has such beautiful music, it's incredible...listening to mornas is just like listening to bossa nova and I hold them in equal esteem.

Here tonight to warm our souls with their soothing voices and their slightly swaying rhythms are Sara Tavares with Pé na Strada (Xinti album), Mayra Andrade with Mana (Navega album) and Tcheka with Dam Bu Mon (Lonji album). Three beautiful songs for a cold, white, wintry night.

Pe na Strada
Mana
Dam Bu Mon

Olho pela janela. O mundo está um mar branco, coberto pela neve macía. Mas a neve que vejo lá fora é pouca se formos a comparar com o diluvio congelado que a minha mana recebeu em Washington, DC. Ela mando-me fotos do descalabro e a neve chega-lhe as ancas!

Noites assim, brancas e serenas, são para ficar dentro de casa, coberto por uma manta, e ver bué de filmes. Ou então, para os consumidores de música patológicos como eu, passar o tempo a ouvir música, como não podia deixar de ser. Nunca mais tocou aqui música caboverdeana, e em noites como essa é o que me apetece ouvir. Música calma, exótica. Comovente. Para relaxar a mente e a alma. Vêm me a cabeça o Tcheka, a Sara Tavares, a Mayra. Ponho-nos na aparelhagem, em volume não muito alto, nem muito baixo. Ah, estamos em dia. Adoro a música caboverdeana, e respeito-a como respeito o bossa nova.

Para nos aquecer a alma nesta noite fria, para nos fazer lembrar um pouco a tal brisa morna do mar que deixamos pra trás (para todos os mwangolés que se encontram na diáspora), aqui vão três musicas: Pá na Strada da Sara Tavares (do CD Xinti), Mana da Mayra Andrade (Navega) e o Dam Bu Mon do grande Tcheka (Lonji). Três músicas maravilhosas para uma noite fria e branca.


-Photo: Sara Tavares in Paris, by Estelle Valente

2 comments:

Mr. Likeable said...

Wow! I just started a music blog (likeablemusic.blogspot.com), and since my first post was about Mayra Andrade I had a look around to see is any other blogs had written about her. And that's how I found your blog.

I agree with you that Portuguese is the finest and most musical language there is, and I can't wait to check out the music you write about. I've started off on your list of the best albums of 2009, and there's some really good stuff there. Keep up the good work!

Claudio Silva said...

Thanks for the nice words, Mr. Likeable, I took a good look at your blog, and hope you keep at it for the long run!

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