Thursday, May 24, 2012

From the Land of Queen Nzinga: Luso-African Music

Queen Nzinga of Angola

Continuing the journey around Africa’s musical regions, tonight comes the music of the Portuguese speaking countries of Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe.   Fantastic stuff that reminds me of my short but very impressionable time in Angola nearly 20 years ago.

In those days there was not much for Angolans to make music about. The civil war seemed unending. Most of the population was being fed by the UN. Orphans and the crippled of war survived somehow on the sidewalks of Luanda. Inflation was rampant (about 2 million New Kwanzas for a beer!) and the shops looked like they’d been empty for decades.

But as is always the case in such places there is a small slice of society for whom life was very good. And for such people there were some amazing clubs and discos where the Latin-Afro tinged guitars trilled and sweat rolled down the handsome faces each weekend.

It was a sad time and I entered a deep professional and personal funk in Angola. The country was stunningly gorgeous but there was something rotten in the air.

But once upon a time there was a lively and sizzling music scene in Angola and the other countries where Portugal held on to its brief moment of accidental global domination.

Listen to this and read up on some of the artists in the scans I’ve included in the folders.


            Track Listing (disc one):
            01 Boas Festas (Luis Morais and Voz Do Cabo    Verde)
02 Estin (jose Carlos Schwarz)
03 Dissan Na M'bera (Super Mama Djombo)
04 Pamparid (Super Mama Djombo)
05 Bulimundo (Bulimondo)
06 Nha Guine (Ze Manel)
07 Grito De Bo FidJe (Mendes&Mendes)
08 Aninha (Africa Negra)

            Track Listing (disc two):
            01 O Pavo (Paulo Flores)
02 Sodade (Cesaria Evora)
03 Tchan De Pedra (Bana)
04 Mae Querida (Os Tubaroes)
05 Preto E Mi (Tito Paris)
06 Mulemba Xangola (Bonga)
07 Saudades De Luanda (Oz Keizos)
08 Kisua Ki Ngui Fuà (Arthur Nunes)
09 N'Ginda (Tony De Fumo)
10 N'Hoca (Tony Von)


            Track Listing (disc three):
            01 Eme N'Gongo Lami (Tanga)
02 N'Vula (Urbano De Castro)
03 Chofer De Praça (Luis Visconde)
04 Tsuketani (Kapa Dech)
05 Todos Os Sentidos (Tabnaka Diaz)
06 Paraiso Di Gumbe (Manecas Costa)
07 Criulinha (Voz De Cabo Verde)
08 Disgraciado (Rui Sangara)

            

7 comments:

Apurva Bahadur said...

Thanks for sharing this collection. Apurva from Pune, India.

El Tortuga said...

i'm very pleased to thank you once more for such beautiful music! and this time i have a particular reason:
Angola is the land where i first saw day light in Huambo, more than a few years ago! i spent most of my youth there and beeing from portugese descendance in the colonial time, i had the chance to visit Guiné-Bissau in my teens as well. i do not have much of angolan music but i found a couple of nice records in the net. i would be very happy to send them to you. i don't have a blog but i could send you per e-mail if you wish so. anyway, thank you so much for this nice post! wish you peace & happiness!

ajnabi1957 said...

@Apurva, most welcome, my friend.

ajnabi1957 said...

@El Tortuga,
wow! I spent quite a bit of my time in Angola in....Huambo! It was totally gutted and shot out from the war. Totally deserted but I had the most amazing musical experience there which I'll have to blog about soon!
I'ts a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My email is ajnabi1957@gmail.com

Bom dia!

ledenn said...

Thanks for sharing this beautiful music. Also, thanks for the photos on your other blog.

MarviniusMartinius said...

wow music from my heritage.........Lusitano/Portuguese....what a surprise....keep it coming Washerman Dog....by the way i was bitten by a dog the other day spent a night in RPA !!!! no joke....serious stuff.....by the way, again, your Abyssinian Choir has been deleted by MedFIre!!!!

MarviniusMartinius said...

i'm listening to the Jackson Southernaires whilst downloading this stuff, these guys could sing, every track is a gem...obrigado por esta linda musica, mais por favor (portuguese)