morna (cape verde)

yippee - time to do a plug for an old favourite
old as in long-time not in reference to the relative age of this performer
cesaria evora has been listened to and admired by myself for many years
i own a dvd of her performing at a concert in paris that bears up to repeat playing
she seems to be the one that has carried the light for morna music
is treated like a goddess in her native island country of cape verde
and has respect and recognition on a global scale
here's the quote from songlines magazine re the rhythm known as morna
sitting several hundred miles off the coast of west africa
the cape verde islands' unique geographical location has fostered a rich set of hybrid rhythms
combining african and brazilian elements with strong hints of portuguese fado
most famous of all is morna - a slow, blues-like minor key shuffle that is both poetry and dance
and the soundtrack to the nation's soul
they go on to recommend cesaria evora as the reference point performer for morna
no argument from me though a close second is a lovely young lady by the name of lura
who i had the fortune to see perform at womadelaide a couple of years ago
she was also a delight to watch but she has a huge shadow to step out from underneath of
the following youtube clip of cesaria is taken from the aforementioned concert in paris
a beautiful tune called soudade that to me carries that touch of portuguese fado music
further investigation reveals that soudade is a word that cannot be accurately translated to english
but is used to describe the longing and missing of home
i.e. typical fado music - the want and almost enjoyment of loss and despair
the band is another standout feature of this tune
particularly the handsome lead acoustic guitarist
and...the big news...cesaria evora at womad in 2008
woo-hoo
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