Search - Lulendo :: Angola

"Very sweet Afrobeat ? lots of gorgeous harmonies, and very slick production ? all tracks are excellent." -KZSU, STANFORD UNIVERSITY Lulendo is one of the too-rare contemporary artists to come up with new, original music using African instrumentation. The likembe (elsewhere known as sanza or kalimba) can even qualify as the most African of all instruments in that none exist outside of Africa and the African diaspora. As a child listening to his grandfather, Lulendo developed a passion for this lovely, melodic percussion instrument, which he taught himself to play. On his new album, more ambitious than 2001?s À qui profite le crime, his innovation lies in the way he uses the likembe, revealing it as ideally adapted to the funky rhythms of such groups as Earth, Wind and Fire. A refugee living in Paris since 1982, Lulendo defines himself as an African from Angola. Deeply marked by the terrible civil war that drove him away from his native Luanda, Lulendo delicately expresses his nostalgia and the sorrow of separation. His beautiful voice, ranging from tenor to falsetto, may remind the listener that he was! once a backing singer with Papa Wemba. Features exciting work by some great instrumentalist guests: Didier Lockwood?s jubilant violin, John Helliwell?s Creole clarinet, and the bluesy accents of Claude Samard?s pedal-steel guitar. Lulendo has received accolades in National Geographic, Le Parisien, Libération, NovaPlanet, Zurban, World Magazine, Mondomix, Africa International, Lylo, Chrous, Africultures, and more!