Search - Various Artists :: Cape Verde: An Archipelago of Music

Cape Verde has attained a fame far beyond what its small geographic stature would seem to justify, in great measure due to the work of morna diva Cesaria Evora. This small group of islands was uninhabited until Portugal settled it with its unwanted poor, its opportunistic pirates, clever business people, and slaves brought from the nearby African coast. Thus the archipelago has a unique, almost artificial culture. It's a true example of how people create culture as much as they are created by it. This two-CD set is broken into two regional collections. Sotavento ("leeward") covers the islands of Fogo, Santiago, Maio, and Brava, where the majority of blacks still live. It features social satire called tabanka, women's social music (batuque), the accordion-driven funana, and work and play songs. Barlavento ("windward") shows the more diverse European elements (not exclusively Portuguese) that mixed with the African to create the roots of the most famous of Cape Verde's musical traditions, the morna of Boa Vista island. Also featured are wedding and festival music, and more formal styles that work with European instruments such as the violin. Much of this music has been covered in individual discs on the Ocora label, but this collection is one of the best overviews of the region available, with good notes, marvelous pictures, and well-recorded, outstanding performances. --Louis Gibson