The Silver Messengers

When one hears of Cape Verdean roots music mingled with jazz it is hard not to shudder with trepidation. The word ‘fusion’ usually results in the most uninspired clashes between two different musical languages, stressing both in such a way that everything becomes strident and subtlety goes out the window. Fortunately, what singer Carmen Souza has been doing since she met bassist Theo Pas'cal is infusing jazz with Cape Verdean elements with enough grace that listeners aren't constantly reminded of such strained fusions. What Souza creates is more than a fusion of two worlds, it's simply beautiful music.

With The Silver Messengers Souza pays homage to one of her pivotal influences – the legendary jazz pianist Horace Silver – by performing some of his repertoire. Silver, whose father was Cape Verdean, released an album named The Cape Verdean Blues in 1966. And that's where the staggering song ‘Nutville’ here comes from, a perfect summary of their common tangent between jazz and Cape Verdean sounds. Souza sings it like she's been possessed by Ella Fitzgerald, with Creole lyrics of her own. In five of Silver's tracks, all delivered with powerful and heartfelt interpretations, Souza demonstrates how much Silver meant to her. There are also a few originals penned by her, Pas'cal or Moacir Santos. She convinces us with ‘Soul Searching’, ‘Señor Blues’ or ‘Lady Musika’ just how well these two worlds effortlessly succumb to each other's charms. It's hard to imagine a more moving homage to one of her heroes.