The Strings of São Domingos

Gently swaying rhythms as effortless as lapping waves, melodies infused with the sweet melancholic longing of saudades: the music of the Cape Verde islands off Senegal has been enchanting international listeners since Cesaria Evora stepped into the limelight in the 1990s. Like many traditional singers from her home island of São Vicente, Cesaria drew heavily on the work of Francisco Xavier da Cruz, also known as B Leza, whose songs include ‘Miss Perfumado’ and ‘Mar Azul’. But the archipelago has many islands. The Strings of São Domingos showcases the work of a Cape Verdean master songwriter from Santiago, the largest island in Cape Verde. Like B Leza, Fulgêncio Circuncisão Lopes Tavares, aka Ano Nobo, was a major songwriter in the first golden era of Cape Verde music – the 1950s. This quartet named in his honour is made up of guitarists and singers who learned their craft with the composer in his home village of São Domingos. All are now elderly gentlemen – a sort of Cape Verde Social Club, and this CD captures them playing Ano Nobo’s haunting, wistful compositions informally in their homes in Cape Verde.

Most of the songs are coladeiras – guitar-driven and more upbeat than Cesaria’s mornas but equally as sweetly sad and haunting. At times the unproduced performances feel a little rough and ready, but when the quartet gel, such as on numbers like the zippy ‘Badia di Fora’ or the gorgeous, lilting ‘Maria Cze Bu Tem’, the music is as quietly captivating as Cesaria herself.