Walking home from the archives one day, I crossed paths with some zungeiras (ambulant street vendors), cases of Coca-Cola piled high on their heads, belting out the hit song Yolanda as they trudged up the hill to the hospital Josina Machel. Kizomba played on radios in barbershops, in cars, in quintals and in nightclubs. In the tradition of semba musicians, kizomba songs, at their best, riffed on daily life.
Best Of Paulo Flores Mix Semba Kizomba
This compilation of music from Angola shows the depth of talent from this nation beleaguered by decades of colonial and post-colonial strife. This is an excellent introduction to the music of Angola recorded in the 1990s -- Angolan music is African music at its best. The rhythms featured on this album include semba, rebita, rumba, kilipanga, and a few ballads. Carlos Lamartine, who began singing in the '50s, combined with young musicians in Luanda and Lisbon to produce the phenomenal Memorias from which "Vunda Ku Muceque" is taken. Banda Maravilha is represented here twice. They have had a long career in the popular music of Angola and are, like other Angolan musicians, transposing traditional music to the modern idiom. They do it with style and high energy in the semba and rebita on this recording. Carlos Burity, whose singing career began in the '70s, offers his "Ojala Ye Ya" from his extraordinary Massemba album. The wailing cry at the beginning of the song speaks of the horror and misery of continual war. The semba master takes the sorrow and turns on the percussive healing dance. Lourdes Van Dunen is the most famous female Angolan singer. She sings a rebita, which was a drawing room dance for the black bourgeoisie at the end of the 19th century. Played on a concertina, it is accompanied by the dikanza or reco-reco and by handclapping. Bonga has been a fixture of Angolan music for over 30 years. He has played with Carlos Lamartine and Teta Lando. Another exceptional artist included in this compilation is Paulo Flores. He has been making Angolans dance to his kizomba, a mixture of zouk and semba, for over 25 years. His "Canta Meu Semba" is a sparkling example of a semba that burns. Filipe Mukenga, whose compositions have been covered by Flora Purim and Djavan, contributes a fine rebita based on an umbundo poem dating back to the slavery era. There are a host of other notable Angolan artists on this compilation including Mario Rui Silva, Simmons, Moise & Jose Kafala, and Afra Sound Star. Angola 90's shows the musical talent of this nation. It is a fairly comprehensive sampling of the various rhythms that comprise the country's rich mix. Highly recommended and a rhythmic enticement to explore more Angolan musical territory.
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