Moça de classe Tcheka Dor de Mar (Lusafrica) 2011 Listen

When you come from an archipelago located in the middle of the ocean, like Cape Verde, looking towards the horizon and imagining what might lie beyond it is almost a way of life, something between dream and meditation. In 2007, Tcheka let his desires cross the Atlantic, destination Brazil, when he had handed over the songs from the album Lonji to the singer-guitarist Lenine, and gave him the role of producer. That same year, he also did a North American tour with Cesaria Evora, playing support act to the barefoot Diva.

Yet, after his steady rise, confirmed when he won the Discoveries RFI Award in late 2005, the man from Santiago took a back seat. For Dor de Mar, he chose proximity, making the short trip to the neighbouring island of Mindelo to record most of the twelve tracks, all composed by himself except for Forti Bu Dan Cu Stango! written several decades ago by his compatriot Norberto Tavares living in the USA.

READ ON © joe wurfel Tcheka, RFI World Music Award 2005

The acoustic backdrop that the artist strums up with his guitar makes it easy to enter into his ethereal, pure world. The sudden injection of electricity in Moça de Classe adds an audacious twist that works surprisingly well. On Pexera Porto, the lively, delicate accordion played by the Malagasy Régis Gizavo – who has also accompanied Cesaria Evora – lends some welcome depth.

The same can be said for Faka Na Prega, with its discreet but unmistakable trumpet, something like Miles Davis, played by the French jazzman Antoine Illouz. But gradually, song by song, we get the impression that Tcheka’s stories are over too soon and that they might benefit from a different kind of treatment, leaving more room for the musicians to express themselves.

Translation: Anne-Marie Harper

Tcheka Dor De Mar (Lusafrica/Sony) 2011
Playing live at the Café de la Danse in Paris on 4 November 2011