Cafe Atlantico

Performer: Césaria Évora
Engineer: Evelio Gay Salinas; Julio Nápoles Sánchez; Alain Martinez De La Crus; Lexter Fonseca Villan; Joao Magalhaes; Pascal Catet
Producer: Jose Da Silva
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Cesaria Evora (vocals); Totinho (vocals, soprano & tenor saxophones, percussion); Bau (6- & 12-string guitars, cavaquinho); Luis Ramos (slide guitar, background vocals); Jacinto Pereira (cavaquinho, background vocals); Jacky Fourniret (accordion); Nando Andrade (piano, background vocals); Jose Paris (acoustic bass, background vocals); Calu (drums, background vocals); Silvano Michelino (bongos, pandero); Tey Santos (percussion); Valerie Belinga, Valerie Tribord, Toy Viera, Teofilo Chantre, Fred, Armandine, Manuna, NAdine, John Nobre, Nedelise, Yolanda, Stephanie (background vocals). CAFE ATLANTICO was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. Personnel: Totinho (vocals, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion); Bau (guitar, 12-string guitar, cavaquinho); Luis Ramos (guitar, slide guitar, background vocals); Jos� Paris (acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, background vocals); Jacinto Pereira (cavaquinho, background vocals); Conde Djeli Moussa (kora); L�zaro Dagoberto Gonz�lez, Jos� Luis Dominguez, Alioth Castillo, Mario Fernandez, Omar Pereira, Leonel Hernandez, Raymond Morales, Ana Julia Feria, Fresi Garcia, Dania Gutierrez, Julian Corrales Subida, Gerardo Rafael Garcia Huerta, Roberto Dias, Julian Corrales, Ariel Mendez, Ernesto Dias Vera, Augusto Carreras, Genardo Garcia, Hugo Cruz (violin); Alejandro Rodriguez , Arelis Copello, Gladis La Tamayo (cello); Daniel Pe�alver, Raul Valdez, Zorim� Mercedez, Manuel Garcia, Orlando "Maraca" Valle (flute); Jacky Fourniret (accordion); Emilio Heredia, Enrique Rodriguez, Michel Padron (trumpet); Francisco Santiago, Segundo Mendoza (French horn); Alberto Meneses, Ridel Rodriguez (trombone); Antonio Pe�alver (bass trombone); Nando Andrade (piano, background vocals); Franck Emilio Flynn (piano); Francisco Valdez, Andres Grana, Carlos del Puerto (double bass); Calu (drums, background vocals); Silvano Michelino (bongos, pandeiro); Elilio del Monte (timbales); Tey Santos (percussion); John Nobre, Manuna, Aramis, Nedelise, Armandine, Valerie Belinga, Marie-Paule Tribord, Valerie Tribord, Nadine, Juan Carlos Estrada, Teofilo Chantre, Toy Vieira, Yumuri (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Jose DaSilva ; Stephanie Caisson. Recording information: Studio Abdala, Havana, Cuba; Studio Harry Son, Paris, France; Studio Recall, Pompignan. Photographer: Youri Lenquette. Arrangers: Nando Andrade; Orlando "Maraca" Valle; Bau. The glorious Caf� Atlantico finds C�saria �vora venturing into more Latin American musical landscapes, as opposed to Portuguese, which dominated her previous albums. �vora draws from traditional Cuban and Brazilian music to mesmerizing effect. The album is also a tribute to her home town of Mindelo, on the Cape Verdean island of Sao Vicente, which was once a busy port with sailors cruising between South America, the Caribbean, and Portugal. Therefore, the music is heartbreaking and nostalgic, warm and tragic all at once. The masterful "Carnaval de Sao Vicente" is one of the most joyous, bittersweet party songs ever put on wax (and was even issued as a maxi-single with fantastic remixes). "Roma Criola" is tragic, lonely, destitute, and always interesting, making for an undiscovered masterpiece of a ballad, and her rendition of the Spanish language standard "Maria Elena" is absolutely heartbreaking. The album evokes a moody elegance rarely found in modern music, from the sweeping opener "Fl�r Di Nha Esperan�a" to the summery "Amor Di Mundo," and the picture she paints of this caf� at the end of the world is a gorgeous, multi-colored, and emotion-stirring palate. This album is nothing short of world class and will be enjoyed by generations to come. ~ Jose Promis After nearly a decade of shuffling around barefoot from one festival stage to another, the Queen of Cape Verde finally went global. West Africa has long looked to Havana for inspiration, and this is a truly transatlantic brew. Smooth and milky at first taste, CAFE ATLANTICO has just enough bitterness to remind us that Evora's roots lie in songs of yearning, loss, and hardship. There's a good variety of styles and influences here: a son straight out of Havana ("Beijo de Longe") and an Angolan forro ("Terezinha") are brave steps away from the plangent guitars and seductive melodies that have characterised her albums to date. And there are more than a few salient reminders too of the morna style that she has made her own, notably in "Vaquinha Mansa" and the stylish "Amor di Mundo." The instrumental arrangements come courtesy of Jacques Morelenbaum and are as crafted as you'd expect. This is an album that would make a palm tree bend at the knees and long for summer. Why wait? Kick off your shoes and shuffle.

Rolling Stone (8/5/99, p.67) - 3 1/2 stars (out of 5) - "...[ushers] Evora into atypically bright moods....[She] really only sings two ways: well or magnificiently." Q (7/99, pp.110-2) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...a lilting, mellow collection, ranging from the languorous...to the lighthearted....the crisp arrangements combined with her dry delivery ensure a lack of sentimentality." CMJ (1/10/00, p.25) - Included in CMJ's "New World '99 Top 5" - "...a beautiful, finely wrought album that shows exactly why she's so popular..." Mojo (Publisher) (1/00, p.31) - Ranked #16 in Mojo Magazine's "Best of 1999."

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