Album Featuring London Symphony Orchestra
Already Garnering Success in Native Angola and Europe
"His voice, the overwhelming fervor with which he sings these songs is simply amazing!" - MSN Germany
"Waldemar Bastos is one of the greatest voices to come out of Angola, maybe even Africa!" - Mondomix France
Renowned world musician Waldemar Bastos' sixth studio album, Classics of My Soul, was released in the United States on September 11th, 2012. The record, which was produced by Derek Nakamato and features players such as percussionist Luis Conte, guitarist Mitchell Long and pianist Keiko Matsui
among others in support of Bastos' acoustic guitar and singing, was
released in his native Angola in 2010. Recorded in Los Angeles and
London, Classics of My Soul now returns to the shores where it was crafted.
"The
new album has a different sound," says Bastos. "I believe that we are
in a moment of Peace in Angola, the first steps of democracy, and this
of course fulfills your spirit with joy. It also reflects itself in the
music and the music is the reflection of my state of mind. All these
ingredients made the album more profound and cheerful."
Nakamato, who Bastos met while working on the U2 Tribute album, In the Name of Love - Africa Celebrates U2,
said, "After many conversations with Waldemar, we decided the
foundation of this record would be his voice and unique acoustic guitar
playing. After we recorded all of the basic tracks and lead vocals, my
role as producer was simply to listen to what the music needed. It was
important to Waldemar that this project would take place without a
record company or any person that would have influence on the music or
its direction. My commitment to him was that this was to be 'his
record.' With his distinguished career and numerous recordings, I
clearly sensed that there was something more he wished to achieve with
this project.
Waldemar remarked to me that these songs presented on Classics of My Soul
are very special and close to his heart, even more important treasures
to the people of Angola. This album was to celebrate their spirit and
not his ego. I remember an instance where he sang a vocal that
astounded us in the room and upon listening to it on playback, Waldemar
looked at me and said, 'No, the performance is too much about me and
the song IS NOT about me. Let me do it again.' With a very subtle shift
the emotion of the song reflected the lyric and not the dramatic
performances of 'singer.' His intent always was very clear."
Among
the host of musicians chosen to take part in the album, Bastos and
Nakamato also went to London where, with the help of conductor Nick Ingman, they recorded the London Symphony Orchestra
for four of the album's tracks. Bastos says, "my music is defined by my
own life experiences, praise for Angolan identity, and a call for
universal brotherhood. It is gratifying for me to hear critics say, as
it recently happened in the USA, that my music is universal. That it is
not a regional music, but instead for people everywhere."
Waldemar Bastos
was born near the border with Zaire in N'Banza Congo, a little town
which was the first capital city of the ancient kingdom of Angola. He
started singing at a very early age. Bastos describes his musical
childhood as such,"When I was a child, my mother soon realized I had a
very special musical gift. I used to spend my days singing and
whistling, and my mother noticed that as something out of the
ordinary...and she gave me all her support. One day, my father arrived
home and found me playing his concertina. I felt bad for having been
caught touching, without permission, an instrument which was almost
sacred for him. But he was pleasantly surprised, I think he was even
satisfied, to hear me playing popular radio songs. In the following
Christmas he gave an accordion as a gift." From there, Bastos would
dedicate himself wholeheartedly to music, traveling around Angola and
playing everything from pop and rock to waltzes and tangos.
In
the meantime, Angola won its independence and followed the long
socialist road. Feeling burdened by the repressing role of the
government in the arts, Bastos defected to Portugal in 1982 and later to
Berlin and from thereto Brazil, where he became acquainted with some
well known musicians, such as Chico Buarque, João do Vale, Elba Ramalho,
Djavan and Clara Nunes who had been in Angola in the late seventies.
Bastos' career bloomed during his time away from his homeland. His
debut, Estamos Juntos, was released by EMI-Odeon while the musician lived and worked in Brazil, with the acclaimed sophomore release, Angola Minha Namorada, following in 1990 when Bastos had returned to Portugal.
All
the while the musician continued to be in the Angolan spotlight. In
1990 he gave a memorable concert to an audience of 200,000 in Luanda's
Kinaxixe Square and returned two years later on the heels of his third
album, Pitanga Madura. Bastos says, "given the fact that an
effervescent historical moment was taking place, if, on the one hand,
these circumstances brought me joy, on the other hand, I felt great
apprehension because of the way I was being claimed by both sides. The
situation became, again, dangerous for me, and I understood it was not
the right moment to stay in Angola."
While
travelling through Lisbon, David Byrne, the mastermind of Luaka Bop
record label, and ex-leader of the Talking Heads, bought, by chance, a
record of the Angolan singer in a downtown Lisbon shop. Soon after that
Bastos would be featured on the album Afropea - Telling Stories to the Sea, an anthology of Lusophone artists issued by Luaka Bop. Afterwards there was Pretaluz/Blacklight,
recorded in NYC, produced by Arto Lindsay, and issued by Luaka Bop. The
New York Times described it as "one of the best World music records of
the decade" and was included in Tom Moon's book 1000 Recordings to Hear
Before You Die. In the aftermath of Pretaluz/Blacklight, Bastos won the "Award for the Emerging Artist of the Year (1999)".
In
1998, Bastos was discovered by the European audience and media after
his successful tours in Europe as the opening act at the UNESCO Festival
"Don't forget Africa" in June 2000 in the Canary Islands. Later in the
year he was invited by Mr. Ruichi Sakamoto to take part in the Zero
Landmine project in cooperation with international artists like Arto
Lindsay, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Jacques Morelenbaum. Other
accomplishments include three of his compositions being featured in the
Hollywood movie, The Sweepers. He has also received several
invitations by Monacan royalty Prince Ernst August von Hanover and
Princess Caroline von Hanover in the course of which he also gave a
private concert for Rainier III. In 2003 the Angolan war ended after 30
years and Bastos was invited to celebrate this very special day in a
remarkable performance in the national stadium in Luanda.
"The
message of the new album is the congregation of beauty, love,
fraternity and to unite the people through music," says Bastos. "For me
the music has the function of breaking barriers and helping to create a
better world, that is what I believe."
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| Waldemar Bastos EPK |
Classics of My Soul - Track Listing:
1. M'biri! M'biri! - 5:36 *
2. Humbi Humbi Yangue - 5:33
3. Teresa Ana - 5:16
4. Tata Ku Matadi - 6:04
5. Pôr do Sol - 6:07
6. Aurora - 5:08 *
7. Muxima - 5:18
8. Calção Roto no Rabo - 6:19
9. Perto e Longe - 5:53 *
10. N'Duva - 4:14 **
11. Velha Xica - 5:35 *
*featuring the London Symphony Orchestra
** featuring Keiko Matsui
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