Cesaria Evora, Grammy-Award Winning Cape Verdian diva, passed away

[Matthias Offodile]

Cesaria Evora, Grammy-Winning Singer, Dead at 70

Dezember 17, 2011




By Barry Hatton, Associated Press

Cesaria Evora, who started singing as a teenager in the bayside bars of Cape Verde in the 1950s and won a Grammy in 2003 after she took her African islands music to stages across the world, died Saturday. She was 70.

Evora, known as the "Barefoot Diva" because she always performed without shoes, died in the Baptista de Sousa Hospital in Mindelo, on her native island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, her label Lusafrica said in a statement on its website. It gave no further details.

Evora retired in September because of health problems. In recent years she had had several operations, including open-heart surgery last year.

She sang the traditional music of the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, a former Portuguese colony. She mostly sang in the version of creole spoken there, but even audiences who couldn't understand the lyrics were moved by her stirring renditions, her unpretentious manner and the music's infectious beat.

Her singing style brought comparisons to American jazz singer Billie Holiday. "She belongs to the aristocracy of bar singers," French newspaper Le Monde said in 1991, adding that Evora had "a voice to melt the soul."

Evora's international fame came late in life. Her 1988 album "La Diva Aux Pieds Nus" ("Barefoot Diva"), recorded in France where she first found popularity, launched her international career.

Her 1995 album "Cesaria" was released in more than a dozen countries and brought her first Grammy nomination, leading to a tour of major concert halls around the world and album sales in the millions.

She won a Grammy in the World Music category of the 2003 awards for her album "Voz D'Amor".

Evora, known to her close friends as Cize (pronounced see-ZEH), was the best-known performer of "morna," Cape Verde's national music. It is a complex, soulful sound, mixing an array of influences arising from the African and seafaring traditions of the 10 volcanic islands.

Evora was born Aug. 27, 1941, and grew up in Mindelo, a port city of 47,000 people on the island of Sao Vicente, where sailors from Europe, America, Africa and Asia mingled in what was a lively cosmopolitan town with a fabled nightlife.

The local musical style borrowed from those cultures, defying attempts to classify it.
"Our music is a lot of things," Evora told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview at her home. "Some say it's like the blues, or jazz. Others says it's like Brazilian or African music, but no one really knows. Not even the old ones."

Evora was 7 years old when her father died, leaving a widow and seven children. At 10, with her mother unable to make ends meet, she was placed in an orphanage.

"I didn't like it. I value my freedom," she told the AP.

At 16, when Evora was doing piecework as a seamstress, a friend persuaded her to sing in one of the many sailors' taverns in her town. As her popularity grew, she was also rowed out into the bay to sing on anchored ships.

She received no pay - just free drinks. She used to smile when she recalled her fame as a heavy cognac drinker. And she sadly recalled the exact day - Dec. 15, 1994 - she had to give up drinking for her health's sake.

Evora didn't think much of her international stardom and she went back to Mindelo whenever she could. She rebuilt her childhood home, turning it into a 10-bedroom house where friends and family often stayed over, and she always made sure she was home for Christmas.

A heavy smoker for decades, Evora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005. She suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced she was retiring.


She had a son and a daughter by different men but never married. Family details were not immediately available.

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/indus...05696352.story

I just bumped into it, I cannot believe it...really very very sad. RIP ...you will always be remembered, dear Cesaria!

[ekuikui]

thats tragic news! there goes an important part of world music.

[Matthias Offodile]

so incredibly beautiful



Cesaria Evora - Carnaval de Sao Vicente



Cesaria Evora - Besame Mucho (live)




Cesária Évora - Mar Azul.




Cesaria Evora - Beijo Roubado




Cesaria Evora - Tudo Tem Se Limite



Video Clip of her great song petit pays

click here: http://www.clipzik.com/cesaria-evora/petit-pays.html

[Matthias Offodile]

Originally Posted by ekuikui

thats tragic news! there goes an important part of world music.

so true, beyond any doubt! Alone count all the singers she performed together on stage coming from almost all corners of the globe...she was a great singer and very down-to-earth and soulful woman - despite all her stardom.

[Matthias Offodile]

Cesária Évora (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɨˈzaɾiɐ ˈɛvuɾɐ]; born in 1941) is a Cape Verdean popular singer. Nicknamed the "barefoot diva" for performing without shoes, Évora is perhaps the best internationally known practitioner of "morna."


Cesária Évora – Cize to her friends – was born on the 27th August 1941 in Mindelo, Cape Verde. Her bright voice and physical charms were soon noticed, but her hope of a singing career remained unsatisfied. A Cape Verdean women’s group and the singer Bana both took her to Lisbon to cut a few tracks, but the recordings failed to catch the ear of a producer. In 1988, a young Frenchman of Cape Verdean extraction invited her to Paris to make a record. At 47, she had nothing to lose. Having never seen Paris, she agreed.

1988: Her first album is released: La Diva Aux Pieds Nus (The Barefoot Diva) produced by Lusafrica. The zouk-flavoured coladera “Bia Lulucha” is a hit with the Cape Verdean community. She gives a first concert in Paris to a small crowd at the New Morning on the 1st October.

1990: Distino di Belita, her second album, includes acoustic mornas and electric coladeras. Its release is very low-key and her label decides to try a different tack, recording a purely acoustic record.

1991: Évora is in France to record her first acoustic album. Accompanied by the Mindel Band, she performs at the Angoulême Festival on the 2nd June and at the Paris New Morning on the 7th. While the Paris concert only draws a small number of Cape Verdean fans, the concert in Angoulême attracts interest from the specialised press (a first article in the Libération daily newspaper). Her Mar Azul album is released at the end of October, word spreads and FM radio FIP play-lists the record. A new concert is organised for the 14th December at the New Morning. Her performance stuns the now mainly European audience in the packed theatre. Véronique Mortaigne writes in the Le Monde daily: “Cesária Évora, a lively fifty-year-old, sings morna with mischievous devotion... (she) belongs to the world nobility of bar singers”.

1992: With Mar Azul, media excitement grows and radio stations such as France Inter play-list the track. Évora performs at the Nîmes Feria on the 7th June and Miss Perfumado is released in France in October. The press compares Évora to Billie Holliday. Critics note the quality of her voice and provide many details that fuel her legend: Évora’s extravagant taste for cognac and tobacco, her hard life on Cape Verde’s forgotten islands, the warm nights of Mindelo... Concerts at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris on the 11 and 12 December are sold out a month in advance. Her first Brussels concert is at the Botanique (7 December).

1993: Miss Perfumado is a smash hit in France (more than 300,000 copies sold to date). Évora performs for the first time in Lisbon at the Teatro São Luis (25 May) and the police are forced to hold back a crowd of fans who cannot get into the hall. Two full houses at the Paris Olympia on the 12 and 13 June complete her triumph in France (the show is recorded and a “Live” album released on Parisian label Mélodie in 1996). She begins to tour the world: Barcelona (21 June), in Montreal in the Spectrum (14 July), Japan (end of October) and France (30 concerts at the end of 1993).

1994: Concerts in São Paulo (May). Caetano Veloso performs on stage with Évora and announces that she has a place among the great female singers who have inspired him. Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa, the West Indies... Évora is a stage phenomenon. Her Lusafrica label sign her to BMG and the record company releases a compilation entitled “Sodade, les plus belles Mornas de Cesaria” (Sodade, Cesaria’s finest mornas) in the autumn. Évora gives up drinking, but not smoking.

1995: The album Cesária (gold in France) is released in twenty countries including the USA (200,000 copies sold to date). The album is nominated for the Grammy Awards. Évora appears for 10 days at the Bataclan in Paris and goes on her first tour of North America. Madonna, David Byrne, Branford Marsalis and New York society flock to see her at the Bottom Line. Goran Bregovic asks her to record the song “Ausencia” for the original soundtrack of Emir Kusturica’s film Underground.

1996: A year of tours: France (40 concerts), Switzerland, Belgium, Brazil, Germany (11 concerts), Hong Kong, Italy, Sweden, the USA and Canada (30 concerts), Senegal, the Ivory Coast and her first (sell-out) concert in London at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. She sings a duet with Caetano Veloso on the AIDS-Benefit album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization. The Arte TV channel devotes a documentary to her. Paulino Vieira (who co-produced the two albums “Miss Perfumado” and “Cesária” ) leaves the group and is replaced by the young, talented guitarist Rufino Almeida, known as Bau.

1997: Release of the album Cabo Verde. Concerts programmed at the Olympia in March and a world tour including her third tour of the USA. The album “Cabo Verde“ is also nominated for the Grammy Awards. She won KORA All African Music Awards in three categories: Best Artist of West Africa, Best Album and Merit of the Jury.[2]

1998: Évora is on the road again accompanied by Jacinto Pereira (cavaquinho), José Paris (bass), Luis Ramos (guitars), Nando Andrade (piano), Totinho (saxophones and percussion) and Bau (guitars, cavaquinho, violin, band leader). From Greece to Japan, Israel to Portugal and the West Indies to Lebanon, Évora travels the world in 1998, but still finds time to record material for an album whose release is planned for April 1999. Before then, at the end of October, BMG releases the first “Best of Cesária Évora”, which includes all her fans’ favourite songs, as well as “Besame Mucho” (sung in Spanish), recorded the previous year for the original soundtrack of the film “Great Expectations”. In France, this “Best of” is certified gold three months later in January.

1999: The year 1999 begins with a Grammy nomination for the album Miss Perfumado (released in France in 1992, it only came out in the USA in 1998). The new album, entitled Café Atlantico, is released in France (300,000 copies to date), then worldwide in May. In March, Évora begins a world tour in Greece and again performs in North America in September and October. On stage, the band is enlarged to reflect the festive feel of the new repertoire: 12 musicians (including a violin section) are now led by pianist Nando Andrade. The tour ends in São Salvador, Brazil, just after a series of four concerts given at the Paris Olympia from the 7th to the 10th December. There, Évora receives several gold records presented by different BMG subsidiaries.

2000: Café Atlantico is nominated for the Grammy Awards and Évora wins a French Victoires de la Musique award in the “Best World Album” category, just before taking to the road again in April for her first major Latin American tour of Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. After Scandinavia in May, she sets out on another tour (of festivals) in the USA and Europe.


2001: São Vicente di Longe, Cesária Évora’s 8th studio album is recorded in Paris, La Havana and Rio de Janeiro. Nearly sixty musicians, arrangers and sound engineers work on the project in an environment that bears absolutely no resemblance to the conditions the singer recorded in at the start of her studio career. The album is as successful as “Café Atlantico”. It is also nominated for the Grammy Awards in the USA and the Victoires de la Musique in France. Évora is still on the road: 120 concerts in 2001 alone, including the Paris Zénith with around twenty Cape Verdean artists.

2002: A new major tour is planned that will take Évora to the five continents, with – for the first time – a series of concerts in Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, Macedonia, Hungary), as well as Singapore, Tahiti and Nouméa. On the 20th June, BMG publishes an “Anthology”, compiling live audience favourites and a new version of “Sodade” sung in a duet with Bonga, the greatest vocal artist in Angolan music and one of Cesaria’s oldest friends.

2003: begins with 3 concerts in Hong-Kong (1, 2 and 3 March). This new world tour includes Spain, Romania, Mexico, among other countries, together with a huge North American tour, including 40 cities east to West. On June 17, BMG releases “Club Sodade”, a project bringing together 10 of the Diva’s best songs, revisited by some of the most creative DJ’s of the house scene: Carl Craig, Kerri Chandler, Pepe Bradock, Señor Coconut, Francois K., and many others… This release is a prelude to Évora’s new studio album, entitled “Voz d’Amor”, published by BMG internationally in September 2003, and highly acclaimed by the press worldwide.

2004: Voz d'Amor is awarded in the beginning of 2004, in the « Best World Music Album » category, by both a Grammy Awards (in the US) and a Victoires de la Musique (in France). The year 2004 is a very European year for Évora: she gives 82 concerts in 24 different European countries. Amongst them 5 sold out shows in Paris' Le Grand Rex. This series of concert is filmed for a DVD, that is released on the following October.

2005: Évora begins the year 2005 with a tour which brings her from the Baltic States to South Africa. Due to a surgical operation she has to interrupt the tour in May, just before several shows planned in the United States and Canada. Fortunately, this interruption is quite short. In September, Évora returns to the studios to record her new album, and goes back on a tour from Siberia (4 shows in October) to Brazil.

2006: Rogamar, Évora’s tenth album is released on March 6. Fifteen tracks, including a duet with Ismaël Lô on “Africa Nossa”, make this album sound like a link between Africa, Europe and Brazil. Évora begins a new tour in North America (Mexico, U.S.A. and Canada) before playing in Paris at Le Grand Rex and at some of major European festivals.

2007: Évora begins her 2007 tour in Hungary with a show in Debrecen and two others in Budapest on April 6, 7 and 8th before performing in Russia in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Yekaterinburg in front of a won over audience. Her success in the former eastern block does not decrease but unfortunately that series of concerts is put to an end and her tour in the US scheduled for June and July cancelled. The doctors have diagnosed a coronary problem and decide to have Évora operated. She only hits the road again at the end of the year with a series of shows in Russia.

2008: The new tour starts in Australia. But suffering from a stroke after her Melbourne concert, Évora is admitted at the hospital and is repatriated to Paris for further examination. The tour is cancelled and Évora is obligated to rest for several months. Lusafrica takes advantage of that quiet period to release the recordings Évora had done for various local radio stations of Mindelo when she was in her twenties back in the early 1960s. Released in November, the “Radio Mindelo” album comes with a richly illustrated book with pictures and documents of the time. These 22 tracks, mostly exclusive, delight the fans, helping them wait for a new studio album.

2009: Évora is doing much better and gets back onstage but she needs to take it easy so her public appearances become less frequent than in the past. Her new album Nha Sentimento is scheduled for October 26. Recorded between February and May 2009 in Mindelo and Paris, it includes 14 tracks mainly written by her two fetish authors Manuel de Novas and Teofilo Chantre.

2010: In 2010, Cesaria Evora did series of concerts, the last of which was in Lisbon - on May 8. On May 10, after a heart attack, Cesaria was operated on at a hospital in Paris. On the morning of May 11 she was separated from the artificial pulmonary ventilation, and on May 16, Cesaria was discharged from the Intensive Unit and transported to a clinic for further treatment

[Matthias Offodile]

NEWS

Two days of national mourning has been declared in the small island nation, with President Jorge Carlos Fonseca calling her "one of the major cultural references of Cape Verde".

Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves paid tribute to her "invaluable contribution to the greatness of our nation and our pride".

here she sang about world peace and love among people

Cesaria Evora - Amor Di Mundo

[Kizaca]

My condolences...Africa and the world have lost a golden voice...

[skytrax]

DEP!

[Matthias Offodile]

Mar azul - Cesária Évora & Marisa Monte -live





Cesaria Evora & Bernard Lavilliers - Elle Chante





Mariza e Cesária Évora - 'Sodade'




CESARIA EVORA & ADRIANO CELENTANO "Quel casinha" (il ragazzo della via gluck)




Sodade - Cesaria Evora & Bonga





Miss Perfumado. Cesaria Evora




CESARIA EVORA feat GIANNI MORANDI "crepuscolare solitudine"




Yamore - Salif Keita e Cesaria Evora




Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japan) & Cesaria Evora

[Matthias Offodile]

Cesaria Evora est morte

RTP 2 - "Hoje" especial da morte da Cesária Évora

[Matthias Offodile]

Tribute to Cesaria Evora (Angola )-- video 18/12/11

click here to watch:

http://videos.sapo.ao/zHtf3WvD8gznI8o3dYFl

[Matthias Offodile]

Cape Verde mourns singer Cesaria Evora


18 December 2011 Last updated at 02:47 GMT

Two days of mourning have been declared in Cape Verde for singer Cesaria Evora, who has died on her native isle at the age of 70.

The musician, forced to retire earlier this year due to ill health, began her career singing in the bars of Mindelo.

President Jorge Carlos Fonseca called her "one of the major cultural references of Cape Verde".

The BBC's Janey Mitchell reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16234770

Cape Verde: National mourning for death of ‘barefoot diva’ Cesária Évora

Fans around the world and leaders of the Lusophone community mourned the mistress of the islands’ soulful “morna’ music.

What's New — 19 December 2011 by Lusa News
Cape Verde: National mourning for death of ‘barefoot diva’ Cesária Évora

Cape Verde’s “barefoot diva”, Cesária Évora has died after a long illness. The African archipelago’s best known cultural ambassador was 70.

The government announced a two-day period of national mourning after her death Saturday in hospital on her home island of São Vicente. Relatives said the funeral would take place Tuesday.

Fans around the world and leaders of the Lusophone community mourned the mistress of the islands’ soulful “morna’ music.

Portugal’s president and prime minister paid tribute.

President Aníbal Cavaco Silva described Évora as “the symbol of Cape Verde’s music and soul”.

Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said Portugal “weeps”, remembering the “great artist that took the morna and Cape Verde to the remotest corners of the planet."

http://www.portugaldailyview.com/01-...-cesaria-evora

[Matthias Offodile]

Here is a live performance during one of her concerts in Cyprus in 2009...the concert is so damn packed

she sings a song about Angola

Cesaria Evora - Angola

[Matthias Offodile]

12/20/11 6:19 PM

Angola
Head of State regrets death of Cesária Èvora



Luanda – The Angolan head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, Tuesday presented on his behalf, of the Angolan government and as the acting chairperson of CPLP the most felt condolences to his counterpart of Cape Verde Jorge Carlos Fonseca, its people, government and the family for the death of Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora.


In his message, the Angolan President regards the diva of barefoot Cesaria Evora as a great exponent of Cape Verdean music and an icon of African and universal music.


The Angolan Head of State considers that the death of Cesaria Evora is an irreparable loss of one of the most charismatic musician of Cape Verdean culture, whose talent crossed the borders of her country, winning the appreciation of millions of listeners around the world and specially in Portuguese-speaking countries.


The Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, 70, died Saturday in hospital Baptista de Sousa, in Sao Vicente, Cape Verde, where she was hospitalized.


Her funeral was held today in Mindelo, a city where she was born and died due to a respiratory complication.

http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/e...ab62230ad.html

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Portuguese President pays homage to memory of Cesária Évora

18 December 2011
Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva lamented the death of Cesária Évora, whom he considered an “eloquent symbol of the music and soul of Cape Verde.”

In a communiqué published on the Portuguese Presidency’s website, Cavaco Silva said that Cesária Évora was a “singular artist who so deftly expressed the culture and tradition of her homeland far beyond the borders of the Portuguese language.” The Portuguese head of state expressed his condolences to Cesária Évora’s family and to Cape Verde’s leaders.

“It is with sorrow that I pay homage to Cesária Évora, whose disappearance leaves not only Cape Verde, but all of the Portuguese-speaking community in mourning.”

http://asemana.sapo.cv/spip.php?article71241&ak=1

Celebrities all over the world lament death of Cesária Évora

19 December 2011
Manchester United athlete Nani, a native of the island of Sal, lamented Cesária Évora’s death on his Twitter account. “Today Cape Verde and the world say goodbye to Cesária Évora. We will always miss you,” wrote Nani.
Celebrities all over the world lament death of Cesária Évora

Other celebrities have already reacted to Évora’s death through Twitter. From Hollywood come messages of sorrow from Cape Verdean-American actress Anika Noni Rose, the protagonist of the film The Princess and the Frog. Actress Chelsea Tavares, for her part, expressed her wish that Cesária Évora’s soul rest in peace.

From Brazil, singer Preta Gil expressed her sadness with Évora’s passing, calling her “one of the greatest singers in the world.”

Nina Garcia, a member of the directorship of magazine Marie Claire, also expressed her sorrow at the loss.

From the African continent, singer Angelique Kidjo, who has shared the stage with Cesária Évora, said “I truly love her. She has an extraordinary voice and was the most generous person I have ever met.”

http://asemana.sapo.cv/spip.php?article71297&ak=1

Vany Reis elected Miss West Africa and dedicates victory to Cesária Évora

19 December 2011
Cape Verdean model Vanny Reis (Ivanilda de Fátima dos Reis) was elected Miss West Africa 2011 this Sunday in Banjul, the Gambia. Reis, who will also serve as West Africa’s Goodwill Ambassador for the next year, dedicated her win to Cesária Évora, who passed away Saturday in her native Mindelo.
Vany Reis elected Miss West Africa and dedicates victory to Cesária Évora

On her Facebook page, on which she appears wearing the Misss West Africa crown, Reis thanks her sponsors and dedicates her victory to Cesária Évora.

The Miss West Africa pageant was created in 2008, but due to the size of the West African diaspora, organizers decided to internationalize it in 2010. Vanny Reis is the second Cape Verdean candidate to participate in the event and the first to win the prize.

Prior to the pageant, Vanny Reis told A Semana Online that she hoped to bring her experience in the realm of solidarity to help Cape Verde. Reis was elected Miss Ribeira de Craquinha (Mindelo) in 2002, and the next year participated in the competition Top Model Cabo Verde. In 2004, she was crowned Miss São Vicente. The model also played for handball team Batuque and played basketball for Académica de São Vicente, participating in the 2009 Lusophone Games in the Cape Verdean national basketball team. She holds a degree in Physical Education.

http://asemana.sapo.cv/spip.php?article71298&ak=1

Portuguese Prime Minister mourns Cesária

18 December 2011
Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho expressed his “consternation” Saturday with the death of Cesária Évora, stressing that, like Cape Verde, Portugal mourns the death of this “exceptional” singer. Coelho affirmed that the world is now poorer with Cize’s passing.

“It was with profound consternation that I learned of the death of Cesária Évora. First and foremost, I express my deepest condolences to her family and close friends, as well as to the Cape Verdean government and people,” said Passos Coelho.

“Cesária was an exceptional singer and one of the loveliest expressions of Cape Verdean music. With Cesária, ‘Sodade’ took on new depth, rooted in one of the most beautiful pieces of musical prose the Creole world has ever known,” he proceeded.

In Passos Coelho’s words, Cesária Évora was a generous person who motivated all of those who had the privilege of spending time with her. “A great friend of Portugal, Cesária, known as the Queen of the Morna, will remain in our hearts forever as an international diva who has left behind countless admirers and followers all over the world. The world woke up a little poorer today,” he concluded.

http://asemana.sapo.cv/spip.php?article71242&ak=1

Guinea Bissauan government laments Cesária’s death


18 December 2011
Fernando Saldanha, the State Secretary of Culture of Guinea Bissau, said that his country’s government considers Cesária Évora’s death “an irreparable loss” for Cape Verde, for the Portuguese-speaking world and for Africa in general.
“The voice that was silenced today is an irreparable loss not only for her native country, but for all of the countries of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries and for Africa in general. Cesária enchanted us all with her songs for decades,” said Saldanha, for whom Cesária Évora’s voice represented friendship, love, peace and the beauty of Cape Verde.

http://asemana.sapo.cv/spip.php?article71240&ak=1

Cape Verde bids farewell to Cesária with full state honors

20 December 2011

Cape Verde will say goodbye to its ambassador Cesária Évora today, December 20, with full state honors, in a ceremony that will be attended by the highest representatives of the republic, as well as musicians, singers, friends and anonymous citizens of this country she so greatly loved.
Cape Verde bids farewell to Cesária with full state honors

Approximately 30 soldiers will be responsible for the guard of honor during the procession that will depart from the Baptista de Sousa Hospital mortuary at 10:00 am for Cesária Évora’s residence on Fernando Ferreira Fortes street, where she will be remembered by her family and friends.

At 11:30 am, Évora’s remains will be moved to the Palace of the People, where visitors will be able to pay their final respects to the diva.

For her final farewell, the highest representatives of the Cape Verdean nation will be present: the President of the Republic, the speaker of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, the chief justice of the Supreme Court and various cabinet ministers. President Jorge Carlos Fonseca will give a speech, while Minister of Culture Mário Lúcio Sousa will read a message in memory of the singer. Évora’s grandson, Adilson Évora, will give the funeral eulogy, while her assistant Jacqueline Senna will read her biography.

At 3:30 pm, her remains will be transported to Nossa Senhora da Luz church for a religious ceremony led by Mindelo Bishop Ildo Fortes. At 4:00 pm, Cize’s funeral procession will depart for her final resting place in Mindelo Cemetery

From Brazil

* Home Brasil 247 >


17 de Dezembro de 2011 às 21:36

247 - Faleceu neste sábado a cantora Cesária Évora ícone cultural de Cabo Verde. Aos 70 anos, ela foi vítima de insuficiência respiratória e passou a noite em um hospital em Mindelo, capital de seu país natal. A artista já estava afastada dos palcos devido a problemas de saúde.

Figura adorada entre os amantes da world music, a “Rainha da Morna” foi a grande responsável pela popularização do ritmo convergente que utiliza de instrumentos acústicos no acompanhamento de letras que remetem ao trovadorismo português. Curiosamente, a morna lembra mais estilos europeus e latino americanos do que africanos. Até por isto, é um estilo considerado nobre em Cabo Verde.

Foram 24 álbuns gravados por Évora, que ganhou inclusive um Grammy de world music em 2004, por seu disco “Voz D´Amor”. Ela veio algumas vezes ao Brasil, tendo sido a última delas em 2008, quando fez shows em São Paulo.

http://www.brasil247.com.br/pt/247/c...%C3%89vora.htm

Cesaria Evora se sente em casa no Brasil



Ela emocionou o público de Salvador, no último domingo, como a maior atração do Festival África-Brasil. São Paulo também vai poder apreciar as canções carregadas de melancolia da cabo-verdiana Cesaria Evora, que se apresenta hoje e amanhã, no Sesc Santana. Mas não adianta mais correr: os ingressos estão esgotados.

Foi graças à "diva descalça" (ela não gosta de usar sapatos, nem mesmo no palco) que a música de Cabo Verde se tornou conhecida no mundo. Dois gêneros musicais são cultivados por ela em seu repertório: a morna (lenta e triste, equivale ao samba-canção na MPB ou ao blues na música norte-americana) e a coladeira (mais alegre e dançante).

"A morna e o fado são muito parecidos", diz Cesaria, explicando a forte influência lusitana sobre a morna pelo fato de Cabo Verde ter sido colônia de Portugal. "Os dois também se parecem com o blues. Esses tipos de música falam das mesmas coisas", compara, referindo-se às histórias tristes e ao modo melancólico de encarar a vida, típicos desses gêneros musicais.

Apesar de sua imagem estar vinculada à tristeza das mornas, Cesaria afirma que essa aparência só revela parte de sua personalidade. "Posso não ser muito alegre, mas triste também não sou. A alegria e a tristeza são vizinhas", filosofa, revelando ser uma apreciadora da folia do Carnaval. "Não sou de vestir máscaras, nem nada disso, mas gosto de ver as pessoas dançando".

Depois de ter feito várias apresentações pelo Brasil ao longo da última década, além de ter participado de gravações e shows com astros da música popular brasileira, Cesaria diz que já sente em casa ao visitar o país.

"Já cantei música brasileira com Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte e Gal Costa. E sempre adorei a voz de Ângela Maria", diz, relembrando a emoção que sentiu em 1994, ao conhecer pessoalmente a veterana cantora carioca, da qual é fã desde a adolescência. Não foi por outra razão que Cesaria gravou, no mesmo ano, o samba-canção "Negue" (de Adelino Moreira), antigo sucesso da brasileira. E voltou a homenageá-la em 2003, gravando o bolero "Beijo Roubado" (do mesmo autor), em "Voz D'Amor", seu CD mais recente.

Essa admiração pela música brasileira, afirma a cantora cabo-verdiana, é comum entre seus conterrâneos. "A música de Cabo Verde tem muito a ver com a música do Brasil. Temos várias semelhanças com ela, como os instrumentos que usamos", compara, mencionando o violão, o cavaquinho, o piano e a percussão --todos presentes no grupo que a acompanha.

O namoro da cantora com o Brasil, por sinal, acaba de entrar em nova fase. Ela conta que aceitou na hora a sugestão de José da Silva, produtor de seus discos, para que convidassem o carioca Jaques Morelenbaum a escrever alguns arranjos do próximo CD. Ainda sem título definido, o álbum tem lançamento previsto para fevereiro de 2006, na Europa.

"Gosto dos arranjos do Morelenbaum, ele é muito bom músico", elogia Cesaria, que interpreta nesse disco canções de autores cabo-verdianos já conhecidos em seu repertório, como Teófilo Chantre e Manuel de Novas. Além das tradicionais mornas e coladeiras, também vão entrar duas músicas do Carnaval de Cabo Verde.

As novas canções ainda não fazem parte do show. "Músicas novas só em 2006. A Cesaria está velha, mas vai cantar músicas novas", brinca. O show é centrado no recente "Voz D'Amor", além de antigos sucessos, como "Sodade", "Mar Azul" e "Angola", que ela jamais deixa de incluir. "Só me sinto cansada por causa das viagens, mas jamais me canso de cantar. Um dia vou ter que parar, mas ainda não sei quando."

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/i...90u55534.shtml

Youth mourn Cesária Évora’s death

19 December 2011

Cape Verdean youths are in mourning for the death of Cesária Évora. On social networking sites there is no shortage of messages, photos and videos reflecting the sentiment of loss. Young artist and individuals from other walks of life in Cape Verde and in émigré communities abroad have manifested their sorrow and glorified the legacy of the barefoot diva.
Youth mourn Cesária Évora’s death

In the opinion of young television host Samir Santos, “this is a great loss. As soon as I heard the news I felt like crying, I got goose bumps. On my last two programs on TCV, I called on people to pay homage to artists while they’re still alive, like Ildo Lobo said. I’m asking everyone to pay homage to and never forget Cesária Évora and to bring her legacy to those who are unfamiliar with Cesária Évora’s story.”

“Cesária was like a mother to me, she always supported me as a son of Cape Verde and as an artist. This lost has brought me a great deal of tears and sadness. Our culture has lost its greatest star, the one who opened the door for Cape Verde to be recognized throughout the world. Cize will continue to be a reference for me,” said musician Bino Barros.

“I don’t have the words to describe who Cesária was. She was without a doubt a great woman, the most precious treasure our islands had. As a young person looking for her place in the sun I see her as an example. She made Cape Verde known to the world. It’s hard to believe. I remember the first time I saw her, she was so nice, she even hugged me. I think that without Cize our culture won’t be the same, but we have great artists who can lend continuity to her legacy,” said young singer Joceline Medina.

http://asemana.sapo.cv/spip.php?article71296&ak=1



France and French top musicians mourn the death of cesaria Evora


http://www.purepeople.com/article/mo...mmage_a93029/1

'Barefoot diva' Cesaria Evora, 70

18-Dec-11, 2:29 PM | Agence France-Presse
(...)


In 2008 Evora suffered a stroke after a concert in the Australian city of Melbourne and returned to her Paris base to recover, managing to record her latest album Nha Sentimento for release in 2009.

In February 2010, President Nicolas Sarkozy decorated her with the Legion of Honour, France's highest award.

In April this year, Evora appeared at the Grand Rex theater in Paris in good form, just five months before announcing her retirement.

"I did my best. I have had a career many people would have loved," Evora told Le Monde in September.

Paris mayor Betrand Delanoe hailed the diva Saturday as "a popular singer in the most beautiful sense of the term," who introduced the rhythms of Cape Verde to the world.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/1...saria-evora-70

[Matthias Offodile]

Yuri da Cunha lamenta morte de Cesária Évora

23-12-2011 13:31


Yuri da Cunha lamenta morte de Cesária Évora

O músico angolano Yuri da Cunha lamentou neste domingo, em Luanda, a morte da cantora cabo-verdiana Cesária Évora, ocorrida no sábado, na cidade de Mindelo, Cabo Verde.



Em declarações hoje à Angop, Yuri da Cunha considerou a morte da "diva dos pés descalços", como também era conhecida, uma perca insubstituível quer para África, quer para o mundo.



“Cesária Évora representou a voz de África pelo mundo fora, era para nós, a nova geração e os povos lusófonos , uma referência obrigatória , dona de uma voz incomparável", reconheceu.



As canções dela tinham inspiração na amarga história da artista, que perdeu o pai ainda criança e o sofrimento da população de seu país.

A cantora sofria há vários anos de problemas de saúde e chegou a ser submetida a sérias operações, incluindo uma cirurgia cardíaca em Maio de 2010.



Considerada como a melhor intérprete da "morna", a música típica de Cabo Verde, Cesária Évora morreu aos 70 anos.

Fonte:Visião News

[Matthias Offodile]

The international airport in Praia is now named after Cesaria Evora

Cabo Verde
Cesária Évora dá nome a Aeroporto Internacional em Cabo Verde

“Cesária Évora é uma artista que soube dar valor à nossa música e soube ser uma verdadeira intérprete da voz cabo-verdiana, do sentir cabo-verdiano e projetar Cabo Verde em todos os cantos".



Da Redação, com agência

Praia – O Governo cabo-verdiano aprovou a atribuição do nome da cantora Cesária Évora, falecida no sábado passado, ao Aeroporto Internacional de São Pedro, na ilha de São Vicente.

A atribuição àquela infraestrutura aeroportuária do nome da chamada Diva dos pés descalços foi justificada como “um reconhecimento à cultura cabo-verdiana e ao percurso de uma artista que soube valorizar o país e levar a 'alma' cabo-verdiana a todos os cantos do mundo”.

“Cesária Évora é uma artista que soube dar valor à nossa música e soube ser uma verdadeira intérprete da voz cabo-verdiana, do sentir cabo-verdiano e projetar Cabo Verde em todos os cantos como mais ninguém conseguiu fazer”, elogiou o porta-voz da reunião desta semana do Conselho de Ministros, o ministro dos Assuntos Parlamentares Rui Semedo.

Segundo Rui Semedo, o seu Governo considera ser de justiça “atribuir este simbólico reconhecimento a esta figura ímpar do nosso percurso cultural”.

Cesária Évora, a cantora cabo-verdiana mais conhecida no mundo, faleceu aos 70 anos de idade e depois de ter anunciado a sua retirada dos palcos, em Setembro deste ano.

Ao longo da carreira, além das inúmeras digressões e atuações televisivas em vários países no mundo inteiro, ela gravou 24 álbuns, um DVD “Live in Paris” e registou dezenas de colaborações em discos.

http://www.africa21digital.com/notic...ce=0&canal=403

[Lino]

I just saw this... I only "woke up" to world music some years ago, and Cesária is a fantastic voice and lady who enchanted the music world... she took morna and simple but soulful music to the masses, she was just herself on stage...
I love her songs, but Mar Azul gets me from the first second... "ooohhh maaaar"...

Descanse em Paz. Nha cretcheu!