Sodade
December 17, 2011 12:36 PM Subscribe
Cesaria Evora once described the music of Cape Verde, known as Morna, as "a lot of things…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."
Although Evora's singing voice had attracted attention even when she was a small girl, she did not gain recognition until later in life when she performed in Paris and the French newspaper Le Monde proclaimed that she "belongs to the world nobility of bar singers." Cesaria Evora, known as the Barefoot Diva for performing without shoes, passed away today at the age of 70 in her native Cape Verde.
You can listen to Evora performing Miss Perfumado and Sodade online.
Although Evora's singing voice had attracted attention even when she was a small girl, she did not gain recognition until later in life when she performed in Paris and the French newspaper Le Monde proclaimed that she "belongs to the world nobility of bar singers." Cesaria Evora, known as the Barefoot Diva for performing without shoes, passed away today at the age of 70 in her native Cape Verde.
You can listen to Evora performing Miss Perfumado and Sodade online.
.
I've been listening to her songs for a couple of hours. So beautiful
posted by mumimor at 1:01 PM on December 17, 2011
I've been listening to her songs for a couple of hours. So beautiful
posted by mumimor at 1:01 PM on December 17, 2011
Perfect post for Christmas shopping. Amazon has 12 MP3 albums by Cesaria Evora: the Wikipedia discography is useful for sorting through them.
posted by Nelson at 1:10 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by Nelson at 1:10 PM on December 17, 2011
I was always partial to her version of Petit Pays
The lady was beautiful Saudade incarnate
.
posted by lalochezia at 1:10 PM on December 17, 2011
The lady was beautiful Saudade incarnate
.
posted by lalochezia at 1:10 PM on December 17, 2011
What a lovely singer. I will always be grateful that I got to see her perform live.
.
posted by trip and a half at 1:25 PM on December 17, 2011
.
posted by trip and a half at 1:25 PM on December 17, 2011
that is sad, I've enjoyed her music off and on for a decade or so.
posted by edgeways at 1:55 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by edgeways at 1:55 PM on December 17, 2011
Her voice should have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
.
posted by spitbull at 2:04 PM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
.
posted by spitbull at 2:04 PM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I agree that petit pays is great, but my favorite is besame mucho.
. For a great lady of music.
posted by winna at 2:31 PM on December 17, 2011
. For a great lady of music.
posted by winna at 2:31 PM on December 17, 2011
And thank you vacapinta for this elegant notice about her passing.
posted by ruelle at 2:49 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by ruelle at 2:49 PM on December 17, 2011
No! I missed so many chances to see her - an extra shift, a weekend I thought off I didn't, getting tickets to another concert in another city to save a bit of money by crashing at a friend's instead of forking out the cash for a hostel or something.
Take the chances you have - you don't know when you'll lose the chance forever.
.
posted by mdonley at 2:49 PM on December 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
Take the chances you have - you don't know when you'll lose the chance forever.
.
posted by mdonley at 2:49 PM on December 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to hear her music.
.
posted by Currer Belfry at 2:50 PM on December 17, 2011
.
posted by Currer Belfry at 2:50 PM on December 17, 2011
On announcing her retirement, she said, "I would have wanted to give more pleasure to those who have followed me for so long." She had already given so much. I saw her perform live about ten years ago, and she was riveting, needing neither shoes nor a common language with her audience to command the stage with an expansive, generous presence. She was wonderful.
posted by EvaDestruction at 2:54 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by EvaDestruction at 2:54 PM on December 17, 2011
.
I love her music; she leaves that gift with all of us.
posted by Vibrissae at 3:34 PM on December 17, 2011
I love her music; she leaves that gift with all of us.
posted by Vibrissae at 3:34 PM on December 17, 2011
.
One of the best live performances I've ever had the pleasure to witness.
posted by ersatzkat at 4:08 PM on December 17, 2011
One of the best live performances I've ever had the pleasure to witness.
posted by ersatzkat at 4:08 PM on December 17, 2011
FFS. They're dropping like flies here lately.
Adeus minha bela dama.
.
posted by likeso at 5:02 PM on December 17, 2011
Adeus minha bela dama.
.
posted by likeso at 5:02 PM on December 17, 2011
.
posted by Meatafoecure at 6:01 PM on December 17, 2011
posted by Meatafoecure at 6:01 PM on December 17, 2011
She was my first show at L'Olympia. Incredible.
One of the all-time greats, no question.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:45 PM on December 17, 2011
One of the all-time greats, no question.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:45 PM on December 17, 2011
This is someone I'd never heard of until now. Lovely voice.
.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:44 AM on December 18, 2011
.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:44 AM on December 18, 2011
.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:59 AM on December 18, 2011
posted by From Bklyn at 3:59 AM on December 18, 2011
I was so hapoy to see a post about her on the blue, not even thinking, and then the last line hit me like a punch.
.
posted by Iteki at 8:39 AM on December 18, 2011
.
posted by Iteki at 8:39 AM on December 18, 2011
.
I first discovered her via Club Sodade, an album of remixes. Just goes to show how timeless her music is:
• Nho Antone Escarderode (Kerri Chandler Album Mix)
• Besame Mucho (Senor Coconut's Chachacha Remix)
• Petit Pays (Chateau Flight Remix)
I remember seeing her perform in Toronto's Massey Hall in 2008. Her stage presence was remarkable. Absolutely no showmanship — just a powerful but intimate voice that invited you in to ride along. I could say she was quiet, strong, confident, and immensely charismatic, but above all she was real and honest — those bare feet firmly planted and seemingly rooted through the stage down into the ground, the rest of us suddenly aware of our phony soles.
One memorable moment actually occurred when Cesaria was not singing. During an instrumental number she simply sat down on a chair in the middle of the stage, pulled out a cigarette (or cigar?) and enjoyed a smoke. The polite Toronto audience twittered with shock and delight to see such blatant disregard of the city's strict No Smoking bylaws.
posted by Kabanos at 3:06 PM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
I first discovered her via Club Sodade, an album of remixes. Just goes to show how timeless her music is:
• Nho Antone Escarderode (Kerri Chandler Album Mix)
• Besame Mucho (Senor Coconut's Chachacha Remix)
• Petit Pays (Chateau Flight Remix)
I remember seeing her perform in Toronto's Massey Hall in 2008. Her stage presence was remarkable. Absolutely no showmanship — just a powerful but intimate voice that invited you in to ride along. I could say she was quiet, strong, confident, and immensely charismatic, but above all she was real and honest — those bare feet firmly planted and seemingly rooted through the stage down into the ground, the rest of us suddenly aware of our phony soles.
One memorable moment actually occurred when Cesaria was not singing. During an instrumental number she simply sat down on a chair in the middle of the stage, pulled out a cigarette (or cigar?) and enjoyed a smoke. The polite Toronto audience twittered with shock and delight to see such blatant disregard of the city's strict No Smoking bylaws.
posted by Kabanos at 3:06 PM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
« Older The stories behind the graphs | Never go with a cultist to a second location Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by telstar at 12:50 PM on December 17, 2011