I was wading through the mediatheque a few weeks back and stumbled upon a re-issue of a 1973 record by Cabo Verdian guitarist, Humbertona. Great find. The music immediately transports you to the Cabo Verde islands, and the original recording’s sound has been nicely cleaned-up.

The people behind this release are Morabeza Records, a label devoted to promoting Cabo Verde’s musical heritage, both old and new. Morabeza is actually a revival of a great label that existed during the 1960s and 70s in Portuguese-speaking Africa. Most of Morabeza’s recordings were bought or re-released by the more famous Lusafrica.

You might not know Humbertona directly but he played with Bonga (who, strangely, I’ve never featured on Benn loxo) on celebrated recordings in 1972 and 1974. The man was also a prominent figure in the struggle for Cabo Verdian independence. They didn’t get their independence until 1975 so albums like this, released in 1973, were part of an effort to assert an independent culture. Needless to say, when originally released this album was confiscated in his country by Portuguese authorities.

If you’re curious you can find some more info and clips here.

Humbertona – Tchop Tchop