Hail Cesaria - blues singer Cesaria Evora - Interview

Interview, Sept, 1999 by Ray Rogers

With her achingly beautiful, deep-bluesy singing, Cesaria Evora is quickly becoming the voice that's got everybody talking

When Cesaria Evora's rich, earthy voice finally reached international audiences in 1992, she was already a fifty-one-year-old grandmother. Performing barefoot in concert, glass of whiskey in hand, Evora stunned audiences by singing with a swooning pain and passion that call to mind Edith Piaf, and the sort of deep-river blues and exacting nuances that echo Billie Holiday.

Hailing from Cape Verde, a small archipelago off the coast of Senegal, Evora has long been a master of the traditional music known as morna - a variation of the blues, rooted in the everyday struggles of her people and the natural wonders of her Islands, and steeped in the rhythms of the Portuguese fado, the Brazilian samba, and swaying West African percussion.

Over the course of several albums, the cult of Cesaria has continued to grow, winning fans all over the world, including such music-world heavy hitters as Madonna and David Byrne. The glory of her singing has never sounded more beautiful than now, set against the lush strings, vibrant horns, and sultry rhythms of Cuban son music on her new Cafe Atlantico (RCA/Victor). Included on the album are five tracks recorded in Havana with Cuban musicians, and featured appearances by noted Brazilian cellist Jacques Morelenbaum.

When I checked in with the "barefoot diva," as she's often called, she'd just arrived In Pads after a string of shows in South America; she spoke, via translator, as she lay on the hotel bed. She had a no-bones-about-it manner, and her economy of speech made me think she must be saving every ounce of emotion for where it really belongs: her music.

RAY ROGERS: Why did you dedicate Cars Atlantico to your birthplace?

CESARIA EVORA: I have a simple reason. I was born and raised there, and my culture is from there.

RR: Do you come from a family of singers and musicians?

CE: Yes. Music is something I have in my blood. My father and my brother used to play instruments, but I think I am the only singer. When I started to sing I didn't know that my uncle was a composer who left behind many good songs. Many musicians from Cape Verde sing them. I've already recorded some of his songs, and I hope to record more.

RR: Why do you perform barefoot?

CE: It's something that's natural for me. I was born without shoes. I am going to die without shoes. Outside of Cape Verde I wear sandals because Europe can get cold, but I don't like to wear shoes.

RR: The style of music you play is called morna, and people often describe your music as being acutely mournful. Do you agree with that?

CE: Perhaps. With morna we try to explain everything about our country and our problems - our day-to-day life - and we talk about love, too.

RR: Does music provide shelter when love turns sour?

CE: Yes. My music is so important to me, I never leave it. Men, they come and go.

RR: When did you know that singing was your calling?

CE: I think I knew when I was sixteen because people said that I was a great singer, and I began to believe in myself and in my music.

RR: And then it took so long for you to achieve worldwide recognition. Did you ever lose faith?

CE: No, because Cape Verdean people live by hope. I never lost hope. I was always expecting that one day things would happen for me like they are happening now.

RR: I've never been to Cape Verde. How would you describe your home?

CE: We have very good weather, a beautiful sun, a beautiful sea. There's not much else there. I think our richness is the music. I want to live there always, My house there is always open to anyone who wants to meet me and spend some time.

RR: I'd love to take you up on the offer.

CE: Come and I'll make you a cachupa, a traditional Cape Verdean dish.