Andrade holds Evoria in great esteem, but she’s definitely her own artist.

Global Hit: Mayra Andrade by The World

Listen above for some really beautiful music and for the answers to these three Mayra Andrade trivia questions.

1. Why does Mayra Andrade carry a dinner knife and a length of metal wherever she goes? (It’s not for eating.)
2. Who was her musical mentor in Cape Verde? (It wasn’t Cesária Évora.)
3. Which part of her own body does she want people to access through her music? (It’s not her head.)

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Cesaria Evora launched a new world tour and a new album in January. The CD is called “Nha Sentimento,” or “My Feelings.”

Last month though, the 68 year old singer had to undergo emergency open heart surgery in Paris. She cancelled her remaining dates, including her North American concerts.

She is now recovering at home in Cape Verde.

But Evora’s manager and producer Jose Da Silva says that even after her serious health troubles, the strong-headed singer is still doing things her own way.

“Elle n’ecoute pas beaucoup les medecins, elle fume beaucoup, trois paquets par jour.”

Da Silva says, “She’s not really following doctors advice, she smokes a lot, 3 packs a day, which she started doing again right after her surgery. And she eats whatever she fancies, with a preference for Cape Verdean fried food.”

On her latest album, you can hear her voice is a little subdued, but still warm and comforting.

Da Silva, who is also from Cape Verde, wanted to explore the Arab roots of Cape Verdean music and song. So he took Evora to record three of the album’s songs in a studio in Cairo.

“Ca fait des annees que au Cap Vert on dit….”

Da Silva says: “In Cape Verde, people have been saying for years that their music was influenced by Arab musical traditions…. brought to the islands off Africa’s west coast by Arab themselves.”

So he says he and Evora got together with Egyptian musicians in Cairo. And there was instant chemistry between them.

That’s “Sentimento” a track from Cesaria Evora’s latest album. Da Silva says the ailing Cape Verdean singer won’t be making any new plans until September.

For The World, I’m Adeline Sire.

More information

CD information
http://www.myspace.com/cesariaevora

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Lonji

For our Global Hit today, we go to the West African archipelago of Cape Verde.

Since the country’s independence from Portugal just 34 years ago, the geographically isolated country has raced to catch up with the world beyond its shores.

As its first generation to grow up in the post-independence era is now coming into its own, their music is enjoying a new golden age.

Madeleine Bair reports on one young guitarist whose sound traces the path from Cape Verde’s traditions to its globalized present day.

CD information

• Album: Lonji
• Artist: Tcheka
• Audio CD (May 27, 2008)
• Original Release Date: January 2008
• Label: Four Quarters Ent
• ASIN: B0016GLZUQ

Now Tabanka is an annual festival on Cape Verde. It features a parade where locals mock traditional figures. Tabanka is just one of the songs on a new album by the artist: Lura.

Lura was born and raised in Portugal, but she’s the daughter of Cape Verdean immigrants. And it’s that blend of cultures that’s evident on this CD. It’s called Eclipse.

Lura kicks off a month long tour in the US next week.