ILDO LOBO, CAPE VERDE¹S GREATEST MALE SINGER, HAS DIED

Ildo Lobo, son of Antoninho Lobo, also a singer, was descended from a long line of musicians and vocalists. Born in Pedra de Lume on the island of Sal on the 25th November 1953, this giant ­ both physically and in terms of his talent ­ had been in poor health for a number of months. He died of a heart attack this morning, the 20th October 2004, at his home in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.

While Cesaria Evora, known internationally by the affectionate title ³The Barefoot Diva², became the ambassador of the Atlantic archipelago, many felt that Ildo Lobo was THE voice of Cape Verde. Like other great heroes of Cape Verde, such as Amilcar Cabral, Renato Cardoso and Abilio Duarte, Ildo Lobo was one of those men whose political message was inseparably linked to the musical expression and poetry of mornas.

Ildo Lobo had just recorded a new album in Paris this summer, accompanied by Cesaria Evora¹s musicians. INCONDICIONAL should be released at the end of this year on the Harmonia label in Cape Verde and then at the start of 2005 on the Lusafrica label throughout the rest of the world.
INCONDICIONAL ­ whose title clearly illustrates the singer¹s uncompromising character ­ opens with the last morna he wrote: Nha Fidjo Matcho, the advice of a father to his son. It also features Alto Cutelo, a coladera written by Renato Cardoso (one of Amilcar Cabral¹s political heirs, who was mysteriously assassinated at the start of the 80s), two songs by Betu (Adalberto Silva, his constant companion) and three by Constantino Cardoso (Ildo Lobo wanted to give the young writer his chance).

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ILDO LOBO
A short biography

In his native Cape Verde, Ildo Lobo is seen as the archipelago's greatest singers, heir to a tradition shaped by Bana and popularized worldwide by Cesaria Evora. Lobo also has strong political commitments and his plain speaking is legendary.
For years, he was the singer and star of the Os Tubaroes group, long viewed as Cape Verde's "official" band in the days of the Marxist government. As such, he regularly traveled abroad to represent his country. Os Tubaroes (The Sharks) became the ambassadors of Capeverdean music, exporting their funana, coladera and morna beats all over the world.
Today, the group is no more. One of its particularities was that none of its members was a full-time musician, they were also lawyers, doctors, civil servants and so on. In fact, Ildo Lobo is a customs officer. As you might imagine, it is difficult to keep up another career while working in the performing arts, but in countries such as Cape Verde (or Martinique for Malavoi in Paul Rosine's day), it is rarely an option for musicians to practice their art full-time.


In 1996, Ildo Lobo recorded his first solo album, "Nos Morna". The record was a tribute to his father who had died a few years before and was composed entirely of mornas. Antoninho Lobo was one of Cape Verde's great singers, leaving his personal mark on the morna played on the island of Santiago, and his son is carrying on the tradition today. " Nos Morna " was produced by Mario Lucio, the charismatic front man of the band Simentera, and recorded in Paris with the finest musicians from the island of Santiago.

In 2001, Ildo has released his new album entitled " Intelectual ", still in partnership with his old songwriting companions, but accompanied by Cesaria Evora's musicians this time.

After some health problems that kept him away from his musical activities for a while, Ildo returned to the studio during the summer 2004, together with Cesaria Evora¹s musicians. The pianist Fernando (Nando) Andrade, who made the arrangements on Cesaria¹s two last albums, produced the album.
Ildo decided to name the album from the song " INCONDICIONAL ", the title of a morna composed by Constantino Cardoso, a young writer he wanted to give his chance. Another beautiful morna opens the CD, Nha Fidjo Matcho, the last song written by Ildo, in which a father gives advice to his son: " My son listen to my advice, Do not open your mouth to sing, If you sing or play the music, Beautiful women will cause your lost ".