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Language:

Portuguese Creol French

Genre:

Funana Coladeira Morna

Instrument:

Female vocals

Biography

Mariana was born under the Dakar sun, although her parents were from the island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde. The music she bathed in from childhood had a Cape Verdean beat, since her father, Toy Ramos (aka Toy de Bibia), played guitar for the famous group "Voz de Cabo Verde".
For a few years, Mariana strayed from her native tradition in a search for other musical worlds, discovering everything from Nougaro to Jonasz, Piaf to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan to Rickie Lee Jones. However, she finally returned to her island roots when she met Teofilo Chantre and Nazalio Fortes, two young Cape Verdean songwriters. She naturally combined her newfound international influences with Cape Verdean tradition and this set her on the artistic course that would lead to her first album, "Di dor em or", released in April 2000. During this period, she regularly appeared in concert at the New Morning, the Bataclan, the Cafe de la Danse and on tour in Africa, Italy and Greece, also performing on stage with Tito Paris and Teofilo Chantre, and filling a support slot for Souad Massi.
Her sensual voice and body language won her a special place in the rainbow of Cape Verdean music. Based on her hybrid heritage, her repertoire bridged tradition and modernity in a subtle blend of jazz notes, Brazilian music and African sounds.
Mariana celebrated morna (Cape Verdean blues), coladera, mazurka and funana (a highly original dance for couples locked tight in a torrid embrace) in her own individual fashion. Her stage presence won her a singing and acting role in the play "Oye Luna", first performed in Cape Verde.

Relevant artists:
Cesaria Evora
Teofilo Chantre
Boy Ge Mendes
Bau
Lura

DI DOR EM OR
Morabeza Records/2000

BIBIA  
Do Soul/Lusafrica/2004

It's almost incredible, but the Cape Verdean musical tradition seems to be able to pull new rabbits out of the hat continously. Things really flourish in the footsteps of Cesaria Evora and Teofilo Chantre.
Last woman out is Mariana Ramos, living in Senegal, but undoubtedly Cape Verdean in musical expression. The album "Bibia", named after the singer's grandmother, might seem anonymous at first sight with its brownish graphics and a not too exciting cover photograph. But you can't judge the book by looking at the cover, as Bo Diddley would have put it. Becuse this is a professional production from A to Z, from a promising artist solidly rooted in a tradition and with a bunch of established and well playing musicians backing her up.
The recording is made in Paris and has a warm and poetic sound. Mariana Ramos' voice is not among the most powerful, but this is compensated by her sensous way of performing the songs. The arrangements are unusually well adopted to her style. Perhaps not so strange when her fatherr "Toy" is part of her team, and also adds a lot of feeling on guitar, in cooperation with arranger Lucien Zerrad, also on guitar. The backing also consists of clainet,sax, violin, piano and harmonica, and it flows in a varied and balanced way. It is difficult to point at special tracks, what makes this a good album is the totality, which is impressing. The style is based on Cape Verdean coladeira and morna, but with musical links to Brazil. A connection which is eagerly taken care of in Cape Verde, through the country's common history with Brazil as Portuguese colony, and with the same European/African cultural mix. The songs are written by "Toy" Ramos, Ano Nobo, Manuel de Novas and Teofilo Chantre, and are of solid quality in lyrics as well as musical expression.

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English: Katherine Stewart-Kreisman
Swahili: Francis Chagula (francis.chagula@malvik.kommune.no)
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