fR314 PAGES 18-19 6/7/09 14:20 Page 2
root salad
19 f
Deolinda
It’s the Portuguese band’s name, not their charismatic
singer’s. Jon Lusk has it all explained…
“I
’m the singer, but my name is
not Deolinda,” announces Ana
Bacalhau, as her band makes its
Dutch debut at Melkweg, in the
heart of Amsterdam. Bacalhau’s energetic
presence and colourful dress sense
naturally makes her the band’s visual
focus, and when I meet them afterwards,
her relatively fluent English and boisterous
manner have much the same effect. So,
the confusion is hardly surprising…
“Deolinda is the sum of the four of
us,” explains Pedro Da Silva Martins, the
group’s songwriter, and a cousin of Ana’s.
Bass player Zé Pedro Leitão is Ana’s hus-
band, and Pedro’s brother Luis José Mar-
tins plays most of the stringed instruments
that can be heard on their debut album –
though not, for the time being, on stage.
“Deolinda was born with the songs,
and they mixed altogether,” continues
Pedro. “We felt that they were talking
about a fictional character shared by the
four of us. She is in her mid-40s, lives in the
suburbs with her cats, a blackbird and
goldfish. And that character needed a
name. We first suggested ‘Yvonne’, and
then I remembered ‘Deolinda’, which is
used more by older people.”
“And it has a nice ring to it,” contin-
ues Ana. “When we looked at all the
songs, we knew there was a female char-
acter there, not me, because these are not Photo: Jon Lusk
my stories. These are stories we observe
and stories she observes, looking through
the curtains of her window. It’s her neigh-
black [associated with fado] doesn’t really
bours’ lives she tells in the songs. They’re
suit Deolinda. And the music has a lot of
pictures of Portuguese life in the 21st cen-
Movimento Perpétuo Associativo colour, so the wardrobe has to.”
tury and not only Lisbon, but throughout
P
edro is also influenced by the
revolutionary songs of Zeca Alfonso
on
and the group Madredeus on Lisboa
the country, because, like, we all have our
Of course, our discussion eventually
Não E A Cidade Perfeita and Fado Castigo.
pasts in small villages.”
gets round to the subject of Mariza,
And even though Fado Toninho is a
whose voice Ana’s so strongly resembles.
It’s this connection with rural Portugal
‘waltzing fado’, the absence of Portuguese
“She opened a lot of doors for everybody
that makes Canção Ao Lado a refreshing
guitar means it lacks the melancholia
in Portugal that wants to show their
change from the ‘pure’ fado naturally
typical of fado.
music outside of Portugal,” Ana acknowl-
associated with Portugal since Mariza’s
Ana: “We only wanted to have the four edges. “She’s bringing once more our cul-
phenomenal success. Most of the group
of us in the band… so, because none of us ture, our language to the world… but she
live in the Lisbon suburb of Damaia, and
knew how to play Portuguese guitar…” likes to give her own fresh vision of the
this has directly influenced their music.
“…And the songs, I think, don’t ‘ask’ for a tradition… so she is a role model in that
“It’s like a small village inside the city,” Portuguese guitar. The personality of the sense. For sure, we wouldn’t be here if it
says Ana. “The people come from the coun- instrument is very strong,” continues Luis. weren’t for her work.”
tryside, so they bring their influences and
Instead, Deolinda strive to evoke the
Just like Mariza, Ana dabbled in other
mix all these things with the urban… That’s
sounds of instruments like the Portuguese
musical styles before her current vocation.
what we did, we wanted to work with all
guitar, the cavaquinho, or even a tuba with
“I had a Portuguese band that was more
these influences but in an urban way.”
their guitars. Likewise, Ana’s costume sug-
experimental and urban and I also played
So, while Mal Por Mal draws on the gests tradition rather than making a direct
jazz and blues with them. But I never sang
urban song of the late folk/ pop innovator statement: “My wardrobe is influenced by
fado in a fado house. I just sang it at home,
António Varições, the lively Contado the traditional folk costumes from all the
listening to fado records. I still think I
Ninguém Acredita is a corridinho, a coun- different regions of Portugal, like Minho,
wouldn’t be able to sing traditional fado.
try dance from the Algarve. Fon Fon Fon Trás-Os-Montes, Alentejo, but because
But I love fado and I thank Pedro and the
draws on Portugal’s brass band tradition, Deolinda is bringing tradition into the 21st
others for making me discover that I can be
and Ai Rapaz is based on fado mandado, a century I also wanted to do that with my
there on stage and ‘work’ our fado [in]to
rural type of fado danced in a circle and wardrobe… so I have lots of colour because
the 21st century, and have fun and dance!
played on accordeon. the traditional costumes do, and because
www.deolinda.com.pt F
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100