Biography
Carmen Souza was born 28 years ago in Lisbon within a Christian family of Cape Verdeans. She grew up in a mixed language environment of Creole, the Cape Verde dialect her parents spoke at home, and Portuguese, always surrounded by the Cape Verdean way of life.
In her teens she sang professionally in a Lusophone Gospel Choir and later participated in several projects ranging through such musical genres as Funk, Soul, Jazz and World music.
Being a strongly spiritual person, Carmen always saw music as her mission and felt privileged to have the opportunity to express herself through it, working hard every day to deserve that opportunity. Musicians like Luis Morais, Theo Pas'cal, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarret, Diana Krall, etc, are definitely those that truly inspire her evolution and search for a unique personal style.
Theo Pas'cal, her producer and mentor and one of the best bass players in Portugal, discovered her talent and introduced Carmen to Jazz, Fusion and other contemporary sounds that markedly influenced her musical development.
In 2003, Carmen began working with Theo on the compositions that would be included on her début album Ess ê nha Cabo Verde. Carmen wanted to create a new sound, in her ancestor’s dialect Creole, that would mix traditional African and Cape Verde rhythms like Batuke, Morna, Cola djon, and others, with her jazz contemporary influences, in a totally intimate and acoustic vibe, different from the traditional festive environment of Cape Verdean sounds.
Ess ê nha Cabo Verde, was released two years later in 2005 to critical acclaim and led to her international breakthrough performance at the WOMAD at Reading Festival of the same year.
In “Verdade” her second album, which She co-produces and features on Wurlitzer and guitar, released in 2008, Carmen Souza signs an exciting and melodically vibrant repertoire in Creole that once again received amazing reviews from the International Press worldwide. This album also marks Carmen debut at the Duch label ‘Connecting Cultures’.
Since then Carmen has wowed the crowds on larger stages leaving a trace of deadly captivating performances with her unmistakably female, but dark, deep and earthy voice.
Her uniqueness was already spotted by music specialists in US and Carmen Souza name and music will be referenced in 2 different books to be released in 2010. At the world-renowned ethnomusicologist on Africa and Jazz Musician, Gerhard Kubik's next book “Jazz Transatlantic” and “Beyond Independence: Globalization, Postcolonialism, and the Cultures of Lusophone Africa”, the most extensive study in English on the globalization of Cape Verdean music by Fernando Arenas from the University of Minnesota.
“Thanks to the highly unique sound produced by Carmen Souza and her exceptional band members, they are expanding the boundaries of what constitutes Cape Verdean music, world music, and jazz.” Fernando Arenas, University of Minnesota.
BOOKING WORLDWIDE:
José Melo Produções (Booking Worldwide office) http://www.melomusic.nl/
MDK Artists (Booking Portugal/Spain)
www.mdkartists.com
De Remusat (France Booking)http://deremusat.free.fr/
Clive Johnson (Booking UK)
www.timeandtalentagency.co.uk
North America - Derek Andrews
http://www.globalcafe.ca/
Instrumentation
Carmen Souza - Voice, Guitar and Wurlitzer
Theo Pas'cal (Portugal)-Bass, Double bass, Backvocals
Pedro Segundo(Portugal/Mozambique)-Percussion
Victor Zamora(Portugal/Cuba) or Jonathan Idiagbonya(Nigeria/UK)-Piano
she also plays in quintet and add a Guitar Player-Tiago Santos
Discography
2005 - Release of her debut album "Ess ê nha Cabo Verde" , in 2006 she also released a Special Roots edition of "Ess ê nha Cabo Verde" with new arrangements and 5 new songs.
2008 - Release of her second solo album "Verdade" under the Duch label Connecting Cultures.
NEW ALBUM IN 2010
Label:
Connecting Cultures/Choice Music
www.choicemusic.nl
info@choicemusic.nl
Dist. available: Portugal, Spain, France(2009), Uk, Irland, Italy, Germany, Benelux, Scandinavia, Canada/USA (2009).
Links
| http://www.myspace.com/carmensouza |
| CONTACT BOOKING WORLD |
| Carmen Souza VERDADE |
| www.myspace.com/carmensouza |