João Cirilo
João Cirilo Pereira Monteiro
Polon de Engenho, Santa Catarina, Santiago, 1954
Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist (harmonica, guitar)
Although João Cirilo is always associated with funaná, mornas, koladeras, reggae, and other rhythms are also part of his repertoire, depending on the times. His first album is Ilusão dess mundo, from 1978, accompanied by the group Os Diamantes Afro Band, which he created after two other ephemeral groups, Os Merenguitos and Black Star.
Emigrated to Portugal in 1972, he spent a decade in that country working on construction sites and trying to do what he liked. He studied music, started playing in nightclubs in groups that appeared and recorded his second album, Pó d’terra. Released at the height of the success of electric funaná, the LP, featuring Paulino Vieira, Bebeth among other musicians from the Cape Verdean musical nucleus in the Portuguese capital during that period, was a great success in Cape Verde.
In the early 1980s, João Cirilo moved to the USA and the first album he released there was Caminho longi, in 1984, from which he regularly recorded albuns based on his own compositions . In 2001, a partnership with Iduíno resulted in the CD Kansera di spera, with arrangements by Iduíno and accompanied by Ferro Gaita. Pilon batuko, the title of his 2009 album is also the name of the group that accompanied him at that time. Among artists and groups from various regions of the world, João Cirilo represented Cape Verde at the International Accordion Festival, held in Texas in 2011.
Discografia
- Ilusão dess mundo, LP, Electromovel, Lisbon, 1978. Reedition in CD Sons d’África, Série Sodade VII.
- Pó d’terra – Raízes, LP, Táki-Tálá, Lisbon, 1982.
- Caminho longi, LP, artist’s edition, EUA l/d, 1984.
- Mensagi pilan katuta, LP, artist’s edition, EUA l/d, 1989.
- Cabo Verde nha inspirason, CD, artist’s edition,, EUA l/d, 1992.
- Lembrança e recordação, CD, Sonovox, Lisbon, 1995.
- Aroma, CD, artist’s edition, EUA, 1996.
- Kansera di spera, CD, Ferro Gaita, Praia, 2001.
- Pilon batuko, CD, [?], USA, 2009.
- Participation in the compilation Space Echo, Analog Africa, 2017.
