18 November 2011

Khanimambo a tribute to the legends of Mozambique produced by Moreira Chonguica

Submitted by: The P.R Team

After producing two of his own award-winning albums and a handful of songs for other artists, celebrated jazz saxophonist, producer and three time SAMA award winner, Moreira Chonguiça has embarked on another journey of producing a full length album of legendary artists from his home country, Mozambique.

Entitled “Khanimambo: a Tribute to the Legends of Mozambique”, Moreira is honoured to have worked with these legendary Mozambican musicians whose talents have added a new dimension to his life. This new album may be purchased via www.moreiramusic.com  and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moreira-Chonguica-official-fan-page/188866961131732 Moreira Chonguica (official fan page) | Facebook as well as some select music stores in South Africa.

He met most of these musicians many years ago after listening to them on the old LM radio station and being taken as a boy by his late father, to see them perform. In a way this album is a tribute to his father as it was completed exactly a year after his death.

“What I found so exciting, and it was not by plan or design, was that when I approached each of the artist to participate, they each brought me a song that was so different from the next one.” says Moreira.

This album is a mixture of traditional Mozambican sounds, rock, ballads and jazz with unsolicited commentary in between most of the tracks by the artists themselves. The ten artists featured on the album are all from very varying areas of Mozambique: Zena Bacar - Nampula (62); Chico António - Maputo (63); Chico da Conceiçᾶo - Inhambane (84); Aly Faque - Nampula (44); Elvira Viegas - Maputo (56); Júlia Mwito – Capo del Gardo (39); Wazimbo – Maputo (63); Xidiminguana – Gaza (75); Hortêncio Langa – Gaza (60) and Dilon Djindje – Marracuene near Maputo (84) with additional comments by Moisés Mandlate – Maputo (92).

Moreira considers himself very privileged to have had the opportunity of pursuing his musical studies outside Mozambique. This has enabled him to be exposed to a multitude of influences that he uses in this album. He also met a host of great musicians, many of whom played with him on this album. Instrumentalists like Camillo Lombard, Allou April, Lucas Khumalo, Shaun Johannes, Frank Paco, Ronan Skillen, Lwanda Godwana, Young Bakuba, John Hassan, Anton Mannel, Mark Goliath, Angelo Syster and Christian Bakalanga. The additional saxophones, programming and synthesisers were performed by Moreira himself.

The backing arrangements were recorded and mixed at Paris studios in Fish Hoek and mastered at Milestone studios by Murray Anderson. The voices were recorded at RGB studios in Maputo owned by Golo advertising agency. The portrait shots were shot by internationally acclaimed South African photographer, Zwelethu Mthethwa who has been responsible for the photographs on all of Moreira’s previous albums.

Comments Moreira: “I really hope the album will lift Mozambican music to the international world music stage and unite the country. I believe that this album exposes the Mozambican soul showing the geographical diversity, ethnoliquistics and rhythms of this vast and diverse country. Each artist sings in their mother tongue with most providing a comment or two as a means of an introduction to their original song. There is pain and emotion in their stories but most of all there is hope. This album is more than just 10 themes. It is the realisation of dreams and the connection of old friends.”

This album is a new chapter in Moreira’s career and he is grateful to each artist who participated in this album for the part they played and the positive energy and enthusiasm they brought to this project.

Moreira is also immensely grateful for the support of the Board of Directors and staff of the Commercial Bank of Investment (BCI) who realised the parallels of the synergy of this project and their vision for the bank in Mozambique.

Editors notes:

The Moreira Project Vol 1 The Journey * Winner of 2007 SAMA for BEST PRODUCER* The Moreira Project Vol 2 Citizen of the World * Winner of 2009 SAMA for BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM and BEST PACKAGING

Follow Moreira on:

www.moreiramusic.com | Moreira Chonguica (official fan page) | Facebook

www.myspace.com/themoreiraproject
www.twitter.com/moreiraproject
www.youtube.com/themoreiraproject

This press release has been distributed on behalf of our client, Morestar Entertainment.

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