NA CAMBANÇA (Cobiana SMD 001 1980)

Often what drives us is the idea of something, say African Music. Once you heard a particularly magic song and searched and searched until you found the album and, if you were lucky, the album was bliss. Sometimes an artist or band will tug at your heartstrings in inexplicable ways and you'll find yourself blindly pursuing their music at all costs (Yes, even as far as the outrageous prices of some dealers). Certain notes or sounds become like a Holy Grail as you try to find them. What was an idea becomes an ideal, the purest expression of a feeling or sentiment in musical form.
Guinea-Bissau is a Portuguese-speaking country lodged between Guinea and Senegal but closer musically to Mali than to its immediate neighbor or even the Cape Verde islands which are culturally connected to it. Super Mama Djombo was formed at a Boy Scout camp in the mid-sixties and continued to evolve as the lads grew into teens. Members were voted in and out, or left as they gained musical skill, to form other bands. After Guinea-Bissau's unilateral declaration of independence in 1973, the group became national favorites (many people prayed to the spirit of Mama Djombo for protection -- half the populace is Muslim, the other half animist). In 1974 Adriano Atchutchi, a politically conscious activist, took over as leader. Their music, like many emergent sounds of that time in West Africa, was electrified folk music. They regularly toured to open for President Luis Cabral's speaking engagements and their concerts were broadcast live on the national radio. They took Cuba by storm at the 11th annual Youth Music Festival in Havana, 1978. In 1980 the group traveled to Lisbon for a recording session and filled 6 hours of tape, not even covering their whole repertoire. Their first album, Na Cambança, contained songs that were already well-known at home, but its release extended the fame of the band and the song "Pamparida" (based on a nursery rhyme) became a huge hit. When Super Mama Djombo played in Senegal (and a young unknown Youssou Ndour opened for them) a throng turned out to hear "Pamparida," and broke down the gates to get in. Their second album, Festival (reissued on LP by Kindred Spirits 2013), celebrated their triumphant Cuban tour and presented six more songs including the dreamy "Júlia." This music is one of those African music Holy Grails. Even if the lyrics are sometimes just lists of the names of revolutionary heroes (as in "Sol maior para Comandante"), there is a blissful guitar floating across the stratosphere, played by Tundu, who carved out his own niche alongside "Diamond Fingers" from Guinea (which also has Manding culture). The lyrics are in Crioulo, which mixes African languages with Portuguese, often sung by a young Dulce Neves in his high tenor voice. Echoplex gives a big room sound to the vocals and sax of Miguelinho. The songs are speedy and memorable or laid-back and moody; sometimes both as the haunting lyrics coast gently over an energetic percussion track.

Track list
a: Cambança Djombo*
N'simba
Seiango*
Ramédi cu kata cura
b: Pamparira 79
Luta kana maina No 1
Sûr di nô pubis* (a.k.a. Dissan na m'bera)
Amélia Mané

* these three tracks included on 4CD comp Memôrias de Africa (Farol Music 2008)

FESTIVAL (Cobiana SMD002 1980)

Reissued on LP by Kindred Spirits 2013

a: Festival
Alma Beafada
Tamanco
b: Mortos nega
Júlia
Sociedade de Malandros

CD release 1999

SOL MAIOR PARA COMANDANTE (Cobiana SMD 003 1983; made in USSR) For Amilcar Cabral 1979

a: Sol maior para comandante 1 & 2 (Atchutchi)
b: Chefi di guerra (Atchutchi)

MANDJUANA (Cobiana SMD004) 1980/1983

a: Mandjuana (Atchutchi)
Nhamako (Baba)
Pampa (Atchutchi/Miguel/Mota)
b: José Cumbus (Atchutchi)
Ordem do Dia (Atchutchi)
N'alê
Baga Baga (Herculano)

A MEMORIA DE FAMARA MANE (Cobiana SMD005; made in USSR) 1980/1983

a: Tchêdo
b: Guiné-Cabral
Finala
Djuana

TRADICIONALMENTE DJOMBO (Maxi Music MM 009.02, 1980)

1 Fùndo
2 Bambó
3 Dentro Di Polás
4 Sinhalakala
5 Marietu Djême
6 Bantan Lengo Lengo
7 Manga Di Bias
8 Endjula
9 Dona Sabel Soar
10 Pansau Na Isna

CD reissue: 2002

SUPER MAMA DJOMBO
SUPER MAMA DJOMBO (Cobiana Records COB02)

1. Faibe Guiné [previously unreleased]
2. Dissan na m'bera*
3. Gardessi [previously unreleased]
4. Júlia
5. Seiango
6. Seya [previously unreleased]
7. Pamparida
8. Aboku boku bandi [previously unreleased]
9. Ordem do dia
10. Assalariado [previously unreleased]
11. Guiné-Cabral
12. Djuana
13. Pansua ni isna [previously unreleased]
14. Indicativo [live recording from 1976]

* included on 2CD comp Golden Afrique vol 1 (Network Medien 2005).

LES YEUX BLEUS DE YONTA (Cobalt CD09277-2 1996)

-- Soundtrack to the film Udju Azul di Yonta directed by Flora Gomes. The personnel on this 1992 recording were:
Adriano Atchutchi, composer, orchestration
Vocals: Tino Trimo, Dulce Neves & Victor Caúdo
Sax: Miguelinho
Solo guitar: Narciso
Guitar accompaniment: Mariano
Bass: Valdir
Drums: Vic
Keyboards: Paulino Viera
Percussion: Armando

Homenagem a Jose Carlos Schwarz

Shalan Guinéense
Tcon Di Papel Varela
Mame
Idi Pensa Tchiu
Caburmur
Balur Di Tafal Tafal
Bomn Alma
Sombra Di Cuco

Adriano Atchutchi (Composer, Bandleader)
Tino Trimo (Vocal)
Seco T. Camara (Vocal)
Narciso (Solo Guitar)
Tundo (Lead Guitar)
Sadjo (Rhythm Guitar)
Néné Mateus (Bass Guitar)
Juca Delgado (Tenor Sax)
Miguel (Trumpet)
Rui Gonçalves (Trombone)
João Vaz (Soprano Sax)
Armando (Percussion)
Uié (Drums)

AR PURO (Iceland: Smekkleysa SM148 CD 2008)

BEST OF (Grounded Music CDGR011 2012)

1 Faibe Guiné
2 Dissan Na M'Bera
3 Seiango
4 Djuana
5 Cambança Djombo
6 Festival
7 Ordem Do Dia
8 Julia
9 Mortos Nega
10 Guiné-Cabral
11 Pamparida
12 Pansau Na Isna

SUPER MAMA DJOMBO (Netherlands: New Dawn ND001 2015)

Thanks to Sandy, Mike Scott, Cheeku, Bjarki and Dr Chris

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Last updated Feb 2020