Waldemar Bastos was one of the best known artists from Angola. He lived in Portugal and the United States during his last years, working with musicians from various backgrounds. His style was characterized by warm laid back sounds, sung in Portuguese, combined with powerful Congolese-style guitars.
”My music arises out of paradox,” said Waldemar Bastos while living in Portugal . ”I am a professional musician who barely studied music, an African performer whose first album was recorded in South America, an artist from a war-torn country whose principal themes are peace and optimism, a singer/songwriter who is considered to be the voice of Angola, although I presently live in Portugal.”
Waldemar Bastos was born in Angola, on the border with Congo, in 1954. ‘Five centuries of colonization meant that when I was growing up I heard songs from many different cultures,” he explained. In addition to the African sounds he absorbed, he heard Brazilian music and cites the Beatles, Nat King Cole, the Bee Gees and Carlos Santana as early influences.
Bastos grew up in a country wrecked by war. First, a war of liberation, which began in the early 1960’s and ended in 1974 with the overthrow of the Portuguese dictator Salazar, and then a civil war that lasted for many years. Although both sides in the civil war tried to claim his music as their own, he refused to be drawn into partisan politics, instead offering a message emphasizing the value of all life, the beauty of the world, and the need for hope.
Nevertheless, the political climate in the newly independent country was not supportive of artists. The communist government was even more repressive than the colonial government it had replaced, and Bastos came to feel that he was in potential danger. In 1982 he defected from a cultural delegation visiting Portugal. For a time he lived in Brazil and later in Paris, and he later made his home in Portugal.
After Angola became independent, Bastos began to write his own songs, in which African guitar-pop was laced with Brazilian and Portuguese influences. He recorded his first album, Estamos Juntos (We’re Together), in Brazil and two more, Angola Minha Namorada (My Sweetheart Angola) and Pitanga Madura (Ripe Pitanga Berry), after his return to Portugal.
Pretaluz (Blacklight) was recorded in the United States and released by Luaka Bop. Pretaluz featured Angolan and Portuguese musicians.
In April of 2003, Bastos went back to Angola for the first time in many years to perform in the national stadium in Luanda, the capital, in celebration of the ending of years of civil war. Since then he returned several more times, ensuring that the spirit of his African roots remained a powerful influence on his music.
His 2012 album Classics of My Soul featured Derek Nakamoto on keyboards, Mitchell Long on guitars and The London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2018, the Angolan Government awarded him the National Culture and Arts Award, in the Music category.
In recent years, Bastos resided in the United States.
The message that Bastos brought to his audiences merged the suffering of his people and a longing for home with optimism and the power of love.
Waldemar Bastos died on August 9, 2020.
Discography:
Estamos Juntos (EMI Records, 1983)
Angola Minha Namorada (EMI Records, 1990)
Pitanga Madura (EMI Records, 1992)
Pretaluz (Luaka Bop, 1998)
Renascence (World Connection, 2004/US: Times Square, 2005)
Love Is Blindness (2008)
Classics of My Soul (Enja, 2012)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.