"This soulful album has the seamless feel of a longtime collaboration, an imaginative journey across the Portuguese-speaking world that blends fado roots with improv jazz and sultry Middle Eastern harmonies. A fine debut and an enchanting musical voyage around a big ‘small world’ indeed."
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​​Songlines Magazine UK, November 2024
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Live concert in Moldova at the Ethno Jazz Festival, 2024
Cacha Mundinho “catch a small world” breathes new life into practically forgotten musical routes. From songs that exude an Iberian ambiance and Portuguese troubadour tradition Cacha Mundinho travels via North Africa, the Middle East to India and Brazil.
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"Cacha" derives from Cape Verdean creole and is a corruption of “catch”, "Mundinho" comes from "mundo" and means “small world”. Cacha Mundinho means: “catch a small world”.
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“VENTO DO MAR”
the Debut Album
The group is delighted to announce its debut album "Vento do Mar" release on October 20th, by Mundus Productions and distributed by AudioMaze.
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The album is teeming of original songs and promises to bring to light the identity of the Cacha Mundinho.
The old, historical stories it tells and trails it follows as well as the musical encounters it has along the way are vividly portrayed through the music of singer-songwriter Joana Almeida. In March 2020, the young singer and songwriter Joana Almeida arrived in Amsterdam from Porto and opened new "umbrellas" with the percussionist Sjahin During, Maripepa Contreras on oboe/duduk, Pedro Ivo Ferreira on double bass, to establish Cacha Mundinho in searching the landscapes of the rich Lusophone music cultures, intertwining the sounds of the Lusophony world towards a new horizon.
Lusophony is the total of regions and cultures that share the Portuguese language, in this special case: Portugal, Middle East, Africa, Brazil and India.
"Roda", Amsterdam 2023
Almeida came to live in Amsterdam in 2020 and has dedicated her life to follow a unique path: she is one of the very first female, classical fado guitarists in Portugal. She composes original pieces in Portuguese, inspired by fado and traditional Portuguese troubadour songs but with her own unique and contemporary take on tradition. Elements from Portugal, Middle East, Africa, Brazil and Indian music are combined with the improvisatory agility of top-notch jazz. The Cacha Mundinho Quartet has its own sound, to honor the Lusophone world.
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A musical voyage through the world of lusophony
and beyond
Joana Almeida (Portugal) - vocals & guitar
Maripepa Contreras (Spain) - oboe & duduk
Pedro Ivo Ferreira (Brazil) - double bass
Sjahin During (Turkey/Netherlands) - percussion
A journey through the lusophone world. This quartet of experienced musicians has been around for less than a year and brings an original and infectious mix of bossa, fado & jazz.
World Music Forum
by Charlie Crooijmans
Showcase at
TivoliVredenburg
(NL, 2022)
Everything really came together, Almeida herself abandoned all reserves and firmly took the initiative.
The ensemble playing was concentrated, pointed and interspersed with exciting improvisations, on the cutting edge.
Mixed World Music by Ton Maas
On the Roof (NL, 2022)
Joana Almeida is Portugal's first female classical fado guitarist. Her band is called Cacha Mundinho and their music is rocking. You hear fado but also influences from Cape Verdean, Brazilian music, and from jazz. So much rhythm in one melting pot, just try to sit still. We'll tell you in advance: you won't be able to do that on these infectious grooves.
Bimhuis (Nl, 2023)
Cacha Mundinho is a sparkling new offshoot from
the centuries old tree of the Lusophone music cultures.
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