Tcheka
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Concerts and tour dates
Past
OCT
05
2019
Marciac, France
l'Astrada
I Was There
FEB
13
2019
Chicago, IL
Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music
I Was There
SEP
15
2017
Chicago, IL
The Promontory
I Was There
SEP
14
2017
Chicago, IL
THE HIDEOUT
I Was There
JUL
27
2017
New York, NY
Lincoln Center (Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse)
I Was There
JUL
09
2017
Rudolstadt, Germany
Rudolstadt Festival
I Was There
JUL
08
2017
Rudolstadt, Germany
NEUMARKT
I Was There
APR
12
2017
Wrocław, Poland
Klub Muzyczny Stary Klasztor
I Was There
APR
11
2017
Wrocław, Poland
Klub Muzyczny Stary Klasztor
I Was There
APR
02
2017
Viljandi, Estonia
Pärimusmuusika ait, Viljandi
I Was There
MAR
10
2017
Morsang-Sur-Orge, France
Théâtre de l’Arlequin
I Was There
DEC
01
2016
Coimbra, Portugal
Conservatório de Coimbra
I Was There
NOV
06
2016
Macau, Macau
Casa Teatro D. Pedro V
I Was There
OCT
29
2016
Macau, Macau
Casa Teatro D. Pedro V
I Was There
OCT
23
2016
Ourense, Spain
Santa Cristina Monastery
I Was There
AUG
10
2016
Marciac, France
L'ASTRADA
I Was There
OCT
21
2015
Porto, Portugal
Casa da Música
I Was There
SEP
25
2014
Lyon, France
A THOU BOUT D'CHANT
I Was There
SEP
24
2014
Lyon, France
A THOU BOUT D'CHANT
I Was There
JUN
14
2014
Prag, Czech Republic
Respect Festival
I Was There
MAY
29
2014
Paris, France
Petit Bain
I Was There
MAY
28
2014
Paris, France
Petit Bain
I Was There
MAY
27
2014
Coutances, France
Jazz Sous Les Pommiers
I Was There
Show More Dates
About Tcheka
Manuel Lopes Andrade, aka Tcheka, was born on the 20th July 1973 in the port of Ribeira Barca, Santa Catarina district, on Santiago, the most African island of the Cape Verde archipelago. At a very early age, he began to perform alongside his father, Nho Raul Andrade, a highly popular violinist at the island’s village dances and festivities. Tcheka was in good hands. Every wrong note brought a rap on the knuckles from his father’s bow, but he learned quickly and soon made his mark at dances, weddings, baptisms and so on.
However, the boy had other ambitions. At 15, he began to develop a more personal style, based on batuque, one of Santiago Island’s more popular beats, originally played by women. One of the first pieces he wrote, “Man’ba des bes kumida dâ”, gave a clear idea of the musical path he wished to follow. His aim was to widen the appeal of batuque, turning it into a beat that everyone would love.
Batuque is a beat specific to the island of Santiago in the Cape Verde archipelago, conveys the collective memory and identity of a people. Batuque was first played after work in the fields, traditionally by women. Sitting in a circle, they tapped on a “tchabeta”, a bundle of cloth, normally made of piled loincloths that they rolled up and held between their legs. Depending on the thickness and compression of the fabric used, these cloth drums produced a variety of sounds. Batuque provided an accompaniment for “finaçon”, a vocal style that the women improvised to suit their audience and the occasion. Following African tradition, the singers commented on village events, celebrated farming festivals, births and marriages, and commemorated deaths. Sometimes one of them would enter the “terrero” (the inside of the circle) and dance.
Today, these inflexible traditions have been radically updated. Firstly, the women make their drums from plastic bags. Secondly, young men, Tcheka is not alone, are adopting these traditional styles, batuque and finaçon, to assert their African identity more actively.
As a young man, Tcheka left his rural home and went to live in Praia, where he became a cameraman for national television, a job that involved travel and broadened his horizons. In Praia, Tcheka met journalist Julio Rodrigues and wrote a number of songs with him. The two played informally in the bars of the Cape Verdean capital and other musicians soon joined them: percussionist Pery, bassist Kizo, flautist Robert Pemberton (a Scotsman who lived in Cape Verde) and, more recently, percussionist Raul.
Today, Tcheka is well-known in Praia for his work in modernising “batuque”, in much the same way as Catchas updated Funana, the other great Santiago beat, in the seventies. Providing a new reading of batuque while conserving its traditional structures is the message of Tcheka’s first album, entitled “Argui” , “rise / stand up” in Creole.
However, the boy had other ambitions. At 15, he began to develop a more personal style, based on batuque, one of Santiago Island’s more popular beats, originally played by women. One of the first pieces he wrote, “Man’ba des bes kumida dâ”, gave a clear idea of the musical path he wished to follow. His aim was to widen the appeal of batuque, turning it into a beat that everyone would love.
Batuque is a beat specific to the island of Santiago in the Cape Verde archipelago, conveys the collective memory and identity of a people. Batuque was first played after work in the fields, traditionally by women. Sitting in a circle, they tapped on a “tchabeta”, a bundle of cloth, normally made of piled loincloths that they rolled up and held between their legs. Depending on the thickness and compression of the fabric used, these cloth drums produced a variety of sounds. Batuque provided an accompaniment for “finaçon”, a vocal style that the women improvised to suit their audience and the occasion. Following African tradition, the singers commented on village events, celebrated farming festivals, births and marriages, and commemorated deaths. Sometimes one of them would enter the “terrero” (the inside of the circle) and dance.
Today, these inflexible traditions have been radically updated. Firstly, the women make their drums from plastic bags. Secondly, young men, Tcheka is not alone, are adopting these traditional styles, batuque and finaçon, to assert their African identity more actively.
As a young man, Tcheka left his rural home and went to live in Praia, where he became a cameraman for national television, a job that involved travel and broadened his horizons. In Praia, Tcheka met journalist Julio Rodrigues and wrote a number of songs with him. The two played informally in the bars of the Cape Verdean capital and other musicians soon joined them: percussionist Pery, bassist Kizo, flautist Robert Pemberton (a Scotsman who lived in Cape Verde) and, more recently, percussionist Raul.
Today, Tcheka is well-known in Praia for his work in modernising “batuque”, in much the same way as Catchas updated Funana, the other great Santiago beat, in the seventies. Providing a new reading of batuque while conserving its traditional structures is the message of Tcheka’s first album, entitled “Argui” , “rise / stand up” in Creole.
Show More
Genres:
World, Jazz, International
Hometown:
Praia, Cabo Verde
No upcoming shows
Send a request to Tcheka to play in your city
Request a Show
Similar Artists On Tour
Bandsintown Merch
Circle Hat
$25.0 USD
Live Collage Sweatshirt
$45.0 USD
Rainbow T-Shirt
$30.0 USD
Circle Beanie
$20.0 USD
Concerts and tour dates
Past
OCT
05
2019
Marciac, France
l'Astrada
I Was There
FEB
13
2019
Chicago, IL
Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music
I Was There
SEP
15
2017
Chicago, IL
The Promontory
I Was There
SEP
14
2017
Chicago, IL
THE HIDEOUT
I Was There
JUL
27
2017
New York, NY
Lincoln Center (Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse)
I Was There
JUL
09
2017
Rudolstadt, Germany
Rudolstadt Festival
I Was There
JUL
08
2017
Rudolstadt, Germany
NEUMARKT
I Was There
APR
12
2017
Wrocław, Poland
Klub Muzyczny Stary Klasztor
I Was There
APR
11
2017
Wrocław, Poland
Klub Muzyczny Stary Klasztor
I Was There
APR
02
2017
Viljandi, Estonia
Pärimusmuusika ait, Viljandi
I Was There
MAR
10
2017
Morsang-Sur-Orge, France
Théâtre de l’Arlequin
I Was There
DEC
01
2016
Coimbra, Portugal
Conservatório de Coimbra
I Was There
NOV
06
2016
Macau, Macau
Casa Teatro D. Pedro V
I Was There
OCT
29
2016
Macau, Macau
Casa Teatro D. Pedro V
I Was There
OCT
23
2016
Ourense, Spain
Santa Cristina Monastery
I Was There
AUG
10
2016
Marciac, France
L'ASTRADA
I Was There
OCT
21
2015
Porto, Portugal
Casa da Música
I Was There
SEP
25
2014
Lyon, France
A THOU BOUT D'CHANT
I Was There
SEP
24
2014
Lyon, France
A THOU BOUT D'CHANT
I Was There
JUN
14
2014
Prag, Czech Republic
Respect Festival
I Was There
MAY
29
2014
Paris, France
Petit Bain
I Was There
MAY
28
2014
Paris, France
Petit Bain
I Was There
MAY
27
2014
Coutances, France
Jazz Sous Les Pommiers
I Was There
Show More Dates
About Tcheka
Manuel Lopes Andrade, aka Tcheka, was born on the 20th July 1973 in the port of Ribeira Barca, Santa Catarina district, on Santiago, the most African island of the Cape Verde archipelago. At a very early age, he began to perform alongside his father, Nho Raul Andrade, a highly popular violinist at the island’s village dances and festivities. Tcheka was in good hands. Every wrong note brought a rap on the knuckles from his father’s bow, but he learned quickly and soon made his mark at dances, weddings, baptisms and so on.
However, the boy had other ambitions. At 15, he began to develop a more personal style, based on batuque, one of Santiago Island’s more popular beats, originally played by women. One of the first pieces he wrote, “Man’ba des bes kumida dâ”, gave a clear idea of the musical path he wished to follow. His aim was to widen the appeal of batuque, turning it into a beat that everyone would love.
Batuque is a beat specific to the island of Santiago in the Cape Verde archipelago, conveys the collective memory and identity of a people. Batuque was first played after work in the fields, traditionally by women. Sitting in a circle, they tapped on a “tchabeta”, a bundle of cloth, normally made of piled loincloths that they rolled up and held between their legs. Depending on the thickness and compression of the fabric used, these cloth drums produced a variety of sounds. Batuque provided an accompaniment for “finaçon”, a vocal style that the women improvised to suit their audience and the occasion. Following African tradition, the singers commented on village events, celebrated farming festivals, births and marriages, and commemorated deaths. Sometimes one of them would enter the “terrero” (the inside of the circle) and dance.
Today, these inflexible traditions have been radically updated. Firstly, the women make their drums from plastic bags. Secondly, young men, Tcheka is not alone, are adopting these traditional styles, batuque and finaçon, to assert their African identity more actively.
As a young man, Tcheka left his rural home and went to live in Praia, where he became a cameraman for national television, a job that involved travel and broadened his horizons. In Praia, Tcheka met journalist Julio Rodrigues and wrote a number of songs with him. The two played informally in the bars of the Cape Verdean capital and other musicians soon joined them: percussionist Pery, bassist Kizo, flautist Robert Pemberton (a Scotsman who lived in Cape Verde) and, more recently, percussionist Raul.
Today, Tcheka is well-known in Praia for his work in modernising “batuque”, in much the same way as Catchas updated Funana, the other great Santiago beat, in the seventies. Providing a new reading of batuque while conserving its traditional structures is the message of Tcheka’s first album, entitled “Argui” , “rise / stand up” in Creole.
However, the boy had other ambitions. At 15, he began to develop a more personal style, based on batuque, one of Santiago Island’s more popular beats, originally played by women. One of the first pieces he wrote, “Man’ba des bes kumida dâ”, gave a clear idea of the musical path he wished to follow. His aim was to widen the appeal of batuque, turning it into a beat that everyone would love.
Batuque is a beat specific to the island of Santiago in the Cape Verde archipelago, conveys the collective memory and identity of a people. Batuque was first played after work in the fields, traditionally by women. Sitting in a circle, they tapped on a “tchabeta”, a bundle of cloth, normally made of piled loincloths that they rolled up and held between their legs. Depending on the thickness and compression of the fabric used, these cloth drums produced a variety of sounds. Batuque provided an accompaniment for “finaçon”, a vocal style that the women improvised to suit their audience and the occasion. Following African tradition, the singers commented on village events, celebrated farming festivals, births and marriages, and commemorated deaths. Sometimes one of them would enter the “terrero” (the inside of the circle) and dance.
Today, these inflexible traditions have been radically updated. Firstly, the women make their drums from plastic bags. Secondly, young men, Tcheka is not alone, are adopting these traditional styles, batuque and finaçon, to assert their African identity more actively.
As a young man, Tcheka left his rural home and went to live in Praia, where he became a cameraman for national television, a job that involved travel and broadened his horizons. In Praia, Tcheka met journalist Julio Rodrigues and wrote a number of songs with him. The two played informally in the bars of the Cape Verdean capital and other musicians soon joined them: percussionist Pery, bassist Kizo, flautist Robert Pemberton (a Scotsman who lived in Cape Verde) and, more recently, percussionist Raul.
Today, Tcheka is well-known in Praia for his work in modernising “batuque”, in much the same way as Catchas updated Funana, the other great Santiago beat, in the seventies. Providing a new reading of batuque while conserving its traditional structures is the message of Tcheka’s first album, entitled “Argui” , “rise / stand up” in Creole.
Show More
Genres:
World, Jazz, International
Hometown:
Praia, Cabo Verde
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