The London Jukebox presents:
Dona Onete - ‘the grande dame of Amazonian song’ - returns with further tales from the river Amazon on her sophomore album Banzeiro.
Whether she’s championing gay rights, singing about the delights of indecent proposals or praising a former lover for his ‘crazy ways of making love’, Banzeiro is defined by Onete’s honest reflections on life, love, sex as well as her delight in the everyday pleasures of life in the Amazon, whether that’s spicy seasoning, salty kisses or fishy-smelling water.
Formerly a history teacher, folklore researcher, union representative, culture secretary and children’s author - “I never thought I would be a singer” she claims - Onete recorded her debut album Feitiço Caboclo at 73. A cult figure in Brazil and an ambassador for Amazonian culture, the music she sings is a unique mix of rhythms from native Brazilians, African slaves and the Caribbean - epitomised in the joyous carimbós that are her trademark.
Born in the Amazonian region of Pará in 1938, Onete is a mix of native Indian from her mother’s side and African from her father. She first started to sing after a chance riverside encounter: “I was washing clothes by the river and one day I saw a dolphin and sung for him. The next day I sang again, and two dolphins came, then a whole family!”.
A self-proclaimed “teenage-dreamer” who embraced music “because everything was forbidden by my parents”, by the age of 15 Onete was singing in bars, yet her musical ambitions were soon crushed: “I was married at 22 and when I tried to sing at home my husband didn’t like it so I had to stop”.
She became an ardent researcher of the rhythms, dances and traditions of the Amazon’s indigenous and black people, which inspired her to begin composing songs herself. Unable to sing at home, she began to incorporate her compositions in her work as a history teacher, using her songs to explain the history of the region to her students: “Nowadays indigenous people can be proud of their heritage but years ago this wasn’t the case.”
“Meus Brasis”, my Brasils, not one sound but various sounds, not the typical samba, forró or sambareggae you’re used to, but the sounds of the northeast and the north, and the digital productions of the 21st century. It almost all comes from two albums by two of the greatest ambassadors…
Artists: Alex Figueira , Baianas de Ipioca , Capoeira Soundsystem , Cie Tambor Y Canto , Dj Tahira , Doña Onete , ILU OBA DE MIN , Maga Bo , Renata Rosa , Tahira
Ten years of making radio and 500 podcasts, that’s what Mukambo is celebrating this week. So we have a special program talking you through the very vest albums of those ten years. Get ready for a trans-Atlantic trip going from Africa over Latin America to Europe, and a pan-African ride…
Artists: Batida , Dele Sosimi , Dizzy Mandjeku , Doña Onete , Ebo Taylor , Gaspar Z'África , Guts , Gyedu-Blay Ambolley , Jungle Fire , Konono N1 , London Afrobeat Collective , Michi Sarmiento , Mulatu Astatke , Newen Afrobeat , Oghene Kologbo , Raúl Monsalve , Raul Monsalve Y Los Forajidos , Rocky Marsiano , Seun Kuti , Son Palenque , The Bongo Hop
Specially for International Women’s Day, this podcast is entirely dedicated to women’s voices. And for the first time in 10 years, basically all tracks come from Be My Voice, a NYP Records-compilation by Global Riddims and Mukambo. Discover 15 female artists from around the world fighting for female rights and…
Artists: Belen Natali , Bomba Estereo , Chalart58 , Dawtas of Aya , Doña Onete , Huw Marc Bennett , Insólito Universo , Instigator Afrobeat Orchestra , Ko Shin Moon , La Dame Blanche , Liraz , Malecon , Samba de Coco Raízes de Arcoverde , Terrakota
It was another triumphant weekend at Walthamstow Garden Party. Sunbathing in glorious weather and indulging in radiant notes played by brilliant musicians, we enjoyed every minute of it. From its debut, basking in Saturday’s early afternoon heat with London African Gospel Choir and their rendition of Paul Simon’s Graceland, until Sunday…
Artists: Adrian Sherwood , Adrian Sherwood And Creation Rebel , Afro Cuban All Stars , Creation Rebels , Doña Onete , Fatoumata Diawara , Seun Kuti , Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
It wasn’t the first time that we had experienced and enjoyed a Doña Onete gig, still, she blew us away. Throughout her latest London show – which was organised by Movimientos and Mama Sound and took place at Rich Mix on the 17th of July – her energy and kaleidoscopic…
Artists: Doña Onete , Saulo Duarte
Last year Groovalizacion Radio selected monthly the best albums for you. What better way to celebrate the new year than looking back at these fine albums from 2017? Out of our selections, we distilled a top 20 from the past year. The higher the album is ranked, the more it is supported by our…
Artists: Bargou 08 , Blay Ambolley , Dem Juju Poets , Doña Onete , Eddie Palmieri , Groovalizacion Radio , La Mambanegra , Lagartijeando , Magin Diaz , Msafiri Zawose , Nidia Gongora , Oghene Kologbo , Orchestra Baobab , Orchestre Mangelepa , Oumou Sangaré , Quantic , Rio Mira , Sibusile Xaba , Son Palenque , They Must Be Crazy , TootArd
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