Carmen Souza is back with cd nº9 totally dedicated to Horace Silver music, calling it The Silver Messengers. Anyone following the last decade of Souza´s career would have predicted this release sooner or later. Silver has been credited, more than once, as a big influence in Souza´s career but their connections go beyond just the artistic identification.

"Growing up I listened a lot to my father's records which was mainly instrumental cape Verdean music because he was a guitar player as well and was very much into that.
when I first listen to Horace Silver, I could hear the same vibe, the same swing, intention, harmonically and melodically, familiar movements, cadences, chord changes, somehow I could hear the sound of my childhood, but with a different texture and aroma, in other words - Jazz."

Indeed, they share the same Cape Verdean heritage and they both, in different ways, mixed that heritage with elements of Jazz.

'The Silver Messengers' mission in this CD was to honor Silver´s pioneering repertoire by bringing it to its African/Lusophone roots.

"The name "Carmen Souza & The Silver Messengers", comes from the task that is set upon ourselves of continuing to carry the message of his music, as disciples and missionaries...As Horace Said: "- We need more artists like these in music, artists who are willing to sacrifice for what they believe in".

Only Carmen Souza, with the help of her long time musical partner Theo Pascal, who has accomplished so much with her own pioneering musical signature, could have completed this mission with such wonder and authenticity.

Carmen Souza with her acclaimed position as a composer, vocalist and instrumentalist in the World, and in the Cape Verdean musical spectrum, can now voice Silver´s work to a whole generation, especially in his Ancestor's home, that did not know his work before, promoting even further his legacy.

"To Honour the music and the composer, the taste, the innovation and to shed a light on his work so that his music continues to touch other people that have never come in contact with it...The songs that we did were based in this Vision, and our reality, our music is filled with the lusophone influence and we brought Horace Silver's music to this environment..."

Recorded between London and Lisbon, Carmen Souza and Theo Pascal have reworked 6 Silver songs, adding some new creole lyrics to it, also including previously released versions of "Song for My Father" "Cape Verdean Blues" and "Pretty Eyes", plus 2 all-new songs dedicated to Horace Silver.

The Silver Messengers are Carmen Souza on vocals and guitar, Theo Pascal on Electric Bass/Dbass, Elias Kacomanolis on drums/Perc and Benjamin Burrell on piano. (Pressetext)