TCHEKA

TCHEKA
Following in the footsteps of Cesaria Evora, and after success in Europe (including an exciting
appearance at WOMEX), Tcheka brings his Cape Verdean music to North America.
Born in the Santa Catarina district on Santiago, the most African island of the Cape Verde
archipelago, he received early and rigorous training from his father, Nho Raul Andrade, a highly
popular violinist at the island’s village dances and festivities. At 15, he began to develop a
more personal style, based on batuque, one of Santiago Island’s more popular and most African
beats, originally played by women to celebrate farming festivals, births and marriages, and
to commemorate deaths.
Today, Tcheka lives in Praia, Cape Verde’s capital, where he is well known for his work in
modernizing batuque, while conserving its traditional structures. This is the message of Tcheka’s first
album, entitled “Argui,” Creole for “rise/stand up.”
His second album “Nu Monda” won the prestigious Discoveries Award 2005 from Radio France
International (RFI). His performance while accepting the award in Dakar fully justified the accolade,
as he excited the crowd with his singing, dancing, and guitar chops.
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