SONGLINES FADO SERIES

Buba Espinho

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Last Show: Friday 26 th January 2018

The Pheasantry (Chelsea)

Buba Espinho's Fado story is not the typical one. He was not precociously shaken from his peaceful childhood by a stunning voice coming from the radio or TV. But it's not that different either. Born in Beja, in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal, Bernardo 'Buba' Espinho was still a young kid when he felt drawn to 'cante alentejano', the region's intense former work songs that were kept alive in local taverns all over the region. He started to attend informal musical gatherings in the Alentejo town of Cuba, listening to the elderly sing those weighty polyphonic songs and waiting to be called and join the circle.

Photo credits: Ana Espinho 

Fado only made a big impression in his life later on, once he started to make a name for himself as a singer with Bubadenas, a band he put together with his young pals in Baja, loosely reinterpreting Cante. But as soon as he set foot in Lisbon, Buba quickly got closer to the Fado he so admired in the voices of Antonio Zambujo and Ricardo Ribeiro. When he began visisting the 'Casas de Fado', not only was he fascinated with the old repertoire, but he unquestionably felt that was right for him to leave behind the collative singing of Cante and take on the responsibility of having a voice of his own.

And it didn't take long for Buba to stand out among the rising young talent. For the last couple of years, he's caused quite a stir in Fado circles. Maybe because the Cante roots lend his Fado a totally different flavour and an irresistible twist.