Café D'Alma is a group that has its origins in the roots of Portuguese music. It is, however, in its fusion with other aromas that determines its identity. Between traditional and fado, going through cabaret music and flamenco, everything serves as an excuse to put together a few more notes and tell another story.
Café D'Alma was born in 2013 in the hands of the guitarist and composer Nicholas Ratcliffe whose desire to explore the roots of Portuguese music has long manifested itself. In this vast universe, which includes Lusitanian music, he wants fado, folklore and song to coexist in search of a new musical language.
After a few years spent composing music for movies, commercials, theater, and other audiovisual media recordings, he meets Nádia Sousa in a duet with Maestro Vitorino de Almeida, in which he performed classics of French music. His voice, dedication and staging were decisive and an evident sign of being in front of the ideal person to give voice to the project he had in mind. Endowed with extraordinary versatility, Nadja Sousa accepted the invitation, and soon embraced the project, still unnamed, giving voice to the first poems and melodies already written. The complicity between the two was a pleasant surprise and gave rise to new sounds that enriched the existing material, leaving the Portuguese style intact and always present. To fado, folklore and song are now added, among others, a taste for cabaret, flamenco and classical music.
The happy affinity led the duet to want to enlarge the timbre deck looking for musicians and exploring the instruments that best suited. Thus the bassist Jaime Ferreira, the accordionist Susana Amaral and the young and talented cellist Bárbara Santos joined the group.
Accustomed to a more erudite repertoire, she demonstrated versatility and an aesthetic sense that optimized the group's dynamics.
The months that followed were spent composing new songs and recording their debut album that we now present.
The Café, whether alone, in grain or in the corner, is part of the Portuguese routine and tradition, as well as the stories it has witnessed. And many others from the Soul ...