Jon Luz

Like all treasures, Jon Luz is a precious jewel of incalculable value, a specialist in string instruments, including the iconic ukulele with which the music of his islands is played so often; a composer and arranger full of knowledge about the special turns of morna, the music that UNESCO recently declared to be Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In Lisbon, Jon Luz became a central figure in the nights when Cape Verde's sounds are heard. He accompanied artists such as Maria Alice, Titina, Ildo Lobo and Tito Paris. “There are already so many", he says, trying to hide his modesty, "I've lost count". In his only edited work, Farrope d ’Poesia, from 2006, he even had some arrangements by the mythical Orlando Pantera. But the stages, especially those that lend themselves to greater intimacy and real experimentation, have always attracted him more than the recording studios.

In the strange pandemic period that we are living through, Jon Luz had the opportunity to collect himself in Melides, where a studio was built according to his strict specifications. There, Luz concentrated on his own work, calling the veteran Maria Alice to his side to give voice to a set of mornas that, along with undisputed classics by Tigoy, Paulinho Vieira and B. Leza, also include a handful of originals that he wears with the refinement of his imagination.