Freedom Now: Sounds of Portugal is the latest in our series of mixtapes, and it can be downloaded for free here. I suspect there would have been a time when mention of Portuguese music might have made me think immediately and exclusively of Ana Da Silva, who was born in Portugal and while 'in exile' in London joined The Raincoats to make unprecedented music. Many, many years after The Raincoats' amazing debut 7" Ana made a lovely LP for the (at the time) fantastic Chicks On Speed label. Her LP, The Lighthouse, was surprisingly electronic and great fun. The 'cuckoo in the nest' was her cover of Modinha, the beautiful song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius De Moraes. Ana's interpretation is a collaboration with Stuart Moxham (her one-time co-revolutionary chez Rough Trade), and it's gorgeous. Ana's voice is crackly, and I may be making this up as I go along but there seems a strong suggestion of the fado (Portuguese blues)tradition in Ana's delivery. It was a civilised tradition when practically every LP released featured a Jobim-related song, and I still applaud Ana and Stuart for reviving that. Modinha has been recorded by many, and there is a very special version by Nana Caymmi who has one of my very favourite voices. But there is something about this performance by Tom Jobim and Elis Regina ...
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