Bulimundo: the story that needed to be told

Bulimundo will hit the road at the end of the month for a tour of Europe and in September in the USA to remember the golden years of the group, which celebrates 45 years of career. And they have a “clear conscience” and a clear notion that the sudden death of their former vocalist, Zé Mário, had nothing to do with his departure from the group. “He walked away from himself, this story needs to be clarified. Zé Mário was used by a small group that wasn't really his friend”, guarantees António Silveira (Nonó), saxophonist and member of the band since its initial formation. Zeca Nha Reinalda confirms and adds: “I asked him to come back several times, he never responded. Those who killed Zé Mário were his pseudo-friends”. Manel de Candinho, however, has another version. Intrigue, jealousy, disagreements … but also friendship, companionship and fun leverage Bulimundo, surely the most iconic, eclectic and timeless Cape Verdean musical group. We tell you everything here, from behind the scenes.

They had planned everything with caution and courage. In this year in which they celebrate 45 years, Bulimundo, by Nonó, Zeca Nha Reinalda, Silvestre (Silva), Jorge Pimpas, Duka and Yuri, decided to celebrate the date with a tour to Europe, now in July, and concerts in the United States In September. Detail: Zé Mário, lead singer of the group, had broken off relations with the band four years ago and had already formed his own set Zé Mário & Banda, with plans to release his new single in September and later an original album.

But unexpected news would cloud the panorama: Zé Mário died suddenly , after a sudden Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA), and the tragedy shook the whole country. It was a double shock among Bulimundo's elements, it was a colleague who was leaving and, on the other hand, they were the bad guys. Yes, the arrows were all pointed at the group founded by Katchás in 1978 , accused of having betrayed the vocalist by expelling him from the band, which would have caused a lot of heartache and hurt in the singer born in Paiol, to the point of going into a deep depression followed by of fatal stroke.

The criticisms, coming from fellow musicians and Zé Mário's family, gained strength because of the last interview given by the singer to Inforpress , where he reported his anguish at having been passed over from Bulimundo without justification. He felt betrayed, humiliated, discarded after 36 years of giving voice and face to the group.

The musician and composer Manel di Candinho, who was part of Bulimundo for three years (2016 to 2019) and was the guitarist of the formation Zé Mário&Banda, assumes this position without hesitation. “It was very unfair what they did. He (Zé Mário) carried the set on his back for 35 years to be discarded in this way. They disrespected a longtime colleague”, opines the famous guitarist, who points to “greed” as the main reason for what happened.

“ There were a lot of people, 10, and little money from the caches to share. So they decided to cut it. They removed three elements, Lulan, Zé Mário and when I realized I had already left, they excluded me right away . And look, when they removed the second guitar (Lulan) Bulimundo's sound was mischaracterized, the same song has nothing to do with the original. They lost quality”, says Manel di Candinho, stressing that the idea of reducing the size of the band came from Zeca Nha Reinalda. “He's the most 'confused' in the group. For example, Duka (pianist) was always causing fights but they kept him in the band. In fact, he left and came back several times, he even played with Bulimundo and Zé Mário & Banda at the same time, but we had to press him to choose and he preferred Bulimundo. Nonó once said that if Duka continued, he would be the one to leave, you see. Duka has no passion for anything, for him to be or not to be is indifferent to him. Zé Mário did have a huge passion for Bulimundo. And they took his world away, he was like a fish out of water”.

Manel di Candinho, as well as Calú di architecto, a former member of Bulimundo (he lives in the USA where, using social media, he harshly criticized the group for the death of Zé Mário) has no doubts: “ Zé Mário fell ill from the day he left the Bulimundos. I lived with him, I know what happened ”, he says, while criticizing “the absence of the band members at Zé Mário's funeral. None of them showed up to offer condolences. To see how things are”.

There was a lot of discussion on this subject on social networks, with pianist Calú de Arquitecto and Duka, neighbors and friends, exchanging barbs on Facebook with the cheering crowd on each side putting more light on the bush, keeping this dual point of view on which, in fact, caused the death of Zé Mário. Calú revealed behind-the-scenes scenes at Bulimundo – such as the disagreements between the elements or the conversations he would have had with Zé Mário, telling him his sorrows – and Duka denying such stories and repeating what is in the medical report (death by stroke ) and rejecting any blame on the part of Bulimundo for Zé Mário's illness, since, as he wrote in the responses to the posts, Paiol's vocalist had left the group four years ago.

The version that changes everything

Nonó, the only member of Bulimundo who has been with the band since its formation and participated in all eight albums (Silvestre did not record the last 'Ta n'deria ka ta kai'), takes precisely this aspect to reject any responsibility of the group in the illness and death of his former colleague. “Look, he had left four years ago and he was even excited and happy to be recording a solo album”, begins by saying the famous saxophonist, calm and sure that “the whole truth will be known and doubts clarified” when he stick to the version that until this moment had not been known.

First, the story of your absence from the funeral. “We were at the funeral, the whole group was there. But we preferred not to get close and to stay further away to avoid complications, since we had already been threatened inside the cemetery and it was wise to act with discretion and respect. After all, it was a colleague who had died and we owe him this honor”.

Nonó believes that all this confusion with the name of Bulimundo involved in the illness and death of Zé Mário was caused by a series of untruths created to destabilize the group. “For example, we didn't remove Zé Mário, he left himself. He felt humiliated because of Zeca, he stayed quiet or in a corner when Zeca was in the studios rehearsing. And they stuck it in his head until he left. By whom? A small group that wasn't his real friend that makes these intrigues without need, Calú as an architect and eventually Manel de Candinho”.

Who confirms and reiterates this version is Zeca Nha Reinalda, the first lead singer of Bulimundo (he left in 1983 to found with his brother, Zezé, Finason and returned to the group in 2013), and seen as pivotal in the departure of Zé Mário. “All fake. Zé Mário and I had close relations, we never had any problems. I have evidence of exchanges of messages between me and him, in which I was convincing him to return to the group. I spoke to him for 13 minutes, I have proof, it was on June 3, 2019. The next day he told me that he was no longer part of the group. We set up a meeting and he didn't show up. We were friends anyway. Even when he got sick I sent him to the hospital to ask him if he needed anything, we were friends, we had close relations, it has nothing to do with what they're saying. And whoever says I'm the pivot of all this proves it, I have proof of the opposite. That's why I say that those who killed Zé Mário were his pseudo-friends”, says Zeca showing the printscreen of the conversations he had with Zé Mário.

Zeca has also heard that he would have been the agitator within the group, because he wanted to have fewer elements to receive more money. “See, I earn much less with Bulimundo, I earn three or four times more alone . I received an invitation to go and perform on the island of Fogo where I could win practically alone, but I chose to cancel so I could be on tour with Bulimundo. Yuka Barros wanted to pay homage to me in the US, so I also refused to be with Bulimundo”, he stresses, reiterating that the monetary issue does not play a major role.

“Zé Mário must have been reckless and that affected him, but it wasn't because of Bulimundo. Architect Calú wrote an article on facebook talking about the 'coup d'état in Bulimundo', in reference to my return to the complex. This is false, in Bulimundo the majority is in charge”, he reinforces, explaining that the problem was a misinterpretation of the elements coming together to form the new Bulimundo. “When we got together to play, it wasn't Bulimundo, it was a group of friends who came to play in their homage to Nonó”.

Nonó himself clarifies this better. “ Bulimundo was at a standstill, I was the one who gathered the people. I was honored by the Municipality of São Domingos in 2013 and to celebrate I called the people who were from Bulimundo, I invited some musicians to make up for the absence of others – Óscar, for example, was sick and could not participate, so we invited Manel di Candinho, but it was just for that performance . We played, but it wasn't Bulimundo, that is, it had nothing to do with the return of the initial formation. But people liked it, so we continued to give concerts in that format”.

Because of this, adds Zeca Nha Reinalda, “many of the guests who ended up staying thought they were already an integral part of the set”. " It was a tent that we continued with all the musicians who were in the tribute to Nonó ".

The idea of reducing elements, explains Nonó , was a suggestion from her producer. “For logistical reasons, our producer suggested reducing the number of musicians for the tours, because it was expensive. But Zé Mário was not invited to leave, he excluded himself due to the influence of his friends who put nonsense in his head , that Zeca came to overshadow him, etc. And he believed, so much so that he remained silent in Zeca's presence. Another thing, he took everything we debated and discussed in the meetings outside, he told his friends everything, including about bills, etc. They, Calú, Manel di Candinho, knew everything that was going on within the group because Zé Mário would soon tell. The problem is that they didn't want Zeca back, so I had to impose it. Calú and Zeca don't get along very well”, confesses the saxophonist, for whom “Zé Mário was used by a small group that wasn't really his friend”.

Zeca Nha Reinalda thinks the same and places Manel di Candinho, even without saying his name with his mouth full, as the main actor. “ He thought he was the second Katchas or new Katchas, but no. It created some embarrassments for us. We even played in São Domingos, when I was councilor for Culture, we haven't received the money until today. However, we are the ones who are greedy ”, he says ironically.

Amid intrigues, criticisms and disagreements, Bulimundo – probably the most successful band in Cape Verdean musical history to date, due to its longevity, originality and quality – is still firm and standing, ready to hit the road with a tour this month. July in Europe celebrating 45 years of good music. And in September they will be on the stages of the USA, offering their fans true classics of Cape Verdean culture. And they do it with joy, harmony and lots of fun. After all, the longevity of the group and the friendship between them surpasses any street corner gossip.