ASSOCIAÇÃO DE MÚSICOS CABOVERDEANOS DE NOVA INGLATERRA Brockton, Massachusetts - USA

Vuca Pinheiro ESTA PÁGINA EM PORTUGUÊS CE PAGE EN FRANÇAIS Vuca@massed.net TO VUCA'S HOME PAGE

Vuca was born on January 23rd of 1948, at Vila Nova Sintra, Island of Brava, Republic of Cape Verde. When he first tried to play the guitar he was 12 or 13 years old, when he used to watch attentively other musician's performances and then try to reproduce their act. By 13 his artistic and technical drawings were admired and praised at several exhibitions carried out at the High School in the city of Praia, Cape Verde Islands. In 1965 he was the organizer and leader of a musical tour by "Micá" Band to the Island of Brava, where electronic instruments were yet unheard of. He used to be the solo guitarist and leader of that group. In 1967 he emigrated to Brazil in order to continue to pursue his academic goals. Having divided wisely his time between academics and work, he still found time to take courses in the areas of electricity, electronics, and oil painting. From this last activity several drawings and paintings are today adornning walls at friends houses. After working for some time as an architectural draftsman, and after taking several computer programming courses, he decided, in 1971, to join the family in the United States of America where he had the opportunity, in 1972, to work for Shawmut Bank as a Computer Operator. From 1972 to 1974 he was the founder and leader of a musical band that performed in several and different occasions here in USA. In Canada he participated in television shows performing and promoting the traditional music of Cape Verde. In main frame computers he performed all technical and managerial positions available at the time in several firms like Shawmut Bank (USA), Banco Fonsecas & Bourné (Portugal), Companhia de Processamento de Dados do Estado de Minas Gerais (Brazil), Fiat Automóveis (Brazil), Companhia Telefónica de Minas Gerais (Brazil), among others. The daytime survival work didn't stop him from getting a Bacharel Degree in Management from "Instituto Champagnat de Estudos Superiores" in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Following up his inovative and creative mind, he founded a computer school in Belo Horizonte, and he also attended music school for two years. In 1985 he decided to return to the United States with one thing in mind: to record his first album, known as "Força Di Cretcheu". His sharp critical mind and well developed perception helped to transform this first album into a "classic" piece of traditional music. This album, which is a beautiful recollection of old "mornas", made its debut in a hostile musical environment, where the traditional Capeverdean music was being suffocated by borrowed foreign rythms. The second album, "Es Quê Nha Terra Cabo Verde", which followed the same melodic framework, was released two years later. A third album, by the name "Cretcheu Na Paz", was edited two years later, and this time featuring two compositions of his own. He also participated in the recording of other Capeverdean albums, such as "Paz & União" (in conjunction with close to one hundred other Capeverdean artists), Sãozinha Fonseca's "Sãozinha Canta Eugénio", and Danny Carvalho's "Boas Festas". His most recent CD, by the name "Fama Sem Prubêto", was recorded in his private studio in December of 1996. This album, in which he included four of his own compositions, is another work of recompilation of the Capeverdean folklore. Recently, one of his "mornas" titled "Combersa Co Deus", which is an apology to life, was recorded by the great Capeverdean singer Ildo Lobo. As an arranger, producer, and artistic director, (besides being the sound technician and having played several instruments), he published a first album for Capeverdean singer "Duducha", through his own "Brazuca Publishing" company. From 1987 through 1993 he did lots of work for broadcasting media like radio and television, and for newspapers as well. Being the first editor of the Capeverdean newspaper "O Mundo Caboverdeano", he helped to define its formats and contents. At the same time he finished his "Master" degree in Bilingual Education at University of Massachusetts at Boston. Since then he is being teaching computer technology and mathematics at the same University. Once and a while he still does some artistic work like covers for his first album "Força Di Cretcheu", his first CD "Cretcheu Na Paz", his first poetry book "Extractos da Poesia Caboverdeana", and Duducha's first CD "Cabo Verde Terra Sabe". Only in 1986, when he took upon himself the ordeal of reediting the magazine "Farol", he started producing literary work published in the above mentioned magazine "Farol", in the suplement "Ernestina" of the "Portuguese Times" newspaper, in the Capeverdean newspaper "Voz Di Povo", and in the cultural magazine "Arquipélago". Curiously his first poetry "My Imagination" was written in English, where one can feel the romanticism, the idealist and humanitarian characteristics of his poetry. This poem was included in his first poetry book "Extractos da Poesia Caboverdeana". The layout and typographic work of this book is one more evidence of the multi-talented mind of this dynamic Capeverdean artist.