José Carlos Schwarz

José Carlos Schwarz (Bissau, December 6, 1949 – Havana, May 27, 1977) was a Bissau-Guinean poet and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential musicians of Guinea-Bissau.

José Carlos Schwarz
Born(1949-12-06)December 6, 1949
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
DiedMay 27, 1977(1977-05-27) (aged 27)
Havana, Cuba
Cause of deathPlane crash
OccupationPoet
Musician

Biography

José Carlos Schwarz was born in Bissau (Guinea-Bissau) from well-to-do parents of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and German descent. After his high school education in Senegal and Cape Verde and a short stay in Lisbon, he returned to Guinea-Bissau in 1969. [1] In 1970 he formed the Cobiana Djazz band with a group of friends (Aliu Bari, Mamadu Bá and Samakê). The band was a considerable local success, partly because the band started to play more and more gumbe, an original West African music style. Schwarz wrote in Portuguese and French, but he sang in Creole.

He also became politically active, and joined the resistance against the colonial ruler. He was imprisoned in the prison of the Ilha das Galinhas (Guinea-Bissau) for his participation in the struggle for the independence of his country. Inspired by this experience, he composed the song "Djiu Di Galinha". [2]

Following the independence of Guinea-Bissau in 1974, Schwarz became director of the Department for Art and Culture, also responsible for Guinea-Bissau's youth policy. In 1977 he got a job at the Guinea-Bissau embassy in Cuba. On May 27 of the same year, Schwarz died in a plane crash near Havana.

Discography

[3]

Title Storage medium Year Label
Djiu Di Galinha LP (album) 1978 Departamento Da Edição-Difusão Do Livro E Do Disco, Do Comissariado De Estado Da Guine-Bissau
José Carlos Schwarz Et Le Cobiana Jazz - Vol. 1. Guinée Bissau LP (album) 1978 Sonafric
José Carlos Schwarz Et Le Cobiana Jazz - Vol. 2. Guinée Bissau LP 1978 Sonafric

References
  1. Music Publishing
  2. (in Portuguese) Benzinho, Joana; Rosa, Marta (2018). Guia Turístico - À Descoberta da Guiné-Bissau. Coimbra: Afectos com Letras, UE. 16 páginas
  3. Discogs


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