Pedro Lima

★★★★ Maguidala BONGO JOE. CD/DL/LP 1985 classic produced by Jose Augusto. A musical giant and man of the people, Pedro Lima used his music both as entertainment and political activism. From the Portuguese-speaking African island of São Tomé off the coast of Gabon, he was a keen supporter of the revolutionary MLSTP party and a chief ambassador of puxa, a zesty dance music which blended homegrown rhythms with Angolan rebita. It’s heard best on this 1985 LP’s glorious title track: a nine-minute-plus onslaught of percussive energy – drums, congas, reco-reco – and intricate, improv guitar by Leopoldino ‘Gundu’ Silva. While Lionensi Sá Tindadji is another fervid track, the final two, Sãma Nanzalé and Cxi Compa Sá Cá Batéla, are ruminative rumbas, soft harmonics and gentle in feel.