José Carlos Schwarz Le Cobiana Djazz
Lua Ki Di Nos

Hot Mule comp dedicated to Guinea-Bissau bandleader José Carlos Schwarz, ft. killer track "Na Kolonia" & some great traditional West African songs.

Schwarz wrote in Portuguese and French, but sang in Creole. In 1970, he formed the Cobiana Djazz band with a group of friends. After the independence of Guinea-Bissau, Schwarz became the director of the Department of Arts and Culture, and also the responsible for youth matters. In 1977, he started working at the Embassy of Guinea-Bissau in Cuba. On May 27 of the same year, Schwarz died in a plane crash near Havana.

Hailed by african giants like Orchestra Baobab, Letta Mbulu or Miriam Makeba (with whom he recorded his first and only solo album), “Zé Carlos” and his poetry won a lasting position in the annals of Guinea-Bissau. However, this collection of songs remains relatively unknown outside the country and its diasporas.

Hot Mule present the first official reissue on vinyl, remastered and pressed on heavyweight wax.