Turma Da Bencao
Conjunto Angola 70 E Paulo Flores
The Turma da Bênço project brings together Conjunto Angola 70, a collective dedicated to recreating and preserving the golden-era sound of Angolan music from the 1970s, and Paulo Flores, one of the most important ambassadors of semba worldwide and one of the creators of kizomba. Throughout his career, Flores has built bridges between tradition and modernity, helping shape the global understanding of contemporary Angolan music. Recorded in Lisbon in 2018 in an intimate "roda de semba" setting, informal jam sessions rooted in collective rhythm and storytelling, Turma da Bênço gathers legendary musicians such as Botto Trindade (guitar), Joozinho Morgado (congas) and Teddy N'Singui (guitar); mid-generation artists including Galiano Neto (percussion), Paulo Flores (vocals and artistic direction) and Pirika Duia (viola); and younger creators such as Mayo Bass (bass), Jéssica Pina (trumpet) and Armando Gobliss (keys). The result is a powerful dialogue between eras. Classic Angolan repertoire meets new compositions, all deeply rooted in semba the rhythmic and poetic foundation from which kizomba later emerged.