A Male Singer Shines in a Woman’s World
Originally aired on NPR
Portuguese-born António Zambujo sings fado, the style of music often called Portugal’s blues. For decades, the genre’s mournful songs have been associated with female singers — from the late Amália Rodrigues, whose role in popularizing the genre worldwide earned her the nickname “Queen of Fado,” to current superstar Mariza. But Zambujo is starting to carve his own territory with a different approach to the music, one closer in tone to Brazil’s João Gilberto, or perhaps America’s Chet Baker.