The Trip Home
Brazil Beat column, published 8/03 in The Beat Magazine
by Mara Weiss & Nego Beto
It’s great to be home! Green coconut water, Ipanema beach, gorgeous 75 degree winter days. A walk through our hilly neighborhood Santa Tereza and we hear samba drums pounding. A walk through the city at night and the wind brings the sound of different musics, spilling out of bars, street parties, and homes. The night is unashamedly Loud--no noise control here--samba, baile funk, forro, techno, bar-b-ques in the middle of the sidewalk, and the rivers of humanity going about their quest for nocturnal diversion.
On such a night we relax at home with Mom and pop in Daniela Mercury’s new DVD Eletrodomestico (BMG). The little firebrand of a singer transitioned from Bahian carnival singer to national and international star. Having just seen her show in the US, it was cool to see the Brazilian super production version, set up by MTV, with big band, special guests (including Carlinhos Brown, members of Olodum, and Italian rapper Lorenzo Jovanotti), top of the line scenery, lighting, sexy costumes, the works. The album Eletrodomestico pretty much follows the live repertoire on the DVD. Older hits like “Nobre Vagabundo” and “A Primeira Vista” share the limelight with new tracks plucked from the hottest songwriters of the moment. Check out “Dona da Banca” by Alë, former lead singer of the bands Bantus and Kilimanjaro. (His own version of this smashing, funky song is due to be released on his own album on Nikita Records.) Daniela’s voice has changed over the years. Once a proponent of “the louder the better,”with every song at the fever pitch of Carnival, she now favors ballads that bring out a subdued, dusky side of her voice. She has always been and will always be a great singer, and this new offering fulfills with its balanced song selection and impeccable production.
Eager for the beautiful beaches, we begin our quest for new and cool music in a crowded Ipanema book/music store. A CD by Paulo Moura immediately catches our eye. We have a soft spot for this great musician; he was the bandleader whom I (Nego) first had the opportunity to play with in the gafiera clubs, while studying at Villa Lobos music school back in the mid-70s. Rushing home to listen to it, we are delighted that it is a first-rate album. Estação Leopoldina (Radio MEC) offers an instrumental tour-de-force on a silver platter. The legendary clarinet player and composer shines in this masterful production that places singular value on interludes and incidental moments, giving the work a holistic continuity that is ultimately satisfying. The dynamics captivate the listener: the flurries of activity and the retreats into minimalism, which then build organically back to the excitement of a familiar or new theme. The collection of songs recalls the golden age of samba and gafiera with a very modern strength. The self-penned opening track “Estacao Leopoldina” is jazzy and free-spirited. High-stepping choros by Jacob Bittencourt propel the album along. And the sultry Joao Donato/Gilberto Gil tune “Bananeira”(recently popularized by Bebel Gilberto) exudes a delicious loungy ‘70s sensation. More good news on Paulo Moura is that his legendary tribute Pixinguinha (1998) has been rereleased in the US on the Lightyear label, so it should now be a lot easier to find. A must for any serious Brazilian music listener.
It seems the one person who isn’t complaining about the state of Rio de Janeiro is Felippe Llerena, an old friend and label manager of Nikita Records. “Rio is great,” he says over chopp (light draft beer) in a street side cafe in Baixo Gavea. “It hasn’t changed much.” And it hasn’t, on these cobbled, tree-lined streets, where the elite walk their miniature dogs, stopping to complement each other on their way to the bakery, and their children drink and party until all hours in fashionable bars, without too much worry of armed assailants.
Even though samba is inextricably linked to the harsher environments of the favela slums, you won’t hear the old musicians complaining about the times. It’s all about the music, and positivity always shines through. Every samba school has a velha guarda (old guard). Made up of men and women in their ‘60s-’90s, their function is to maintain the origins of samba, and preserve the traditions of their particular samba school. They are an important part of the Carnival parade, and the groups perform in various different capacities throughout the year, some of the better-known ones traveling to overseas engagements. Nikita Records had a big success a few years ago with the Velha Guarda da Mangueira, which won national music industry prizes and sold well; now repeat the formula with the Velha Guarda da Portela. Doce Recordação (Nikita) is actually a belated release, recorded in 1986, under the insightful eye of Japanese producer Katsunori Tanaka, alongside Mauro Diniz. The idea was to reproduce an informal pagode jam session in studio. The result is a relaxed, quasi-live sound, an excellent snapshot of the heart of samba, and how it remains so vital, so true unto itself. Coincidentally, another album from Velha Guarda da Portela was released around the same time. Tudo Azul (EMI) is another excellent recording, produced by Marisa Monte, with celebrity guests and a far more polished feel.
A hop over to the São Paulo scene is a must. The financial capital is also a powerhouse of music making, with more diversity and mingling of styles happening there than anywhere else. Max de Castro, in his much heralded debut Samba Raro (Trama 2000), introduced a freshness to traditional Brazilian music forms, by incorporating elements of black music (funk, soul, hip-hop), and demonstrating the versatility of being just as comfortable in the electronic world, i.e. breakbeats, acid jazz, drum n bass, etc. His newest offering Orchestra Klaxon (Trama) we enjoyed even more than the first. He seems to have a steadier hand with his Brazilian influences, before mixing them up with all of the international styles. Never predictable, this record keeps the listener entranced between the Story of the Girl Who Knocked Down the Structures of the Splendor of Carnaval (real song title) and Cartola’s Dark Sunglasses, lifted to new heights by gleeful, funky horn arrangements. “Sonho de Verão” (summer dream), with its groovy conga line, oozes heat and beach-ness in a leopard-skin bikini kind of way. Instrumental track 8 is massive. Son of Wilson Simonal (musician, forerunner of bossa nova in the ‘60s/’70s), young Max sees Brazilian music through the astute eyes of (as he puts it) the jovem vanguarda. In his manifest for this record he writes: “Music and art are not here only to distract and entertain us, but to elevate our level of comprehension and conscience about the life we live, the world we live in, and who we are.” No surprise; the boy is deep.
Fernanda Porto is one of the hot new female music personalities in Brazil these days. Drum‘n’bass meets bossa nova over a strong coffee on her debut album Fernanda Porto (Trama) A guileless and airy sound pervades, with strong vocals striding purposefully over a gamut of samba-inspired broken beats and electronic landscapes. Writing all of her own lyrics has given Fernanda a rare degree of control, exhibited in the production, which she claims as well. All of the elements of the music are outstanding in their own right, elegant and well-thought-out. However, one expects the vocals to subside at some point to allow for the development of the instrumental side of the music. That doesn’t really happen; the vocals dominate every moment of every song, making it all the slightest bit tedious after a few tracks.
An interesting recent development in the phonographic landscape of Brazil is the emergence of the label Biscoito Fino. Having built an impressive catalogue in a relatively short time, the organization manifests a passion for bossa-nova, the erudite side of samba, and their symphonic variances, and a determination to provide Brazilian artists with the support they deserve to make illustrious recordings. Some of their classic releases deserve a whole column devoted to each one alone: the three-cd definitive collection of Elizeth Cardoso, called Faixineira das Canções, the Principios do Choro series with five cds, The Memorias Musicais collection with 15 cds... the list goes on and on. Luciana Souza was lucky enough to have her marvelous Brazilian Duos album released in the States on Sunnyside Records, but for the most part, much of the great music coming from Biscoito Fino has remained a well-kept secret from aficionados outside of Brazil.
A high point for the label was Sergio Santos winning the Premio Rival ( a prestigious music award) for best album with Africo (Biscoito Fino). Themed around Brazil’s African heritage the diverse original compositions employ rhythmic lyrics dominated by Afro-Brazilianisms, words in Yoruba, and slang. Folkloric elements blend with Santos’ voice and acoustic guitar, creating a highly unique work. The best moment is “Jongo do João Congo”; the traditional percussive jongo rhythm (now experiencing a newfound popularity in bloco groups), expressed here in an electrifying arrangement for five flutes.
Another young singer/songwriter to watch is Simone Guimaraes, who throws her hat into the ring with Casa do Oceano (Biscoito Fino). Her wide-open bossa-everything style belies a free spirit and free-flowing ideas. Her vocals are endearing, using overdubs to create harmonies with herself. Nice to hear Guinga on guitar on “O Silencio de Iara,” and the great Francis Hime on piano on “Velho Moinho.”
And suddenly our time in Brazil is up, and we have to say goodbye to the beloved green coconuts, warm, balmy air and irrepressible people. To get prepared for the trip back to the US, we listen to a new cd from San Francisco band Bat Makumba. Their hard-edged sound with a distinctly northeastern focus packs a big original punch, driven by samba, baião and other highly danceable rhythms. Vocalist Alex Koberle bounces from rhythmic embolado-rapping to rock inspired growls. Percussionist Emiliano Benevides, king of the pandeiro and zabumba, brings an element of theatrics and lighthearted fun. Accordion and Fender-Rhodes complement. After many years in the scene and as many demos, their self-titled debut album (independent) hits a level of maturity and complexity to be expected from one of SF’s top club bands. The Velha Guarda da Mangueira lends a chorus and all-important vote of confidence. Worth checking out: www.batmakumba.com