Bossa Roots

By Mara Weiss & Nego Beto


Bebel Gilberto fans have had to wait four years, but her new album is finally here. Bebel’s first album Tanto Tempo splashed onto the scene in 2000, making huge waves across the board for its updated bossa-nova with delicate forays into electronica. Embraced by the dance scene and a blossoming nu-world-chillout movement, the record became iconic, staying on the Billboard world charts for almost a year and yielding dance remixes galore. And now...? Well... we despise the term “sophomore.” It inevitably comes up in print when an artist’s second album is on the chopping block. Benign though it may seem, the term spits undertones of inadequacy, and always seems to be followed by the word “effort.” Bebel Gilberto is beyond all of that. Bebel is nobility. Her parents, the legendary João Gilberto, creator of bossa-nova via his syncopated guitar, and singer Miucha imparted the blue blood of MPB that runs through her veins. And... her second album is a great album. Bebel Gilberto (Sixdegrees) kicks off with the English version of Caetano Veloso’s “Baby,” a song that Bebel’s contralto is able to nail so well, that this breezy interpretation may go on to upstage even Gal Costa’s legendary rendition. Her singing sounds assured here, and relaxed. The arrangements are warm and inviting, with the electronic vibe cropped, Carlinhos Brown’s percussive “Aganju” and the midtempo “Cada Beijo” being sublime exceptions. The innocence in Bebel’s voice rings most irresistible in her ballads, such as “Winter” and “All Around.” She is equally comfortable singing in Portuguese and English, and neither bears an inconvenient accent. This record is a mature offering, anchored in the sweetness that makes Bebel the emissary of bossa to the world in this new century. She is to be highly commended on not repeating the same formula that previously brought her so much success, and dance music fans can look forward to pumped up remixes, undoubtedly in the works. (www.sixdegreesrecords.com)

Salvador, Bahia is the largest center of African culture in the Americas. The roots run so deep that many people still speak the 400-year-old Yorubá passed down through generations. The brightly-painted city of hills, cobblestones, and bright blue sea literally explodes with music. And the music that comes out of Bahia is something amazing. Sadly, too often recordings do not do justice to the Bahian groups, which are at their pinnacle during Carnaval. It is really difficult, if not impossible to reproduce what happens at Carnaval in the studio! Carlinhos Brown is one artist who has been been able to overcome these obstacles with pure percussive energy. The Timbalada--which he started, then turned loose, and has always guided--have some great albums. And Brown’s solo work is groundbreaking. So when the compilers of the next Rough Guide comp Brazil: Bahia (Rough Guide/World Music Network) decided to follow Brown’s musical footprints, it was a smart way to go. Brazil: Bahia encompasses the four main music genres associated with Bahia--Afro/samba-reggae, axé, MPB and baião/forró. It does a good job of mixing the old with the new, though one may question whether the featured new artists will have the staying power to make the disc a classic. Odes to the orixás (African-Brazilian dieties) open and close the disc, and references to these myriad gods are abundant, as in “Deusa do Ebano” from the revolutionary bloco afro Ilê Ayê, and Gilberto Gil and Marisa Monte singing a bittersweet “Life’s Gods.” Tight tracks include “Motumbá” from the Timbalada’s newest album Motumbá Bless, and Daniela Mercury together with Olodum in the 1991 axé anthem “Swing da Cor.” (www.worldmusic.net)

Salvador is home to a profusion of artists and musicians, both Brazilian and foreign. Italian classical composer Aldo Brizzi, moved to Salvador years ago and enthusiastically participates in the cultural life of the city. His album Brizzi do Brasil (Amiata Records) features the elite of Bahia (Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Virginia Rodrigues, Tom Ze, Margareth Menezes) and other MPB figures singing atop his elaborate compositions. The arrangements are quriky, refreshing and broad in scope, with jazz, avant-garde and electronica shaking up the delicate strings.
(www.aldobrizzi.com, www.amiatamedia.com)

Bossa-nova guitarrist and vocalist Vinicius Cantuaria continues a successful career that started as a supporting musician for MPB bigwigs, and really took off when he moved to New York and invested in his solo work. On his next cd Horse and Fish (Bar None Records), the stripped-down style segues the understated warmth his previous offerings. Cantuaria’s seductively gentle voice envelops the listener in a sonic comfort-zone, the barely-there instrumentation pushing all the right buttons.

The passion that surrounds Brazilian music is not restricted to just the Americas, Europe and Asia. The South Pacific is beginning to feel the drums of capoeira, and the craziness of Carnaval. Born on a tiny island of Tonga and based in New Zealand, musician and DJ Soane has a passion for samba drums and rhythmic complexities. He has just put out an album that presents, among other things, some great takes on Brazilian music. Tongan Chic (in music)--get it? tongue-in-cheek?-- is what you will want to throw in your stereo when your party shows signs of kicking into high gear. House, funk, abstract hip hop and some top notch vocal tracks equal 75 minutes of upbeat grooves. “Boa Vida” features Portuguese lyrics and wicked trumpet stabs. Minidisc recordings taken in steets and public places in Rio de Janeiro create delicious interludes. (www.inmusic.co.nz)

Jazz flautist Colette Michaan brings her illustrious technique to the fore in First Cause (Creatrix) Her straightforward blend of Latin standards, original compositions and African and Brazilian influences makes for an album that will resonate with a wide range of tastes. Yoruba culture and music is embraced as a uniting force; "Ogun Belelê " brings a host of polyrhythms, while the strings on "Lágrimas Negras" meld seamlessly with the woodwinds. Colette brings together a fascinating crew of musicians for this project, culled from her many years as a major player in the New York jazz scene. Most notable are Richard Bona, Cameroonian virtuoso bassist--whom she brought to the US for the first time--and Oriente Lopez, Grammy Award winning Cuban pianist. We genuinely enjoyed this record, for its superior musicianship and light, effervescent feel.

UK-based world music virtuoso Ravi has made interesting hybrid records, most notably The Afro-Indian Project, which united the African kora with the santoor of Tarun Bhattacharya and the percussion of Hossam Ramzy. Ravi now brings another fusion project to fruition with some stunning results. The Afro-Brazilian Project (ARC) introduces Ravi’s remarkable electric kora to a host of Brazilian melodies and rhythms. Ravi spent six months in Brazil, researching and recording, mostly in Rio, but also in Brasilia and Espirito Santo. His musical communication with rhythm legends Robertinho Silva, Armando Marçal and Roberto Marques provide the direction for the CD. Singer Marlui Miranda brings her unique keening vocals and indigenous flutes and rattles to the platform. Overall, a unique instrumental experience, seeking to draw parallels between the roots of two great cultures. (www.arcmusic.co.uk)