Kings of Percussion and Sublime Divas
Brazil Beat column, published 12/03 in The Beat Magazine
By Nego Beto and Mara Weiss
Ten years ago when José Junior and a group of friends in Rio de Janeiro started an unassuming magazine called Afro-Reggae Noticias, no one imagined where things would end up. The collective (which included ourselves back in the early days) wrote about international and local reggae artists, Brazilian reggae and bloco culture, and issues of black consciousness, sending the newsprint tabloids all over Rio and Brazil, wherever alliances could be made. Then one day everything changed. Nine street kids were murdered by police in Candelaria square. Then, a few weeks later a police massacre in the favela of Vigario Geral left 21 residents dead. Junior didn’t think twice. He went to Vigario Geral in the days immediately following tragedy, meeting with community leaders and working to build musical projects for the traumatized children of the community. From that moment, a movement began to grow. Defying the entrenched system of police vs. organized crime that dominates all aspects of favela life. Today the Afro-Reggae universe has reached all around the world, revolving around the Grupo Cultural Afro-Reggae--a bloco-style group, encompassing percussion, theater and dance and other diverse art forms--made up of youth from Vigario Geral. The triumphant story of Afro-Reggae is now a book, called Da Favela Para O Mundo (Aeroplano Editora), written by Jose Junior himself, released in September in Brazil for AR’s 10th Anniversary. The deluxe volume (in Portuguese) is full of photos and does not shy away from controversy. When marginalized kids play drums, there are the roots of revolution. Many people are saved by music. Almost certain that someday one of these talented kids from Afro-Reggae grows up to be a great musician.
On the subject of great musicians and drums in particular, there are many illustrious percussionists who have carried the Brazilian flag to all corners of the globe. Then there are the monstros (monsters), as they say in Brazil. Nana Vasconcelos, Paulinho daCosta, Airto Moreira. Airto practically introduced international jazz to Brazilian percussion in the 1970s, making history with his work with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, the group Weather Report and his wife, singer Flora Purim, and impacting world music alongside Paul Simon and in Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum. Airto’s influence on music is so important that Downbeat magazine created the percussion category in its annual critics’ and readers’ polls in his honor, and he has won the award over twenty times, among countless other international recognitions.
Airto just released his first solo album in 20 years, Life After That (Narada World). What makes this record so momentous is that it can actually be considered his first ever percussion record. Airto pulls the listener onto a exhilarating ride through his unique musical vision, kicking it off with “Ritmo do Mundo” a samba-reggae, with polyrhythms exploding in all directions. Hermeto Pascoal’s “O Tunel” is interpreted as a lively forro. The other super-upbeat track we loved was “Live Solo,” where Airto features on pandeiro. There are inroads into the free jazz world, where rhythms drift, break down, re-examine themselves, and return transformed. Gorgeous vocals from Flora on “Fica Mal Com Deus” and from daughter Diana Moreira Booker on “Let It Out, Let It In,” a takeoff on a dancehall reggae style. Airto is in very good hands, as the two women also figure as executive producer (Flora) and co-producer (Diana).
A less-familiar name in percussion circles, but one that everybody should know, is Bolão. Many years of playing with Caetano Veloso and other Brazilian artists has given him plenty of inspiration for solo work. In the ‘80s with Caetano he was known for his exuberant performances; watching him was a whole show in itself. Back 2 Bahia (Sterns), his second solo album, is an extremely listenable record, that will stick in any cd player for many enjoyable occasions. Predominantly instrumental, it is not, however, as purely percussion-focused as Airto’s album, creating warm arrangements with guitars, keys and horns, and sweeping through many genres without giving up the experimental spark.
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Those who have heard the celestial voice of Virginia Rodrigues can never forget it. Those who have seen her sing live have experienced beauty incarnate. Proclaimed “the new voice of Brazilian music,” the Bahiana from Salvador has the amazing ability to appeal equally to lovers of axé music and aficionados of opera. For her third album Mares Profundos (Edge Music/Universal Classics) Virginia has chosen to interpret the afro-sambas, written and originally recorded by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powell. Her first album Sol Negro shocked many with its now legendary marriage of lyrical vocal style and traditional Afro-Brazilian instrumentation; her second record Nós tended toward the austere. But Mares Profundos hits the nail on the head with material that is perfectly suited to her voice and her energy. A joyful “Canto de Iemanjá” precedes “Labareda” (Burning Flame), where Virginia is joined by her mentor Caetano Veloso for a stunning duet. “Lapinha” steps up the tempo yet another notch, and “Lamento de Exu” and the other slower numbers recall the serenity of her earlier works, ever infused with her elegance and power. Virginia is a truly special artist. With little formal training, her voice is almost like an entity, bursting forth from her in all its soprano glory. When we interviewed her in 1999, she was a delight to talk with, a bright, sunny personality wrapped up in an endearing Bahian accent. After her incredible performance at the Julia Morgan theater in Berkeley she held and chatted with our 2-year-old daughter, who had enjoyed the performance every bit as much as we had! With superb liner notes by London Times editor John Ryles, and translated lyrics, Mares Profundos is beautifully presented, and could not be more highly recommended.
Brazil’s young carioca diva Daude returns with a new album that embodies her quintessential mix of funk and MPB. Astutely produced by London-based producer Will Mowatt, Neguinha Te Amo (Realworld) is the singer’s self-proclaimed tribute to “...the Brazilian woman, to the mixture of races, to happiness, humor, tolerance, and finally... Africa.” Standout tracks include “Crioula” a duet with the song’s author Jorge Benjor and “Que Bloco É Esse,” in homage to Ilê Ayê. The opening track “Muito Quente” is a whirlwind of get-down-funky grooves, a top-notch dance track. Far from any tropical stereotype, Daude once again demonstrates her innovative musical sense in the melding of her voice with the organic loops and grooves. A very African feeling emerges in the directness of her vocal style and the rhythms developed throughout the album. Daude is the first Brazilian artist to be signed by Peter Gabriel’s Realworld label, and we can see that the union has been very fruitful so far. Bring it on!