Brazilian Music

Pete C · March-29th-2003, 09:49 AM

The current episode of the BET Jazz program "Musical Passport" is a Brazilian feature. I'm watching right now, but I think they repeat it several times. It features performances by Caetano Veloso, Djavan, Joyce, Tania Maria and others.

Armando · March-29th-2003, 09:58 AM

I just went to see Pedro Almodóvar's latest movie Talk To Her. There's one scene in the film where Caetano Veloso is singing the tune "Cucurrucucu Paloma" to a small crowd gathered at someone's house. It's a beautiful song and a captivating scene.

Veloso's live album, Fina Estampa, has that tune on it and is very good.

Brian Olewnick · March-29th-2003, 10:10 AM

While I'm woefully ill-informed about Brazilan music beyond some surface knowledge, anyone who has not yet listened to Veloso owes it to themselves to do so. One of the most glorious voices you'll ever hear, heartbreakingly gorgeous melodies and even intelligent lyrics. You could do worse than begin with his US debut, 1986's self-titled solo recording on Nonesuch. Absolutely beautiful.

Pete C · March-29th-2003, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Armando
Veloso's live album, Fina Estampa, has that tune on it and is very good.

Just so there's no confusion, the live album is called Fina Estampa en Vivo. There's a studio album called Fina Estampa that doesn't include that tune.

bluenoter · March-29th-2003, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Just so there's no confusion, the live album is called Fina Estampa en Vivo.

Or at Amazon and maybe elsewhere, Fina Estampa [LIVE].

How does one get one's feet wet in Brazilian music? Asking for recs seems as absurd as asking for recs of U.S. music--the category is no doubt hopelessly vast.

My situation happens to be the following: No satellite, cable, VCR, working picture tube, or turntable, so it would have to be CDs. I've heard the Black Orpheus soundtrack, the various other Jobim tunes that have become standards, and little else. But I don't expect posters to address my situation specifically.

Pete C · March-29th-2003, 11:01 AM

Bluenoter, the one CD I always recommend to a total novice is the collection "Beleza Tropical" (Vol. 1), on Luaka Bop, which features the heavy hitters of 70's & 80's MPB: Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben, Chico Buarque and others. It's very easy to find.

Also on Luaka Bop is an excellent samba collection, Brazil Classics 2: O Samba, which features Martinho da Vila, Clara Nunes, Zeca Pagodinho, Alcione & others.

For a bossa nova collection, this one looks good, and the price is right ($11.98 list):

Bossa Nova Brasil (Verve)

1. Desafinado - Gal Costa
2. Telefone - Céu da Boca
3. Pra Iluminar - Leila Pinheiro
4. Ãcuas de Marco - Elis Regina
5. Manha de Carnaval - Luiz Bonfá
6. Coração Vagabundo - Gal Costa
7. Chega de Saudade - Antonio Carlos Jobim
8. De Conversa Em Conversa - João Gilberto
9. Pra Que Chorar - Alcione
10. Surfboard - Roberto Menescal
11. Boranda - Edú Lobo
12. Bom Conselho - Maria Bethania
13. Carta Ao Tom 74 - Vinícius de Moraes
14. Falsa Baiana - Gal Costa
15. Chuvas de Verão - Caetano Veloso
16. Retrato Em Branco E Prieto (Picture in Black and White) - Antonio Carlos Jobim
17. Agua De Beber - Tom Jobim/Astrud Gilberto
18. Consolação - Baden Powell
19. Quem Quiser Encontrar O Amor - Tamba Trio
20. Influência Do Jazz - Carlos Lyra
21. Girl from Ipanema - Stan Getz
22. Samba da Benção - Vinícius de Moraes

The best book on the subject is:

The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil
by Chris McGowan, Ricardo Pessanha

"Book Description
At the second International Song Festival in 1967, Milton Nascimento had three songs accepted for competition. He had no intention of performing them—he hated the idea of intense competition. In fact, Nascimento might never have appeared at all if Eumir Deodato hadn't threatened not to write the arrangements for his songs if he didn't perform at least two of them. Nascimento went on to win the festival's best performer award, all three of his songs were included soon afterward on his first album, and the rest is history.

This is only one anecdote from The Brazilian Sound, an encyclopedic survey of Brazilian popular music that ranges over samba, bossa nova, MPB, jazz and instrumental music and tropical rock, as well as the music of the Northeast. The authors have interviewed a wide variety of performers like Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown, and Airto Moreira, U.S. fans, like Lyle Mays, George Duke, and Paul Winter, executive André Midani; and music historian Zuza Homem de Mello, just to name a few.

First published in 1991, The Brazilian Sound received enthusiastic attention both in the United States and abroad. For this new edition, the authors have expanded their examination of the historical roots of Brazilian music, added new photographs, amplified their discussion of social issues like racism, updated the maps, and added a new final chapter highlighting the most recent trends in Brazilian music. The authors have expanded their coverage of the axé music movement and included profiles of significant emerging artists like Marisa Monte, Chico Cesar, and Daniela Mercury.

Clearly written and lavishly illustrated with 167 photographs, The Brazilian Sound is packed with facts, explanations, and fascinating stories. For the Latin music aficionado or the novice who wants to learn more, the book also provides a glossary, a bibliography, and an extensive discography containing 1,000 entries. "

bluenoter · March-29th-2003, 11:15 AM

Thank you, Pete! I'm glad you included a samba collection; so far, I think I like sambas the best. BWTFDIK indeed.

Jazzooo · March-29th-2003, 11:19 AM

I'll give you two other recommendations:

Braziliero (not the Sergio Mendes album which is also great, but the PUTAMAYO compilation.) There is fantastic singing and writing on this one.

Angelus, by Milton Nascimento. He's a Brazilian hero--adventurous melodies and performances, with a backing group on a couple of tracks of Herbie, Metheny, Holland and deJohnette.

Pete C · March-29th-2003, 12:09 PM

For a nice 24/7 webcast of classic bossa & MPB, go to:

http://www.bossabrazil.com/

Then click Bossa Brazil on the channels list on the left.

It's streaming MP3s, with a choice of 128 or 24k streams, and there's a "Now Playing" box.

michaelr · March-29th-2003, 12:30 PM

I've just started to dip my toes in here and have been quite blown away by what I've heard so far. I'be been mostly checking out '60s era recordings so far. There are two self-titled Veloso CDs that are well worth checking out as well as Os Mutantes 1st release, Gal Costa's "Gal", and Gilberto Gil's "1969". It seems like Dusty Groove has one of the better selections of these recordings.

Armando · March-29th-2003, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Just so there's no confusion, the live album is called Fina Estampa en Vivo. There's a studio album called Fina Estampa that doesn't include that tune.

Thanks for clearing that up, Pete C. It was indeed the live album that I was referring to.

There's a Jorge Ben compilation available for download here: http://www.xlarge.com/music.asp
Good stuff. Plus, in another thread, Pete C mentioned the availability of a great Gilberto Gil disc on EMusic.

twisted · March-31st-2003, 03:31 PM

This list comes highly recommended:

Joao Gilberto - The Legendary Joao Gilberto
Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso (1967)
Gal Costa - Meu Nome E Gal
Marcos Valle - Samba 68
Joao Gilberto - João Voz E Violão
Gilberto Gil - Acoustic
Gilberto Gil - Me You Them
Morelenbaum/Sakamoto - Casa
Jobim/Regina - Elis & Tom

for newcomers, I really enjoy:

Luciana Souza - Brazilain Duos
Celso Fonseca - Natural

John Patitucci's latest has Luciana on it. I heard a song or two over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Likewise Flora Purim's latest ("Speak No Evil") - very tasty!

Pete C · March-31st-2003, 03:45 PM

twisted, nice list, but I'm not so thrilled with Joao's Voz e Violao. After "The Legendary Joao Gilberto" my favorite of his is the eponymous "white album."

Another great 70's Caetano album is "Bicho."

Chico Buarque is a favorite of mine. "Construcao" is probably his most innovative, and "Meus Caros Amigos" his prettiest.

On the funkier side, I love Jorge Ben's albums "Ben," "Africa Brasil," "A Banda do Zé Pretinho" & "Salve Simpatia." The last one includes his great duet with Caetano, "Ive Brussel."

Also among my favorites are Joao Bosco's 3 early 80's albums, "Comissao de Frente," "Gagabiro" & "Cabeca de Nego."

Elis Regina at Montreux is a stellar performance.

If I had to pick one Nascimento album it would be "Clube da Esquina."

Leny Andrade is the great Brazilian jazz singer. "Luz Neon" on Timeless is a good place to start.

An important website for information is http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/en/home/home.asp

solfeggio · March-31st-2003, 07:16 PM

...but some of my favorites include:

Elis Regina - "Elis, Essa Mulher"

- "Luz Das Estrelas"

- "Vento De Maio"

Caetano Veloso - "Cores Nomes", "Velô"

Leny Andrade - "Luz Neon", and also a self titled 1984 LP released only in Brazil that is incredible. Her version of "Bebado" is fantastic. Brazilian jazz at its best; hopefully this will be available on CD one of these days.

The piano/nylon-string guitar duet recordings of Sebastião Tapajós and Gilson Peranzzetta.

César Mariano - "São Paulo Brasil"

Wagner Tiso - "Giselle", "Baobab"

Milton Nascimento - "Miltons", "Milton", "Clube Da Esquina" (I & II), "Yaurate", "Encontros e Despididas"

Azymuth - everything they released from 1973 to 1989. Their latest releases are pretty good too.

Lô Borges - "A Via-Láctea", "Nuvem Cigana"

... to name just a few.

Pete C · March-31st-2003, 07:55 PM

Solfeggio, if you're new to the board, welcome.

I'm looking forward to the duo album (should be out soon) by Cesar Camargo Mariano & Romero Lubambo.

bluenoter · March-31st-2003, 08:13 PM

Pete, it looks as if you won't have to "talk to yourself" on this Brazilian music thread.

solfeggio · April-2nd-2003, 07:17 AM

Thanks, Pete C.

I saw a video clip on a Brazilian website of Mariano/Lubambo recorded live just a few weeks ago during their March 2003 Brazilian tour. Incredible stuff. Hope they make a tour of the States this year.

Pete C · April-2nd-2003, 07:41 AM

Solfeggio, what was that site with the clip?

Mariano & Lubambo appeared on Monday at Birdland as part of a tribute to Ettore Strata, as did Gal Costa. I couldn't make it. I believe they also had or have an upcoming gig scheduled at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago (I think Mariano's manager posted that on rec.music.brazilian).

Pete C · April-2nd-2003, 08:12 AM

I just noticed in an item posted by Lois in Jazz News that Mariano is scheduled to do a solo piano thing at Lincoln Center next season.

solfeggio · April-2nd-2003, 08:10 PM

Pete C , the Mariano/Lubambo clip can be found at

www.trama.com.br

You'll see a link to the clip on the front page of the site. I heard that LA and SF dates are planned for the Mariano/Lubambo duo, but so far, no West Coast gigs have been announced as of yet.

Pete C · April-4th-2003, 02:17 PM

Thanks, that clip is great, but I wish there were a high bandwidth version.

Mariano & band really swing on Elis at Montreux.

Il Anto · April-4th-2003, 02:39 PM

Pete,

Which Airto Moreira albums do you recommend?

Pete C · April-4th-2003, 03:12 PM

Outside of his time with Miles, I'm not really that familiar with Airto's work, so someone else will have to do the suggesting.

solfeggio · April-5th-2003, 03:53 AM

>>>that clip is great, but I wish there were a high bandwidth version.<<<

Yeah, it stalls and stutters on my DSL connection too; nevertheless, they sound great. Man, I'm about to fly to nyc to see Mariano play. I probably would have seen them play in Brazil in march had it not been for the current world situation. And let's not even talk about SARS....international travel don't sound too appealing at the moment, especially for Americans....

RE: Airto - one that I like alot is 'I'm Fine, How Are You', from 1977. It was re-released on CD in Japan some 4 or 5 years back, though I believe it's now OOP. Worth the search, though.

Reid · April-7th-2003, 01:09 PM

Has anyone heard the compilation, *Bossa Nova and Samba: Gold Edition*? It's a double disc, and I've heard a single disc version of the collection. I haven't been able to listen to the other compilations recommended here.

Pete C · April-7th-2003, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reid
Has anyone heard the compilation, *Bossa Nova and Samba: Gold Edition*?

I haven't heard it, but it looks like a reasonable collection.

Track List
DISC 1 1. Samba Do Aviao / Antonio Carlos Jobim
2. Roda / Gilberto Gil
3. Samba Em Paz / Caetano Veloso
4. The Girl from Ipanema / Astrud Gilberto
5. Asa Branca / Luiz Gonzaga
6. Abre Alas / Ivan Lins
7. O Velho Francisco / Chico Buarque
8. Essa Moça Ta Diferente / Chico Buarque
9. Tarde Em Itapoan / Maria Bethania
10. Bem Bom / Gal Costa
11. Cançao So Sal / Milton Nascimento
12. O Ronco da Cuica / Joao Bosco
13. Anos Dourado / Maria Bethania
14. Canto de Ossanha / Baden Powell
15. Cinco Crianças / Edú Lobo
16. Bate Bate / Jos Barrense-Dias
17. Origens II / Filo
18. Meu Piao / Astrud Gilberto
19. Procissao / Gilberto Gil
20. Sai da Frente / Bateria Nota

DISC 2 1. Samba Do Veloso / Baden Powell
2. Catavento / Milton Nascimento
3. Mamae Eu Quero/Chica Chica Boom Chic / Astrud Gilberto
4. General da Banda / Ivan Lins
5. Sorte / Gal Costa
6. Bahianada / Jos Barrense-Dias
7. Portela, O Mundo Melhor de Pixinguinha / G.R.E.S. Imperio Serrano
8. Por Amor / Filo
9. De Frente Ao Crime / Joao Bosco
10. Soneto Do Amor Total/Samba Em Preludio / Vinicius De Moraes
11. Sei la ... A Visa Tem Sempre Razao / Antonio Carlos Jobim
12. Cavaleiro / Caetano Veloso
13. Agua de Beber / Quarteto em Cy
14. Pretinha / Marcello
15. Iemanja / Gilberto Gil
16. Cantando No Tor / Chico Buarque
17. Wave / Flavio Faria
18. Ultimo Desejo / Maria Bethania
19. Negro Negro / Edú Lobo
20. Muita Firmeza / Bateria Nota

Underhound · April-7th-2003, 02:52 PM

No mention yet of Hermeto Pascoal ?

Very innovative multi-instrumentalist / composer. I don't know too much about him but the couple of discs I have of his are really good. Sort of like an avant garde twist on the conventional Brazilian sound, complete with Zappa-ish staccato complexity. Clever stuff.

jazzbo · May-5th-2003, 11:16 AM

I love the Jobim "Banda Nova" albums I've heard, and really also love listening to lately the Gal Costa album "India".

Pete C · May-5th-2003, 03:30 PM

Earlier today I was listening to Coltrane's version of Ary Barroso's "Bahia" on the album of the same name. It's a rare case of a pre-Bossa cover of a Brazilian tune by a jazz musician. I'm sure there were jazz versions of Barroso's "Aquarela do Brasil (Brazil)," and Bird did "Tico Tico no Fuba," but can anyone come up with other examples of jazz versions of Brazilian tunes before the 60's?

jazzbo · May-5th-2003, 07:54 PM

There were possibly more early versions of Brazilian songs than one might think. Shank and Almeida for instance.

I'm a big fan of Hermeto Pascoal, and really like him in tandem with Airto (and Flora.) One cd that is really worth looking for is the One Way reissue of Buddha lps "Seeds." Sensational Airto and Hermeto musical mayhem! I've found the Cobblestone/Muse lp by Hermeto called "Hermeto" as well which is Airto/Flora produced and features him with a 35 piece ensemble! Haven't been able to spin it yet but it HAS to be a gas. Also I'm quite fond of a UK Far Out cd featuring Aneuda produced by Hermeto, and it features his musical performance and vision. Challenging, but quite satisfying to my ears.