Wednesday, January 29, 2003
Untangling the web of
“Bambo do Bambu”
An embolada with nine lives.
Carmen Miranda by J. Luiz
As every Carmen Miranda fan knows, a Pequena Notável began her American career on 29 May 1939. Having disembarked from the Good Neighbor ship S.S. Uruguay in New York harbor on the 17th (according to her biographer Abel Cardoso Junior) or on the 18th (according to the Moore-McCormack website), the soon-to-be-crowned Brazilian Bombshell was on stage less than a fortnight later, when the musical revue Streets of Paris opened for a preview run in Boston. On 19 June, the show moved to the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway, and the rest is history.
In Streets of Paris, Carmen had only six minutes on stage, and she filled them with a a medley of four songs that included an old tongue-twisting embolada she called “Bambu-Bambu.” The song was old enough for the singer not to have known its author. This presented a problem, since her astounding success on stage soon brought about a film role and a record deal, both of which called for repeat performances of “Bambu-Bambu,” triggering the payment of royalties.1 But to whom?
Carmen therefore sent a letter to the singer/songwriter/radio man Almirante, telling him that she was going to film in November and had a great need to discover the songwriter’s name.
Why Almirante? First, because he was Carmen’s close friend and colleague. Second, because he was a great collector and researcher of popular Brazilian music. Third, because Carmen had heard Almirante sing a very similar embolada2 in September 1932, while they were touring the northeast. Almirante recorded the song earlier the same year:
Autor: Almirante - Valdo Abreu
Título: Cabelo Branco
Gênero: Embolada
Intérprete: Almirante e seu Bando de Tangarás
Gravadora: Victor
Número: 33557-B
Matriz: 65449
Data Gravação: 12.04.1932
Data Lançamento: Jun/1932
Almirante’s “Cabelo Branco” was recorded at a time when música nordestina was all the rage in Rio de Janeiro. The fashion for emboladas had begun in the 1920s, and one of the most popular recordings in this vein was “Bambo Bambú,” with Patrício Teixeira and Donga, who also took authors’ credits. The precise recording date of their “Bambo Bambú” is not known, the assumed range being between 1921 and 1926. The recording information below was extracted from the Funarte 78-rpm disc database.
Autor: Patrício Teixeira - Donga
Título: Bambo, Bambú
Gênero: Embolada
Intérprete: Patrício Teixeira
Gravadora: Odeon
Número: 122961
Patrício Teixeira
Teixeira and Donga were followed by Francisco Alves in 1927. O Rei da Voz recorded the song on a 6” Odeonette disc. No author was specified on the 2” disc label, although the Funarte database shows the same authors as above. The lyrics in this recording vary considerably from those ascribed to Teixeira and Donga (see lyrics).
Autor: Patrício Teixeira - Donga
Título: Bambo-Bambú
Gênero: Canção Nortista
Intérprete: Francisco Alves
Gravadora: Odeonette
Número: 107-A
Matriz: 110
Francisco Alves
Carmen was a teenager when Teixeira’s and Alves’ records were released, and she was likely to have heard one or the other and remembered the title. Yet the lyrics she sang on Broadway and later on a Decca record and in the film Down Argentine Way (1940) did not come from Teixeira’s or Alves’ discs. Nor did they come from Almirante’s “Cabelo Branco.” What was their origin then?
If she had no head for authors’ names, Carmen did have a phenomenal memory for lyrics, for she wasn’t working from a published score. Neither Carmen nor her Bando da Lua musicians could read music, and it was Aloysio de Oliveira, Bando da Lua leader and her boyfriend at the time, who taught her the song aboard the Uruguay.
Had a score been available to the singer, it probably would have intensified her confusion. The original and exclusive publisher of “Bambo Bambú,” Carlos Wehrs & Cia. of Rua da Carioca 47, Rio de Janeiro, brought out three contemporary editions of the music score—all with contiguous catalog numbers and each with a different set of authors. In P4577, the title was “Bambo Bambú” and the authors were listed as J. Tomaz and E. Santos (Donga). In P4578, Patrício Teixeira substituted J. Tomaz as Donga’s partner. In P4579, J. Tomaz was identified as sole author and the title altered to “Bombo do Bambú.” This last edition carried lyrics that were different from those in the previous two (scroll down to see the various sets of lyrics). In his book No Tempo de Almirante, Sérgio Cabral discloses that in 1926, Donga registered the song at the Instituto Nacional de Música, while J. Tomaz registered it as well, but in the Biblioteca Nacional.
No one thought anything of it at the time, nor the following year, when Chico Alves’ disc came out, nor six years later, when Almirante recorded a similar tune with a different title and lyrics. The whole matter would never have erupted into controversy had it not been for Carmen Miranda. It was the song’s inclusion in a Hollywood film and the hoped-for rich royalties that caused the ruckus.
Here’s how it came about.
Carmen recorded “Bambu-Bambu” on 26 december 1939, accompanied by Bando da Lua and the legendary guitarist Garoto. The song was released on Decca 23132 (matrix 67001) as the B-side of “Mamãe Eu Quero” (Jararaca/Vicente Paiva). Sérgio Cabral, who quoted Carmen’s letter to Almirante, did not provide the latter’s reply. Almirante probably said nothing, for no authors were specified on the disc label (in various reissues, the song is described as “traditional”).
Traditional or not, someone had to receive royalties, and Almirante was picked as the likeliest source. Sooner or later, it came to the attention of Donga and Patrício Teixeira that Almirante had signed an American contract as the author of “Bambu-Bambu,” and they accused him of profiting from their work.
Almirante
As was to be expected, the press jumped on the case. Cine-Rádio-Jornal approached Almirante, who testified:
In December ’39 or January ’40, I don’t remember exactly, I received from Wallace Downey [an American producer who headed Columbia Records in Brazil and made several Brazilian films] a contract with Robin [sic] Music Corporation. At first I didn’t want to sign the document, because I had had nothing to do with the embolada. But Downey, who was in the U.S. with Carmen as representative of ABCA [Associação Brasileira de Compositores e Autores] in order to establish copyright for the compositions of this society, explained that Carmen sang the song with my lyrics. Later, the first album of Decca discs with Carmen’s American recordings arrived in Brazil, and “Bambu Bambu” came in that collection. I heard the disc at Odeon and noticed that it didn’t carry the authors’ names on the label. I also noted that the sung verses were of the embolada “Cabelo Branco,” which I remembered to have been only of Valdo de Abreu’s authorship. Later I recalled that I was co-author. Odeon and Valdo de Abreu were notified. The latter said it wasn’t important and authorized me to sign the contract. Later I saw in the newspapers that Donga and J. Tomaz said they were the true authors of “Bambu Bambu” and would sue me for having signed an illegal contract.
According to Cabral, Almirante went on to say that he had known the song since 1924, when it served as the theme of a São Cristóvão team with these lyrics:
Olha o bambo
Do bambu, bambu, bambu
Olha o bambo
Do bambu, bambu, bambu
Eu vi bambo
Embolado pelo chão
Eu também vi o clarão
Quando o bambo caiu no mar
Almirante was the programmer and host of some of Brazil’s most popular radio shows. One of those, Curiosidades Musicais, was the ideal platform from which to ask listeners for information on any song. The responses he got regarding “Bambo Bambu” were numerous and varied. Some listeners in Minas Gerais had known the song since 1912, others in Pernambuco had known of it for 30, 40, or even 50 years. Each sent in different lyrics. The poet Ascenso Ferreira claimed he had known the song for more than 20 years and that he published the lyrics in his 1927 book Catimbó.
Donga
In his turn, Donga averred in a Correio da Noite interview that he had collected the music in Pernambuco while touring with the Oito Batutas, and that he and Patrício Teixeira created a special arrangement and a second part. Since J. Tomaz also was a member of Oito Batutas, we could speculate that he may have collected the song on the same Pernambucan tour.
Article 556 of Brazil’s Civil Code allows anyone to adapt a theme in the public domain and register the adaptation’s copyright as his/her own, independently of previous adaptations. Thus Almirante and Valdo de Abreu’s names appear on subsequent recordings utilizing the lyrics sung by Carmen Miranda, among them Ney Matogrosso’s (“Bambo de Bambu” in Pois é of 1982, Vinte e Cinco of 1997, and Batuque< of 2001) and Eduardo Dussek’s (“Bambo do Bambu” in Adeus Batucada—Eduardo Dussek Sings Carmen Miranda, 2000). Curiously, Nazaré Pereira, who recorded the same lyrics in 1979 (“Bambo de Bambu” in Nazaré—an audio sample is provided), attributed them to folklore and to herself. Equally curious is the attribution in Dussek’s book on Carmen Miranda, released together with the CD, in which the score of “Bambo do Bambu” credits only Donga and Patrício Teixeira.
And before we forget, there’s one more recording: “Bambo do Bambu” was one of the legendary Native Brazilian Music recordings made in August 1940 under Leopold Stokowski’s supervision aboard the same S.S. Uruguay that had brought Carmen Miranda to New York. Here the performers are Jararaca (co-author of “Mamãe Eu Quero”) and Ratinho, accompanied by Donga’s conjunto regional featuring Laurindo de Almeida’s guitar. This time, the author’s credit went to Donga alone. Beyond the refrain, the lyrics bear no resemblance to any other recorded or published version. Could the comic duo have improvised them on the spot?
The tiff between Donga and Almirante did not diminish their friendship in any way, as can be seen from the following recordings. Both these songs (in José Gonçalves’ interpretation) also found their way into Native Brazilian Music, where Donga was given sole author’s credit.
Autor: Motivo Popular - Arr.: Donga
Título: Passarinho Bateu Asa
Gênero: Batuque
Intérprete: Almirante
Gravadora: Odeon
Número: 11875-A
Matriz: 6387
Data Gravação: 28.05.1940
Data Lançamento: Jul/1940
Autor: Donga - Cicero de Almeida
Título: Seu Mané Luiz
Gênero: Samba
Intérprete: Almirante
Gravadora: Odeon
Número: 11875-B
Matriz: 6388
Data Gravação: 28.05.1940
Data Lançamento: Jul/1940
As for the fat purse foretold for the lucky author, we have Almirante’s assurance that it was much ado about nothing:
It isn’t these 300 or 80 contos of which so much was said but the ridiculous sum of 5 contos and 400 mil réis.3 It’s a lot of noise for so little money.
= = =
1. Wallace Downey represented not only the Associação Brasileira de Compositores e Autores but also the American publisher Robbins Music Corporation—a clear conflict of interest. By slight of hand, he appropriated the foreign rights to all the songs that were performed in his Brazilian films (e.g., Alô, Alô, Brasil; Estudantes; Alô, Alô, Carnaval; Banana da Terra). These were registered at Robbins. The composers never saw a penny of royalties, but Lee Shubert, producer of Streets of Paris, was presented with an exorbitant demand by Robbins (and even proposed to make Carmen pay 50%) until a settlement was reached. The money was presumably shared between Robbins and Downey. How did Almirante manage to receive the pittance that was paid to him for “Bambu-Bambu” when even Dorival Caymmi was left out in the cold? In his biography of Carmen Miranda, Ruy Castro attributes Almirante’s feat to his having agreed to act as intermediary between Downey and Carmen.
2. Listen to the Donga-Teixeira, Alves, Almirante, and Carmen Miranda recordings by doing a title search on the Instituto Moreira Salles website. I have found no similarity between the lyrics that Almirante sings in his “Cabelo Branco” recording and those that Carmen sings in “Bambu-Bambu.” It’s entirely possible that Almirante’s memory betrayed him, leading to a confusion between the two emboladas.
3. Determining the value of 5:400$000 is not easy, owing to wartime inflation. In letters sent to Almirante from the U.S. by Carmen Miranda and Aloysio de Oliveira in December 1939 and early 1940, respectively, they pegged a conto at $50, making Almirante’s royalties amount to a mere $270. My earlier and more convoluted calculations indicate the amount to be closer to $1,890. Judging by Almirante’s disdain, the former figure is likelier.
See the various sets of lyrics here.
__________________________
20:05
 
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
Ivone com jazz
The first lady of samba collects
a tribute from Leandro Braga.
Dona Ivone Lara
In 1997, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Chiquinha Gonzaga’s birth, Antonio Adolfo released the CD Chiquinha com Jazz. This wasn’t the pianist’s first tribute to the grande dame of choro, but it was the first to treat her compositions in an unorthodox way.
Universally known as A Maestrina, Chiquinha was a small woman who lived to a ripe old age (1847–1935) and took to wearing men's clothing in her later years.
Dona Ivone Lara is to samba what Chiquinha Gonzaga is to choro. A large and handsome woman now in her 82nd year, she usually wears elegant lace gowns on stage. In July 2001, while celebrating her 80th birthday with a concert at the Teatro Rival in Rio de Janeiro, Dona Ivone looked fatigued and uncomfortable and sat down shortly after the show had begun. It soon transpired that what was bothering the first lady of samba wasn't the cold she was suffering but the tightness of her new shoes. As soon as she kicked them off, we in the audience were treated to a deft exhibition of miudinho dancing, followed by a memorably full evening in which she sang a long string of her famous creations, from “Sonho Meu,” “Alguém Me Avisou,” and “Nasci pra Sonhar e Cantar” through “Os Cinco Bailes da História do Rio” and “Mas Quem Disse Que Eu Te Esqueço.”
“Ela foi maravilhosa, e sem fazer nada,” said singer Marcos Sacramento after the concert, meaning that she was marvellous simply by being herself. Honey-voiced and warmly charismatic, the beautiful Dona Ivone smiles, sings, dances, and captivates.
The singing and the dancing are merely the icing on the cake, though—the cake itself being her compositions. Dona Ivone has been composing all her life, although unlike Chiquinha Gonzaga—who began her musical career quite early—she didn’t become a professional musician until after her retirement from a non-musical day job (she had been a social worker). Although women composers as a rule have never been welcome in samba circles, Dona Ivone has managed to amass both universal respect and a glorious body of work.
Leandro Braga
Enter Leandro Braga, one of Brazil’s most sought-after pianists who has recorded a jazzy Chiquinha disc of his own but is better known to MPB fans as Ney Matogrosso’s music director. Braga had been wanting to record Dona Ivone’s work for a long time. “I always found Dona Ivone one of the best composers of this country, so prodigious with unknown talents. Her category, richness, and sophistication allow her to be placed, at the least, by Tom Jobim’s side,” said the pianist, who on another occasion also positioned her on a rung with Pixinguinha and Villa-Lobos.
Above all, Braga treasures the composer’s beautiful melodies and the harmonies implicit in them. Samba recordings traditionally emphasize rhythm. In Primeira Dama, Braga’s arrangements relegate the rhythm to a secondary plane, giving pride of place to the melodies, on which the pianist built an elaborate superstructure of refined harmonies, many with a distinct jazz atmosphere.
Participating in the weaving of Braga’s lustrous fabrics are some of Brazil’s best instrumentalists, including Cláudio Jorge, Marco Pereira, Zé Paulo Becker, and Marcello Gonçalves (acoustic guitar); Pedro Amorim (bandolim); Trio Brasília-Brasil; Paulo Sérgio Santos and Dirceu Leitte (clarinet); Zé Nogueira (soprano sax); Humberto Araújo (tenor sax); Jessé Sadoc (trumpet); Andréa Ernest Dias (flute & piccolo); Silvia Passaroto Braga (harp); Bororó and Jorge Helder (bass); Armando Marçal, Zero, and Oscar Bolão (percussion).
Stripped of their traditional context, Dona Ivone’s creations spread their wings and fly into a new firmament of refinement, recalling the lace of the first lady’s gowns.
Leandro Braga: Primeira Dama—A música de Dona Ivone Lara
(Carioca Discos CD 004; 2002) 60:57 min.
Producer: Paulinho Albuquerque
01. Há Musica no Ar (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)—singer: Dona Ivone Lara
02. Alguém Me Avisou (Dona Ivone Lara)
03. É Natal (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
04. Rainha Quelé (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
05. Sonho Meu (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
06. Mas Quem Disse Que Eu Te Esqueço (Dona Ivone Lara/Hermínio Bello de Carvalho)
07. Amor Sem Esperança (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
08. Acreditar (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
09. Aprendi a Sofrer (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
10. Nos Combates Desta Vida (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
11. Pra Afastar a Solidão (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
12. Tendência (Dona Ivone Lara/Jorge Aragão)
13. Nasci pra Sonhar e Cantar (Dona Ivone Lara/Delcio Carvalho)
14. Primeira Dama (Leandro Braga)
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13:03
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