Friday, January 30, 2004
The modernity of tradition, revisited
Marcos Sacramento sings memorable sambas.
Photo: André Vilaron
Marcos Sacramento made his first major statement as a solo artist in 1994 with the CD A Modernidade da Tradição. In the ten years that elapsed since that release, he recorded the modernist Caracane, four albums of 1920s songs with Lira Carioca, and the “Afro-Sambas” album Saravá, Baden Powell! with Clara Sandroni.
Memorável Samba is Sacramento’s latest disc and his first solo album since 1998. As its title (extracted from “Meu Romance,” where it refers to a party, not the musical genre) implies, the album showcases classic sambas from the Golden Age of the 1930s and ’40s. Produced by the French Association Saravá, which has been promoting the singer’s European tours, the CD has just been released in Brazil.
In its choice of repertoire, Memorável Samba follows in the steps of A Modernidade da Tradição. But whereas the earlier disc was a restrained affair with stripped-down arrangements and spare vocals, the new album is exuberant and lavishly arranged in primordial samba-choro style by Água de Moringa leaders Luiz Flavio Alcofra and Jayme Vignoli. What the two discs share beyond the repertoire is a contemporary yet respectful approach to interpreting golden oldies that renders the songs relevant to our age without robbing them of their period charm.
Sacramento is the ideal singer for this repertoire, possessing both the vocal chops and a natural vivacity and humor that are particularly well-suited to vintage samba. These qualities make themselves apparent beginning with the first track, “Deixa Falar!” A manifesto of racial equality and national valor centered around Brazil’s 1938 World Cup semifinals defeat at the hand of (Fascist) Italy, this samba was particularly topical on the verge of World War II, just as Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakia during the same year furnished material for a popular marcha. “Deixa Falar!,” composed by a musician who was a member of Assis Valente’s 1930s vocal group Bando Carioca, was recorded by Carmen Miranda with orchestra and male chorus. Ary Barroso made a guest appearance, narrating a Brazil-Czechoslovakia football game—apparently from the 1938 World Cup quarterfinals. Tipping the hat to Ary, Sacramento’s version opens with a sampling from the original recording of the gaitinha trill always used by the composer/football comentator to announce goals in his radio broadcasts. Jayme Vignoli’s arrangement keeps an up-tempo mood with a spirited brass and reed section. Sacramento’s rendition is equally vivacious, and he has fun imitating Carmen’s rolled Rs.
Deixa Falar!
(Nelson Petersen, 1938)
E todos têm seu valor
Deixa falar!
Este samba tem Flamengo
Tem São Paulo e São Cristóvão
Tem pimenta e vatapá
Fluminense e Botafogo
Já têm seu lugar
Você pensava que o Diamante*
Fosse jóia de mentira para tapear
Você pensava que o Caboclinho
Fosse negro de senzala para se comprar
Só porque viu que ele tem um pé
Que deixou o mundo inteiro em revolução
Quando ele bota aquele pé em movimento
Chuta tudo para dentro e não tem sopa não!
Quando você dizia que trocava
A gostosa feijoada pelo macarrão
Desconfiava que você não era
Brasileiro abençoado deste meu rincão
Você torcia pro italiano
E apostou o meu dinheiro
E nem sequer me deu
Jogou a minha feijoada fora
Falou mal da minha gente
E ainda me bateu!
* Leonidas da Silva, star of the Brazilian soccer team.
The review is continued here with complete song lyrics.
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20:14
 
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Guinga in Berkeley
A moving experience for him and for us.
Until yesterday, I had never noticed that Guinga is a canhoto.
Following last night’s sold-out International Guitar Night performance at the Freight & Salvage on Addison Street, Guinga was circled by fans asking for autographs on just-purchased copies of Noturno Copacabana and the composer’s songbook, which he signed with his left hand.
Asked about it, he said that he does everything left-handed except play guitar. Having learned to play on his uncle’s guitar, he didn’t have the luxury of inverting the strings and so had no choice but to play it right-handed. “My right hand is no grande coisa,” he said, taking a moment to reflect on the beauty of a great instrumentalist’s hand movements, citing Artur Rubinstein and Hélio Delmiro as examples (Guinga watched Hélio play since he was 13).
With Harvey Wainapel, Daniella, Claudia Villela, Marcos Silva & Amy
(photo: Thais Salgado)
Long before the Freight doors opened at 7:30, a line of ticket holders had already snaked around the corner. People without tickets never made it in, clamoring for a second show that wouldn’t take place. Only a third of the audience had attended an International Guitar Night in the past, and it appeared that a good portion of those present were there for Guinga. Notable local musicians in attendance included clarinetist Harvey Wainapel, guitarist Carlos Oliveira, keyboardist Marcos Silva, and the duo Claudia Villela & Ricardo Peixoto, who are appearing today at the Jazz School in Berkeley.
With Thais Salgado, Carlos Oliveira & Harvey Wainapel
My previous estimate of a 30-minute slot for Guinga in the four-guitarist show was dashed. During the first set, each performer played three numbers. Guinga, who came on second after Brian Gore, opened with the waltz “Cine Baronesa” in a guitar-only version with none of the vocalese that states the melody in the eponymous CD. This was followed by two choros, “Choro Breve” and “Cheio de Dedos.” The crowd applauded enthusiastically, rising to its feet, and the composer was visibly moved by the warm reception. Later he told me he considered the evening a pequena vitória.
There was a lot of tuning (photo: Thais Salgado)
The second set was devoted to duo, trio, and quartet playing. Guinga played a duet with Brian Gore (“something slower I devised with Brian; not my composition”) and sang “Senhorinha” (“a lullaby I wrote for my daughters, who are now 25- and 22-years old”), with Andrew York beautifully playing the melody in an interval while the composer played harmony. Guinga and the amazing Pierre Bensusan played a bossa nova duet before all four guitarists launched into a rousing “Baião de Lacan,” which could only have been made more so had Claudia Villela been invited to sing it on stage (“I didn’t know she was here,” justified Guinga later). Claudia tells me that she’s been singing Guinga’s compositions since 1992 (he’s also her dentist).
Both Guinga and his wife Fátima are enchanted with what they’ve seen of the United States on this, their first trip here. They’ll be back. In the meantime, we can look forward to Guinga’s new Italian CD, recorded with virtuoso clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi. It will be released on the Egea label.
Guinga & Daniella (photo: Thais Salgado)
Guinga and Fátima spent last night at the Faculty Club on the University of California campus. This landmark building was designed by Bernard Maybeck in 1902. Thus, my twin interests in Brazilian music and Berkeley architecture are at last combined.
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13:34
Monday, January 19, 2004
A guide for the perplexed
A little orientation can be helpful.
Once again my attention is being diverted from Brazilian music to doings in my home town and Berkeley Landmarks. However, reader comments and the record of searches on DToB make it painfully clear that some people don’t find this weblog clear enough.
So here’s a quick primer.
Page Links
Each article may be viewed separately on an individual page. Page links are revealed when you click the time stamp at the bottom of each article. The page link of this article is http://daniv.blogspot.com/2004/01/guide-for-perplexed-little-orientation.html.
Links in the Blue Bar (top to bottom)
Disc Reviews—all the reviews published in this magazine since its inception are also available on my website Musica Brasiliensis, each review on an individual page. Consult the tables of contents (there?s one for each year).
Article Series—these extended series of articles, most of which have been published here, also reside on Musica Brasiliensis. I continue updating these articles in Musica Brasiliensis but not in this weblog. For the most up-to-date versions, click on the appropriate link in the blue bar.
My Other Websites—Musica Brasiliensis is my carro chefe, and all the sites listed here reside within it.
Magazine Articles—I wrote these articles for other magazines, most of them for Brazzil. A complete, linked list of my “external ”articles is available on Musica Brasiliensis.
Reference Links—these are links to outside resources that I find useful.
Search Engines
The search engines are good at finding what’s here. If you don’t find it here, try searching in Musica Brasiliensis or even exploring through the table of contents. There’s much more there than here.
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10:28
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Cavaquinho
The funny little instrument that could.
Nelson Cavaquinho
(photo: Roberto Garcia)
This morning I woke up to an announcement on National Public Radio about an upcoming special on the 125-year history of the ukulele.
The ukulele’s arrival in the Hawaiian islands is precisely dated at 1879, when a shipload of Portuguese immigrants from Madeira arrived to work in the sugar-cane fields and brought along various musical instruments, including the braguinha—better known to us as the cavaquinho.
The NPR special will no doubt focus on Hawaiian music, Elvis, and Tiny Tim. If you’re interested in the history of the ukulele, the Lehigh Valley Folk Music Society has put together a Web page in English.
Those reading Portuguese and wishing to learn about the cavaquinho and its myriad brethren should repair to the elegant Cavaquinho website created by Julio Pereira. Even the monolingual will enjoy the photos of related 4-string instruments from around the world.
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11:15
Monday, January 12, 2004
A salute to Fafá Lemos
And to his brethren in Trio Surdina.
Cover scan courtesy of Phyllis Fisher
In a recent column in Gafieiras, Ricardo Tacioli evoked the legendary Trio Surdina—that fabulous fraternity made up of the guitarist Garoto, the violinist Fafá Lemos, and the accordionist Chiquinho.
It was Paulo Tapajós, the singer and artistic director of Rádio Nacional, who grouped the three aces in 1951 to play in the late-night program Música em Surdina (Music on the Quiet). Before long, the trio, taking its name from the program, began releasing albums on Nilo Sérgio’s Musidisc label. Those albums were not dated, and today it’s impossible to tell when some of them came out.
The trio was not active long or consistently, for Fafá Lemos went to the USA in 1953 to accompany Carmen Miranda (Garoto had already done so earlier) and did not return to Brazil until 1956, the year after Carmen’s death. On 3 May 1955, Garoto died prematurely of a heart attack. So, necessarily, all of the original Trio Surdina’s recordings were made in 1952–53. Capitalizing on the trio’s commercial success, other formations arose after the demise of the original, recording more albums under the Trio Surdina name.
This 10-inch LP was probably recorded in one of the four sessions the trio had at Musidisc in December 1952 and January 1953. According to Ricardo Tacioli, this disc was not released until May 1956. However, later research by Jorge Mello indicates that it was released simultaneously with the trio self-titled first album, in 1953.
Ary Barroso is featured in two other Trio Surdina 10-inch LPs, although these were not recorded by the original formation. Aquarela do Brasil (Musidisc DL-1004) of 1955 includes “Aquarela do Brasil,” “Rio,” and “Terra Seca.” Trio Surdina Interpreta Dorival Caymmi, Ary Barroso e Noel Rosa (Musidisc DL-1007) includes “Quando Eu Penso na Bahia,” “Três Lágrimas,” and “Boneca de Pixe.” The musicians making up the trio in these later albums are Al Quincas (violin), Nestor Campos (guitar), and El Gaucho (accordion).
In addition, Musidisc released the 4-track EP Trio Surdina (Musidisc MEP-30.001) with “Na Baixa do Sapateiro” and “Risque” and two 78-rpm discs containing the following medley tracks, also performed by the trio’s second formation:
Author: Ary Barroso
Title: Rio de Janeiro; Inquietação
Genre: Sambas
Performer: Trio Surdina
Record Label: Musidisc
Number: M-15010-A
Matrix: MD-2019
Release Date: Aug.–Sept. 1955
Author: Ary Barroso/Luiz Peixoto; Ary Barroso
Title: Brasil Moreno; No Tabuleiro da Baiana
Gênero: Sambas
Performer: Trio Surdina
Record Label: Musidisc
Number: M-15010-B
Matrix: MD-2020
Release Date: Aug.–Sept. 1955
Author: Motivo Popular ; Ary Barroso
Title: Meu Limão Meu Limoeiro; Rio
Performer: Trio Surdina
Record Label: Musidisc
Number: M-15031-A
Matrix: MD-2061
Author: Hekel Tavares/Joracy Camargo; Ary Barroso
Title: Favela; Terra Seca
Performer: Trio Surdina
Record Label: Musidisc
Number: M-15031-B
Matrix: MD-2062
In early 2004, Jorge Mello reported having recently interviewed the only surviving trio member, Rafael “Fafá” Lemos Junior, born in 1921 and living in straitened circumstances.* Fafá told Jorge that those Musidisc albums were never recorded in a studio. Paulo Tapajós simply gave Nilo Sérgio the acetates. “We never even saw the color of money,” added the violinist.
More recently, however, Mello located Garoto’s diary, in which the guitarist noted four recording sessions at Musidisc between 5 December 1952 and 2 January 1953.
It isn’t clear where this lovely recording of “Na Baixa do Sapateiro” was made, but the cavernous hall sound makes one pause. The whistler is Fafá Lemos, who was also the trio’s vocalist. 
“Baixa” is one of the four Trio Surdina tracks on side A of the 10” LP Ary Barroso (Musidisc M-008). Side B was recorded (this time in a studio) by Leo Peracchi and orchestra. Despite the less-than-perfect sound, side A is by far my favorite.
* Fafá Lemos pased away on 18 October 2004.
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16:09
Sunday, January 11, 2004
A Claudia Villela blitz
Several opportunities to hear that astounding voice.
Claudia Villela and her partner Ricardo Peixoto are appearing in four different Bay Area venues over the coming month. Each show promises to be different. All promise to be exciting.
If you’re unfamiliar with Villela and Peixoto’s music, visit their website for a listen. It’s a treat.
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11:31
Saturday, January 10, 2004
Happy Birthday, Lalá
Lamartine Babo to the rescue of MPB.
Lamartine Babo
10 January 1904–16 June 1963
No Rancho Fundo
(Ary Barroso/Lamartine Babo, 1930)
No rancho fundo
Bem pra lá do fim do mundo
Onde a dor e a saudade
Contam coisas da cidade...
No rancho fundo
De olhar triste e profundo
Um moreno conta as “mágua”
Tendo os olhos rasos d’água
Pobre moreno
Que de tarde no sereno
Espera a lua no terreiro
Tendo o cigarro por companheiro
Sem um aceno
Ele pega da viola
E a lua por esmola
Vem pro quintal desse moreno
No rancho fundo
Bem pra lá do fim do mundo
Nunca mais houve alegria
Nem de noite nem de dia
Os arvoredos
Já não contam mais segredos
E a última palmeira
Já na cordilheira
Os passarinhos
Internaram-se nos ninhos
De tão triste esta tristeza
Enche de trevas a natureza
Tudo por que?
Só por causa do moreno
Que era grande, hoje é pequeno
Para uma casa de sapê
Se Deus soubesse
Da tristeza lá serra
Mandaria lá pra cima
Todo o amor que há na terra
Porque o moreno
Vive louco de saudade
Só por causa do veneno
Das mulheres da cidade
Ele que era
O cantor da primavera
Que até fez do rancho fundo
O céu maior que tem no mundo
O sol queimando
Se uma flor lá desabrocha
A montanha vai gelando
Lembrando o aroma da cabrocha
This immortal song, known by all and still recorded today, might not have emerged from obscurity had Lamartine Babo not stepped in to save it in its infancy.
In 1930, Ary Barroso, fresh from his first carnaval success with the marcha “Dá Nela,” was composing a great deal for the teatro de revista. One of the musical revues to which he contributed was the two-acter É do Outro Mundo by J. Carlos and Margarida Max, which premiered at the Teatro Recreio in Rio de Janeiro on 13 June of that year. J. Carlos (José Carlos de Brito e Cunha) was none other than the legendary caricaturist and illustrator whose work sometimes graces these pages. Among the songs Ary composed for the show was the samba-canção “Esse Mulato Vai Sê Meu,” with the following lyrics by J. Carlos:
Na grota funda
Na virada da montanha
Só se conta uma façanha
Do mulato da Raimunda
Matou a nega
Cum pedaço de canela
E depois, sem mais aquela
Foi juntá com uma galega
Ela morreu
Na virada da montanha
Vai havê outra façanha
Esse mulato vai sê meu
Esse mulato
Vai fazendo o que ele qué
Já matou duas muié
Porque bamba ele é de fato
Se não morreu
Vai mangá esse cachorro
Na virada ali do morro
Esse mulato vai sê meu
 The song was performed as a curtain number by the première dame of Brazilian musical theatre, Araci Cortes. Although the critics praised É do Outro Mundo, commenting that the sketches and scenes were as good as those in American and French revues, the public didn?t take well to the show, which closed at the end of the same month.
One of the few spectators to see the show was the young songwriter Lamartine Babo, then 26-years old. He fell in love with the melody of “Esse Mulato Vai Sê Meu” (better remembered by its alternate title “Na Grota Funda”) but detested J. Carlos’ lyrics, finding the first stanza ridicuous. Whether or not Lamartine consulted the song’s authors is debatable. His biographer, Suetônio Soares Valença, claims in the book Tra-La-Lá that Ary’s authorization was sought and obtained. On the other hand, Ary’s biographer Sérgio Cabral insists in No Tempo de Ari Barroso that neither of the authors was consulted. Be that as it may, Lalá wrote his own lyrics to Ary’s melody and presented the song under a new title in a Rádio Educadora program with Bando de Tangarás (Almirante, João de Barro, Noel Rosa, Henrique Brito, and Álvaro Miranda).
Image courtesy of Dijalma M. Candido
 The result was twofold. “No Rancho Fundo” became one of the great standards of Brazilian popular music. It was first recorded in 1931 by Elisinha Coelho, accompanied by Ary Barroso on piano and by two guitarists (possibly Rogério Guimarães and João Batista Nogueira). Many recordings followed.
On the other hand, the birth of “No Rancho Fundo” created an irreparable rift between J. Carlos and Ary Barroso. The former was convinced until the end of his days that Ary had conspired behind his back to change the song and rob him of author’s credit.
Ary and Lamartine, whose songwriting partnership began in 1927 with the foxtrot “Oh!... Nina!...” and continued in 1928 with the marcha-charge “Cachorro-Quente”—both songs recorded for the first time only in the CD era—went on to create other standards during the 1930s. One of those, “Na Virada da Montanha” (recorded by Francisco Alves in 1935), again pokes gentle fun at the lyrics of “Na Grota Funda.” That couldn’t have pleased J. Carlos.
Lamartine Babo would have reached the century mark today—nine weeks and a day after his partner Ary Barroso. He was one of the three kings of the carnaval marchinha, along with João de Barro and Haroldo Lobo.
= = =
In this commemorative website you can read Lamartine’s biography (in Portuguese), download lyrics and unusual audio files of his songs, and watch various videos. Lalá composed all the anthems of the major carioca football clubs, and the lyrics to these hinos can be found here as well.
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09:50
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Mauro Dias fired
What next?
The news is circulating that Mauro Dias, the highly respected top music journalist of Estado de S. Paulo, has been fired from the paper.
This is not a great loss to the online reader, as the Estadinho (no longer Estadão) has recently made its Caderno 2 available only to subscribers. To the world of popular Brazilian music at large, however, the loss is grave indeed, as Dias is one of a handful of consistently excellent writers on the subject.
Will he find a new quality niche?
He could create one himself.
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12:52
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
New Year Quiz
This one is really easy.
 The previous two contests produced just one solitary winner between the pair of them. A dismal record. So now, in an effort to make it easier for all readers to enter with a plausible answer, I’ve gone soft and created this shoo-in contest. See how well you can do. The topic (here’s is a big hint) is Brazilian music. The prize—a very fine Brazilian CD—will be awarded to the person who sends in the first correct and complete response. Past winners do not qualify for the prize (let’s spread the wealth).
Below is a paragraph in boldface. Hidden within it are several musical references, all with a common denominator. Your task is to figure out how many musical references are included here, what they are, and what they have in common.
If you can do the above, you can also arrange the references in chronological order, tell which important reference is missing from the paragraph, and why this quiz is being offered at this time. You get extra points for completing this part (and your prize gets better).
Here goes:
Oh, Nina, quero dizer-te três palavrinhas: você é grau dez. Vamos comer um cachorro quente na virada da montanha, onde cresce a palmeira triste e o samba continua.
Happy hunting.
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13:09
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Encontro com Ary
The composer?s personal legacy.
Cover scan courtesy of Barry Cox
In 1955, Ary Barroso released his first Brazilian LP, two years after having recorded Fantasia Carioca in Mexico. Encontro com Ary (Copacabana CLP 3060), inspired by his successful TV program, carried the subtitle Um “bate papo” musical com o maior compositor brasileiro. On this album, the composer appeared alone with his piano, chatted a bit, and even sang two songs: “Camisa Amarela” and “Nem Ela.”
The composer opened the disc with a spoken message intended as his personal legacy to listeners present and future.
My friends.
This “long-playing” is a documentary.
I want to leave to future generations something that time doesn’t destroy. Many people, years into the future—who knows?—will hear of the popular composer Ary Barroso. [...]
Read Ary’s complete notes.
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11:06
Monday, January 05, 2004
O Carnaval do Ary
Interview with the composer.
Cover scan courtesy of Sergio Ximenes
Around 1956, Ary Barroso released a 10” LP in which he sang and played eight of his old carnaval hits, accompanied by an orchestra and chorus.
On the occasion, Ary was interviewed for the album’s back cover. Here he parries several trivial questions, revealing that he’d like to compose serious music but doesn’t dare to; that if he could write only lyrics, he’d choose Dorival Caymmi or Ataulfo Alves to compose the music; and that if he could have any voice he liked, he’d pick one that was a mixture of Silvio Caldas and Angela Maria.
Most revealing is the composer’s answer to the following question, indicating that the music industry in the mid 1950s was no different than it is today.
Q. Why did you choose these songs of the old carnavals?
A. Because they were authentic hits of the Golden Age of carnaval music. At that time there was no “caititú.”
Caititú was the old moniker for what is now called jabá in Brazil and plain payola in the U.S.
Read the complete interview with Ary.
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13:52
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Do you read Spanish?
Cover scan courtesy of Sergio Ximenes
Click the photo for new information on Ary Barroso’s first LP.
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21:47
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