Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Rodrigo Rodrigues, gone
 In June 2003, I heard that the very talented paulista musician and singer Rodrigo Rodrigues was suffering from leukemia. I had been a fan of Rodrigo’s ever since I heard Jim Nolet’s beautiful CD Arco Voz, in which Rodrigo participated in various capacities, from production to singing and playing various instruments.
At the time, I devoted a short article to Rodrigo. The article was short not because Rodrigo didn’t merit a long one but because I did not know enough about this gifted artist. Everything I knew went into that piece.
Some months later, I was told by Rodrigo’s bandmate Mário Manga that Rodrigo was responding well to therapy.
Today an e-mail arrived from Jim Nolet, which carried the news that Rodrigo was no more. Jim wrote:
Rodrigo had many supporters and people who loved him for his appreciation and constant positive outlook on life. He kept me going; people would tell him this all the time when he was alive. We only did one tour of the United States, but he was always compared to Chet Baker and Toots Thielemans. He was greater than the comparison—not only in voice, guitar, and harmonica. I will never find another percussionist that really understands all of the purity of the Brazilian sound... never. And people always had a look of awe and shock when they listened as he performed for them. In my life I have performed with Cecil Taylor, David Murray, James Spaulding, Joanne Brackeen, and countless Jazz greats, but not many match Rodrigo as whole musicians, players, and enthusiasts. His knowledge of his idiom was unsurpassed. I only wish that people could have known his life and stories as I have heard them. Many close to him are in mourning as I am, and many are experiencing a great, great loss, and I must say we are not without a crashing wave of dysfunction as a result. It has been difficult for his fellow musicians during his illness and after his death to find their place in sound and in life. He was a great man, an awesome man.
Having slipped into a coma, Rodrigo suffered brain hemorrhage and passed away on Wednesday, 6 April 2005. His sister Valéria wrote Jim Nolet, “We will miss him every day, but I know that now he is probably doing what he loves: singing with Ray Charles, Tom Jobim, Chet Baker and others, feeling our love for him without pain.”
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15:23
 
Friday, April 08, 2005
Ary in Argentina
An unknown disc surfaces in Buenos Aires.
Might there be more?
Ernani Filho sings in front of Ary Barroso’s orchestra at the Brazilian
embassy in Buenos Aires (photo: Joseph; arybarroso.com.br)
Eleven days ago, the collector Duane Shimizu alerted me to a 78-rpm disc of Ary Barroso and his orchestra with the singer Ernani Filho that was being offered at auction on eBay. The seller presented it as a Brazilian pressing, but it turned out to be an Argentine recording hitherto unknown.
Unusually for Ary, both sides of the disc feature songs by other Brazilian composers. The complete story is told here.
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12:57
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Identify the face, win a CD
Tom McDermott’s Choro do Norte.
Who am I?
Last October I ran an article on New Orleans jazz pianist Tom McDermott and his delightful new CD, which explores the connections between Louis Moreau Gottschalk, ragtime, early jazz, and choro.
The CD is out now, and I have two copies to raffle. So as not to make it too easy, a contest will determine the winners.
Here’s what you need to do: tell me who the fellow with the beard is. The contest is open to US residents. If you live outside the USA and want to participate, be prepared to pay postage.
Tom McDermott: Choro do Norte
(STR Digital Records; 2005)
01. Casa Denise (Tom McDermott)
02. Atrapado (Tom McDermott)
03. Santa Teresa (Tom McDermott)
04. Choro for Tom (Henry Lentino)
05. Sweetheart of Mine (Jelly Roll Morton)
06. Swipesy Cakewalk (Scott Joplin/Arthur Marshall)
07. Lizinha (Tom McDermott)
08. Heliotrope Bouquet (Scott Joplin/Louis Chauvin)
09. Choro #1 (Tom McDermott)
10. Estatico (Tom McDermott)
11. Realidade É Saudade (Tom McDermott)
12. The Chrysanthemum (Scott Joplin)
13. Driving with Jacob (Scott Joplin)
14. Bamboula (Louis Moreau Gottschalk)
Musicians
Evan Christopher, b flat & c clarinets
Sergio Krakowski, pandeiro
Henry Lentino, cavaquinho
Caio Márcio, 7-string guitar
Tom McDermott, piano & arrangements
Ray Moore, flute (#5 only)
Rick Trolsen, trombone
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14:47
Saturday, April 02, 2005
The finest instrument
Vocalise shows its mettle.
This is not a disc review, since I haven’t heard Vocalise’s debut disc, Tudo É Coisa Musical. However, I did listen to the vocal quintet’s recording of “Chá de Panela” from that album. On the strength of this track alone, I suggest that you hasten to the Vocalise website and download the five full tracks generously offered there. If you like what you hear, buy the disc through the site.
“Chá de Panela,” introduced in Leila Pinheiro’s 1996 album Catavento e Girassol, is finally coming into its own. Nóis 4 released a version late last year. Guinga sang it last summer at Yoshi’s. The song’s attraction lies not only in its infectious accelerated baião rhythm and tongue-twisting lyrics, but in the hommage to O Bruxo, Hermeto Pascoal.
Chá-de-panela is not tea brewed in a saucepan but a bridal shower, literally a kitchen tea party. And when it comes to kitchen parties, no one surpasses Hermeto Pascoal. It’s hardly a secret that Hermeto uses every object as a musical instrument; and not only objects, but living things. In short, tudo é coisa musical.
Enter the carioca vocal quintet Vocalise: Beth Dau, Fabíola Farias, Ivan Azevedo, Márcio Monteiro, and Marcus Aurélius. For their recording of “Chá de Panela,” the five cleverly snared Hermeto himself to play various objects, from a teakettle (the chaleira of the lyrics) to squeeze-toy rubber animals, a pill box, and the fabric of his shirt, providing the perfect aural illustration of a kitchen party.
After you’ve downloaded the track, you’ll be able to sing along with the aid of these lyrics.
Chá de Panela
(Guinga/Aldir Blanc)
Hermeto foi na cozinha
Pra pegar o instrumental:
Do facão à colherinha tudo é coisa musical.
Trouxe concha e escumadeira, ralador, colher de pau,
Barril, tirrina, e peneira—tudo é coisa musical.
Me convidou pra uma pinga,
Meu não pesou com dó,
Piscou um olho só,
Disse que eu tiro da seringa,
Que home que não bebe e nega mocotó
Acaba quenga em vez de Guinga
Se veste de filó
Afrouxa o fiofó
E o ferrão já nem respinga:
Encolhe feito um nó
E vai ficar menó...
Assoprou numa chaleira, bateu numa bacia.
Jesus, Ave-Maria, era uma sinfonia!
Secador e geladeira entraram no compasso,
Dançou a farinheira, saleiro no pedaço
E tudo era coisa musical,
Funil mandando: “Ôi!” Fogão gritando: “Uau!”
Fez um chocalho de arroz
E outro de feijão
No talo do mamão
Cortou a fruta que já vi tocá mais doce,
irmão, direto ao coração.
Assoprou numa chaleira, bateu numa bacia, etc.
Nesse chá de panela que eu senti a vocação:
Vi que música é tudo que avoa e rasga o chão.
Foi Hermeto Pascoal que magistral me deu o dom
De entender que do lixo ao avião
Em tudo há tom
E que até pinico dá bom som se a criação é mais
Se o músico for bom.
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13:08
Friday, April 01, 2005
Why is Elifas Andreato hopping mad?
Furor over Brazil’s new trade logomark.
“The image of modernity and competence”
Kiko Farkas is in the news. The São Paulo designer is featured in the March/April issue of the prestigious magazine Communication Arts (“Kiko Farkas: A Brazilian designer with a flair for form and rhythm.”).
I haven’t followed CA since my advertising days and would have lived on knowing nothing about Farkas but for an e-mail I received from Elifas Andreato this morning.
Elifas is Brazil’s best-known graphic designer. Most Brazilian music lovers are familiar with his unmistakable album covers. I don’t know him personally, but the Brazilian grapevine is the best disseminator of e-mail addresses. Thus it transpired that I was included in an open letter Elifas sent about Brazil’s new trade logomark.
Before we get into Elifas’ open letter, here’s a background briefing from the article “Made in Brazil label now has logo”:
The tourism ministry releases the Brazilian brand with the objective of creating a permanent visual identity for country products. The symbol, developed by designer Kiko Farkas, may be used at fairs and events and by exporters; it may be put on packages and on products. The creation of the logo is part of the plan to put Brazil among the 20 greatest tourist destinations in the world up to 2007.
The new logomark came out of Plano Aquarela (Ary must be rolling in his grave), spearheaded by the Catalan marketing man Josep Chias, who had created the Spanish logomark.
Kiko Farkas provided the following rationale for his winning design proposal:
A nossa proposta da Marca Brasil foi construída em cima desses pontos:
• Alegria;
• Sinuosidade/curva (da natureza, do caráter do povo);
• Luminosidade/brilho/exuberância;
• Híbrido/encontro de culturas/raças;
• Moderno/competente
Naturally, the folks at Embratur bought this nonsense. (Who said that a picture is worth a thousand words?)
Which brings us back to Elifas. He wrote:
Prezados amigos:
Perdoem este desabafo. Estou quase jogando a toalha. Pode ser defeito meu enaltecer as qualidades do meu povo. Mas não dá para ficar calado diante de tamanho absurdo. Quem faz uma campanha o melhor do Brasil é o brasileiro não pode chamar um espanhol para fazer a logomarca que vai representar nosso país no exterior.
Não se trata de bairrismo. Temos aqui uma quantidade enorme de artistas excepcionais, capazes de fazer uma boa marca para qualquer país do mundo.
Eu, de minha parte, se encontrar o tal espanhol que fez esta marca horrorosa (ele realmente deve achar que os brasileiros são amebas), vou mandá-lo às favas.
Estou cansado de me sentir um idiota, subserviente, sem-vergonha. Não aceito mais este tipo de humilhação. Minha vida e obra me credenciam a fazer este comunicado indignado.
Um abraço do brasileiro
Elifas Andreato
Three hours later, an e-mail arrived from Edson Campos, Embratur’s Marketing Director. Like Elifas, Campos doesn’t know me from Adam. But since Elifas exposed all the names of the important people (menos eu) to whom he was sending his letter, it was easy for Campos to send an immediate rebuttal (also with exposed addresses):
Prezados,
A carta desabafo do Elifas Andreato está baseada numa informação rigorosamente falsa.
A Marca Brasil foi criada por um brasileiro, Kiko Farkas, designer paulista premiado nacional e internacionalmente.
O concurso foi conduzido pela ADG, Associação dos Designers Gráficos do Brasil. Kiko recebeu R$ 30 mil reais pelo trabalho.
Prefiro acreditar que o Elifas, artista que nos dá orgulho, não saiba disso e daí o seu engano.
Se alguém quiser qalquer informação sobre o processo, estou à disposição.
Edson Campos
Diretor de Marketing da Embratur
In a second missive, Campos added that “a inspiração da marca é uma aquarela de Burle Marx. Alguém duvida que ele seja brasileiro?”
Burle Marx was definitely Brazilian. But Elifas did not err.
Esta marca é realmente horrorosa.
P.S. The e-mails keep coming. Now Edson Campos has forwarded a letter to Elifas from Kiko Farkas. Kiko says that the five finalists in the design competition were invited to an extensive briefing that included a 1938 gouache by Burle Marx.
Below is a 1937 gouache by Roberto Burle Marx. Might this have served as the inspiration?
Burle Marx: “Jardim suspenso do Ministério da Educação e Saúde”
(image: Vitruvius)
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13:24
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