Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Trio Surdina à beça
Do you love the music of Trio Surdina? Are you a fan of Garoto, Fafá Lemos, and Chiquinho do Acordeon?
Then hasten thee to Abracadabra—LPs do Brasil, where the Bruxa do Vinil has posted almost their entire output (both in their original lineup and in a later formation).
Formed in 1951 to play in the late-night Rádio Nacional program Música em Surdina (Music on the Quiet), the trio soon began releasing albums on Nilo Sérgio’s Musidisc label. It appears that some of the tracks were not made in a recording studio but came directly from the Rádio Nacional acetates.
The music is delicious, and the Vinyl Witch throws in some Fafá Lemos albums for good measure.
Now, this is what I call public service (and there’s a lot more there besides).
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13:48
 
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The album: an endangered species
Tomorrow’s New York Times is carrying a dire story by Jeff Leeds under the title “The Album, a Commodity in Disfavor.”
Writes Leeds:
[F]ans are buying fewer and fewer full albums. In the shift from CDs to digital music, buyers can now pick the individual songs they like without having to pay upward of $10 for an album.
Last year, digital singles outsold plastic CDs for the first time. So far this year, sales of digital songs have risen 54 percent, to roughly 189 million units, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. Digital album sales are rising at a slightly faster pace, but buyers of digital music are purchasing singles over albums by a margin of 19 to 1.
Because of this shift in listener preferences—a trend reflected everywhere from blogs posting select MP3s to reviews of singles in Rolling Stone—record labels are coming to grips with the loss of the album as their main product and chief moneymaker.
What are the record companies doing about it? Read on.
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18:47
Friday, March 23, 2007
DJ Blonde’s podcasts
Brent Alan James, author of the novel Carnival King: The last Latin Monarch, extends his interest in Brazilian history to its music. In the guise of DJ Blonde, he podcasts thematic music programs, many of them arranged by decade.
There’s something here for every taste. If you choose to listen via iTunes, you’ll be able to jump from one podcast to another with ease (DJ Blonde has created 43 as of this writing, all with modified album covers that include his moniker).
Brent also maintains an image gallery of album covers—unadulterated this time.
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15:29
Monday, March 12, 2007
A culpa é do Walt
Como Ernesto Nazareth foi parar num desenho
animado do Pato Donald.
A historia está aqui, em português.
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14:05
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Native Brazilian Music preserved by the Library of Congress
Those of you who have been following the Native Brazilian Music saga since 2000 (see Stokowski Stalked) will be heartened by the news that the Library of Congress has added the two 78-rpm albums, comprising 17 tracks, to its 2006 National Recording Registry.
Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian is responsible for annually selecting 25 recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to be placed in the National Recording Registry. Recordings must be at least ten-years old. This year’s crop brings the number of recordings named to the registry so far to 225.
“Selecting 25 recordings from our extraordinary rich and varied sonic history is a difficult task, but we take this charge seriously because it showcases the diverse beauty, humanity and artistry found in the nation’s sound heritage,” said the Librarian in announcing the registry selections. “Our challenge and duty to history remain, however, finding collaborative and creative ways to preserve and make available this unmatched legacy for modern and future generations.”
Nominations for the registry were gathered from members of the public, who submitted suggestions online and from the National Recording Preservation Board, which comprises leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation. The board also assisted the Librarian with the review of nominations.
Read the press release.
I thank Stokowski fan and activist Lawrence Matheson for bearing the good news.
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12:49
Friday, March 02, 2007
Harvey Wainapel on KPFA FM
Paulo Bellinati & Harvey Wainapel (photo: Thalia Lubin, 2003)
Eddy Pay and I interview clarinetist-saxophonist-composer Harvey Wainapel and play tracks from the CD New Choros of Brazil, which he recorded with guitarist Paulo Bellinati.
Harvey talks about his connections to Brazilian music and previews three tunes from his upcoming CD, Amigos Brasileiros.
Listen here.
Also available for listening is a podcast produced by Ricardo Sá Reston of Miscelânea Vanguardiosa.
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20:10
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