For some reason (maybe it was the hot, steamy weather we had a while ago) I’ve been listening almost exclusively to Brazilian music lately. Once tuned in to it I just can’t seem to get those rhythms and melodies out of my head, even those of such well-worn, classic bossa novas as Wave, O Barquinho, and The Girl from Ipanema. It started a couple of weeks ago when I dug out an old Egberto Gismonti l.p. which I hadn’t heard for years and was amazed at the quality of the musicianship and how good the record sounded. How could I have left such a beautiful album languishing unplayed on the shelf for so long? And by the way, yes, vinyl really does sound so much better than the digital approximations we’ve become accustomed to.
A trawl through my music collection searching for something similar turned up less than I’d expected to find – a long forgotten l.p. by Flora Purim, a couple of albums by Gilberto Gil, some more recent work by the likes of Bebel Gilberto and the wonderful Badi Assad, and a brilliant compilation cassette of Brazilian rare grooves bought at the Camden record fair way back in the early 90’s. Fortunately these days we have Grooveshark to fall back on in times of emergency (if you’re a music lover and haven’t yet tried Grooveshark please do yourself a big favour and visit the website soon). A search for “Jobim”, for example, came up with 304 full length songs; Joao Donato scored 232, and Astrud Gilberto a mighty 713 songs. More than enough to keep me happy for the rest of the summer.
There’s something about Brazilian music, in all its range, depth, and variety that seems to push all the right buttons. It appears to exist and thrive uncorrupted in its own universe, which is a wonder in itself, and probably only possible because the language is Portuguese and not Anglo. It’s arguably the hippest music on the planet, and certainly in terms of sheer musical savvy there’s nothing I can think of that gets even close to it. And how do they manage to make it sound both happy and sad at the same time? I’m sure it can be perfectly well explained in terms of scales, modes, and chord construction, but maybe that bittersweet sense of yearning, almost as though they know something that we don’t, has to do with the knowledge of a Paradise once found, now lost.
In the end it’s the melting pot aspect that’s the most telling I think – that mixture of African rhythms and jazz chords, Portugese saudade and Amerindian fire that make Brazilian music such a unique and powerful form of expression. Whatever it is it’s a great thing to spend time with, and as an effective antidote to the lumpen pop, deluded “folk” revivalists, and thrice derivative singer-songwriters we’re expected to believe are the best our own culture can currently produce Brazilian music works like magic – at least it’s doing so for me this summer.
Here’s a short list of my own current personal favourites in no particular order:
Egberto Gismonti – Solo
Guitar, piano, and cooking pots. Released in 1979 but sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded this morning.
Badi Assad – Danca das Ondas
Everything she does is good, but this is my current favourite. Beautiful guitar and voice.
Marcio Faraco – O Tempo
Gentle songs and deft, understated guitar and percussion. This is his new album.
Bebel Gilberto – Bebel Gilberto
Chillout’s not really the right word for these warm bossa novas, but several of the songs on this album have found their way on to some of the more laid-back dance compilations.
Antonio Carlos Jobim – The Very Best of
With 30 great tracks on this budget 2cd this is as good a place as any to rediscover Jobim
Joe Henderson – Double Rainbow
More Jobim but includes some of his lesser known tunes. Contributors include Herbie Hancock, Jack de Johnette, and Eliane Elias.
Tigana – Macale
Featherlight vocals and African inspired guitar and rhythms from Bahia
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