Hard Bossa ?

[Jim R]

Actually, HARD BOSSA is the title of a 1999 CD by Joyce, one of Brazil's biggest stars of the past few decades. The title is catchy, which is mainly why I used it for this thread. Basically, I'm just starting this as yet another, more specific thread to talk about a slice of the Brazilian music scene of the 60's. This thread isn't just another Bossa Nova thread. We already have a Jobim thread, and another that deals with the topic of where to get started with Bossa Nova, and this one is just a little shout out to not overlook some of the cool stuff that was going on then that included some strong jazz influence. Some would put it under the heading of Bossa Nova, some would label it Brazilian Jazz... whatever. It's great music- that's all I care about. Okay, so somebody got me off my ass today by posting a question on this subject over at AAJ. They were talking about some of the Brazilian-influenced jazz that they dug (Blue Note stuff), and they wanted to know what else to look for... something with an "authentic" feel to it, but not light in weight. So, I responded with the following list, and as long as I went to that much effort, I decided I'd post it here (actually, it wasn't that much effort, and I've been meaning to bring this up here for some time anyway)...

There were groups in Brazil during the Bossa era that incorporated hard bop (and/or mainstream jazz) influences into their music. The best place (IMO) to locate these recordings is http://www.dustygroove.com in Chicago. Give them a call or e-mail them, and ask one of their Brazilian experts to tell you what they have in stock that would fit your interests.

Here are some 60's groups I can recommend:

Sambalanço Trio (60's piano trio- Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano),Humberto Klayber (bass),Airto Moreira (drums); several recordings now on CD)

Cesar Camargo Mariano Octet- Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano),Maguinho,Felpudo (Felpa),Buda (trumpets),Ditinho (trombone),Bolao (saxophone),Heraldo do Monte,Boneca (guitars),Saba,Humberto Clayber (basses),Airto Moreira,Toninho Pinheiro (drums, percussion)

Zimbo Trio (piano trio- still going after 40+ years; known to some for their recording with Sonny Stitt)

Bossa Tres (piano trio- Luiz Carlos Vinhas,Sebastiao Neto,Edison Machado)

Edison Machado (drummer; recorded "Edison Machado e Samba Novo" with JT Meirelles,Paulo Moura,Moacir Santos,Pedro Paulo,Ed Maciel, Raulzinho (Raul de Souza),Tenorio Jr.,Sebastiao Neto)

J.T. Meirelles (tenor player; recorded a fine album called "O Som")

too many images... I'll continue in another post...

Edited January 13, 2010 by Jim R

[Jim R]

... and one more by the Sambalanço Trio:

Dom Salvador Trio (piano trio)

Tenorio Jr. (pianist; recorded a classic album called "Embalo")

Raul De Souza (trombonist; recorded "A Vontade Mesmo" with Sambalanço Trio)

"Os Cobras"- Raulzinho (Raul De Souza),Paulo Moura (reeds),Hamilton Cruz (trumpet),Tenorio Jr. (piano),Jose Carlos (Zezinho) (bass),Milton Banana (drums)

...

and of course, Sergio Mendes:

w/ Edison Machado,Edson Maciel,Raulzinho (Raul de Souza),Hector Bisignani,Aurino Ferreira,Sebastiao Neto,Antonio Carlos Jobim (arranger)

w/ Edson Maciel (trombone),Durval Ferreira (guitar),Adalberto Jose De Castilho E Souza (Bebeto) (sax,flute,bass)

Among those who are still living, some went more the way of "fusion" later on; some did a variety of things; and some have kept on in much the same style.

There are some others of course, particularly in terms of piano trios. I tend to stay more with the 60's style material, but the topic of 70's developments can be added here as well. Maybe I can get Lon, Marcus O., mike weil, and some of the other Brazilian aficionados to add some suggestions too.

Read more here: Joe Carter's Brazilian Jazz page

Edited January 13, 2010 by Jim R

[Joe G]

Thank you, Jim. One of these days I'm actually going to take advantage of these threads of yours and buy some of this stuff! Man, some of that cover art is way cool.

For your next thread, how about what's going on now in the world of Brazilian music?

[Jim R]

Thank you, Jim. One of these days I'm actually going to take advantage of these threads of yours and buy some of this stuff! Man, some of that cover art is way cool.

For your next thread, how about what's going on now in the world of Brazilian music?

Good idea. I'll need even more help with that one, though. BIG topic. I do have some contemporary favorites, though. I forgot to mention Pete C above... he'll join in, no doubt. He keeps up with current events- especially Brazilian artists touring in the U.S.

[Pete C]

Hey Jim, for some reason most of the more jazz-oriented Brazilian stuff from the 60's never really grabbed me; in fact, not too much of the Brazilian music I listen to is really jazz, though much of it does have jazz influences.

[Jim R]

Yeah Pete, I guess I kind of had that sense already from what you'd posted at JC over the years. Maybe that's why I mentioned your name here only after being asked about doing another thread about contemporary Brazilian music. I know that's more your area of expertise (not that you're only up on the current artists, of course). Anyway, I know that our tastes do overlap some.

BTW, as you probably know, several of the artists listed above also recorded with vocalists (such as Pery Ribeiro, Leny Andrade, Wanda Sa, Elis Regina, Marcos Valle, etc) back in the 60's. I tend to like a lot of it- instrumental and vocal. The strongest category for me, though, is probably the piano trio stuff. It rarely disappoints me.

[Jim R]

A recent acquisition, another great piano trio recording:

Le Trio Camara- Fernando Martins (p), Edson Lobo ( b ),Nelson Serra (d)... recorded in Paris around 1969.

[chris olivarez]

Jim how do you best describe the "Hard Bossa" sound?

[Jim R]

Jim how do you best describe the "Hard Bossa" sound?

I don't know that I can really generalize, but overall I would say that the thing that makes most of this music stand out is the rhythmic aspect. Of course, the majority of the material being played on these sessions is of brazilian origin, so there's that obvious difference from american hard bop, but the brazilians typically employ their rhythmic styles (straight samba, bossa, etc) when they played jazz back in that era. There's a tremendous amount of "rhythm consciousness" among all the musicians on a brazilian jazz recording- not just the percussionists. As I'm always quick to point out when talking about Bossa Nova recordings, the portuguese lyrics always provide for more rhythmic interest than their english counterparts when it comes to vocal tunes. I think that sensibility carries over somewhat in terms of brazilian instrumentalists, who grew up in such a rhythmically intense environment. Typically, the harmony probably isn't as adventurous in most of the recordings I've listed, but again that's just a generalization. As for melody, brazil is a treasure trove, IMO, from Ary Barroso and Noel Rosa, to Jobim and his partners, to Roberto Menescal, to Marcos Valle, Edu Lobo, and on and on.

There are probably some essays available online, written by more qualified people than I. Bottom line, this is hard-swinging, sophisticated, engaging music. Please check it out!

=====

One major omission from my recommendations above (and there may be more yet to come), is the Tamba Trio. Joe Carter talks about them in his article on his webpage (see link above). These guys were more versatile than a lot of their piano trio contemporaries, encorporating vocals (and some vocal harmony) as well as occasional saxophone and flute solos by the group's bassist, Bebeto. Luiz Eça, the pianist and leader, was also one of the best writers/arrangers of his era. Advanced Bossa Nova-influenced jazz with a real creative flair.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Jim R

[chris olivarez]

Thanks Jim. Where do you find all this music?

[Jim R]

Chris,

Most of the brazilian recordings I own have come from Dusty Groove, which is the best place I've found in the U.S. for great service and pretty reasonable prices (most of the time) on the most obscure stuff. I've also gotten a lot from Tower and other local stores over the years; some from eBay; and some from fellow enthusiasts in the U.S. and Brazil.

[jazzbo]

I don't know Jim, there may be an essay online somewhere, but I'm not at all sure it would better describe the music than your post did! You've led me to a lot of these recordings, and they're wonderful: there's just something about this music that has that exuberant drive that much of my favorite American jazz does, and that lifts your spirits and sustains your positive moods.

I really like the Sambalanca Trio, the Tamba Trio, the Zimbo Trio. . . well there are many great groups to savor. I love the piano trios, and I also really like the larger ensembles athat are arranged by Deodato et al.

Dusty Groove is THE place! Lots of my dollars go to that place. . . .

[Jim R]

there's just something about this music that has that exuberant drive that much of my favorite American jazz does, and that lifts your spirits and sustains your positive moods.

THAT'S what I meant to say. Seriously, though, that's the essence of it for me, too. It's kind of fun to analyze it, but the bottom line is I just enjoy listening to it. The rhythms are invigorating and intoxicating, and the aforementioned melodic appeal is great- especially as you get farther into it and hear more and more familiar themes interpreted by various groups.

Anyway, thanks for the nice words, Lon. Glad you mentioned Deodato. Besides all the arranging work he did for others, those Equipe albums by Os Catedraticos are pretty sweet (and the Ubatuqui 24 bit remasters sound pretty good to me).

Edited January 13, 2010 by Jim R

[chris olivarez]

Chris,

Most of the brazilian recordings I own have come from Dusty Groove, which is the best place I've found in the U.S. for great service and pretty reasonable prices (most of the time) on the most obscure stuff. I've also gotten a lot from Tower and other local stores over the years; some from eBay; and some from fellow enthusiasts in the U.S. and Brazil.

I might've known. Once again thanks Jim.

[Joe Carter]

A-ha! So this is where Pete C. and Jim R. are when they're not at JC. Very nice thread. I'd like to add something but at the moment I can't think of anything EXCEPT another great Brazilian Jazz recording is Baden Powell's Tempo Feliz, his most jazz-like recording. It's a 1966 guitar-bass-drums-harmonica (yes, harmonica!) session that features my sometimes musical partner, Mauricio Einhorn (the composer of a lot of the tunes on the recordings Jim R. mentioned), on harmonica.

Joe C.

[Guest ariceffron]

WHEN I THINK OF HARD BOSSA I THINK OF THE JIVE SAMBA

[Pete C]

WHEN I THINK OF HARD BOSSA I THINK OF THE JIVE SAMBA

CAN I QUOTE YOU ON THAT?

[Joe Carter]

After I put out $35 for the japanese release, Verve has released Joao Gilberto In Tokyo, minus one song (and I hope with an inferior sound). I highly recommend it. The Master is in fine form.

Joe C.

[Jim R]

I still say... for $35, you should have gotten more cover art than that. But then again Master Carter, cover is very much like Joao... uncluttered, deceptively simple yet beautiful, softspoken and yet very direct. HEY, I think I'm beginning to get this stuff! Grasshoppa shut up now, and go listen to CDR.

[Joe Carter]

There's an article here on the release on the JazzTimes website entitled, Gilberto's Big in Japan:

http://jazztimes.com/

The article is written by Emily Zemler, who is one letter away from the great guitarist, Emily Remler, who was once married to Monty Alexander, who I just saw at a festival in France... OK, that's all I got.

Joe C.

[Joe Carter]

After twelve years in a coma, the great guitarist

Rosinha de Valença died at dawn today, 10 June,

in Valença, Rio de Janeiro. She was 62 years old.

At the risk of sounding like a sexist, she swung as hard as Baden Powell. My favorite recording of hers was her first, Apresentando (Presenting), on the Elenco label, from 1964.

R.I.P. Rosinha.

Today is also the birthday of two guitar legends.

João Gilberto is 73. Guinga is 54.

Joe C.

[Joe Carter]

Here's the blurb for that recording:

The first album by Brazilian guitarist Rosinha Da Valencia -- and a beautiful one at that! The album features Rosinha playing solo guitar with percussion backing, very much in the style of Baden Powell's early work, especially his own albums for the Elenco label -- and as the set progresses, occasional other instrumentation comes into play, like flute or piano, and Rosinha sings on just a few numbers. The album's a killer -- bossa groovy all the way through, and an essential gem from the long out of print Elenco catalog! Titles include "Tema Do Boneco De Palha", "Ela E Carioca", "Com Que Roupa", "Atirei O Pau No Gato", "Estrada Do Nada", and "Ate Londres".

Joe C.

[Jim R]

I still don't have that Rosinha Elenco disc. Gotta correct that situation.

=====

IMO, one of the best from recent years. The band includes Paulo Braga (perc), Lula (guitar), and Billy Drewes (ts, cl). For those who don't know, Rosa is a guitarist/vocalist, sometimes referred to as "Joao Gilberto in a skirt". I don't know about that, but she is dynamite.

[Joe Carter]

I still don't have that Rosinha Elenco disc. Gotta correct that situation.

=====

IMO, one of the best from recent years. The band includes Paulo Braga (perc), Lula (guitar), and Billy Drewes (ts, cl). For those who don't know, Rosa is a guitarist/vocalist, sometimes referred to as "Joao Gilberto in a skirt". I don't know about that, but she is dynamite.

I still don't have that Rosinha Elenco disc.  Gotta correct that situation.

It could be gotten :-) Today I was listening to her work on the Bud Shank & Friends double CD. Do you have that one?

=====

IMO, one of the best from recent years.  The band includes Paulo Braga (perc), Lula (guitar), and Billy Drewes (ts, cl).  For those who don't know, Rosa is a guitarist/vocalist, sometimes referred to as "Joao Gilberto in a skirt".  I don't know about that, but she is dynamite.

I'm not crazy about the mix on this CD. The bass is too boomy. And I'm not sure Billy Drewes was the best choice for this recording. Paulo Moura or Paulo Levi would have sounded more in sync with what's happening, IMO of course. And, of course, Paulinho Braga can make (almost) anything sound great.

I saw Rosa at Joe's Pub (great place for music) in NYC a few years back (Pete, were you there?) with just a bassist, who, I kid you not, also did "mouth" percussion. She was excellent. She has a new CD coming out soon. Apparently when she did the recent recording with Yo yo-Ma she was offered a record deal from Sony. I suspect she'll get a lot of promotion when it's released.

I think one of Rosa's strengths is her ability to interpret tunes with a new twist. She did a tribute to Jobim recording where she's singing every other tune and Vania Bastos is singing the others. Everytime I listen to this disc I program Vania's songs out and just listen to Rosa's. It's like listening to Bill Evans playing Jazz standards.

Joe C.

[Joe Carter]

It seems a lot has happened with brazilian guitarists this week. This was posted on another list about the guitarist Helio Delimiro:

Drama familiar

O grande violonista Hélio Delmiro está num presídio em Santos por falta

de pagamento de pensão alimentícia.

Seus amigos estão pedindo ajuda para pagar a dívida de R$ 11 mil e

tirá-lo da cadeia.

Family Drama

The great guitarist Hélio Delmiro is in a prison in Santos for failure

to pay child support. His friends are asking for help in paying off the

R$11,000 to get him out of jail.

(Jim, I assume if I ever wind up in jail, you would contribute heavily to my fund. No, you cannot have my 1953 Gibson ES-175.)

Helio was another one of those "in between" guitarists, younger than the old guys and older than the new guys. He was the guitarist on the classic Elis & Tom recording. Among his many recordings is one entitled Emotiva, where he tackles Monk's Epistrophy and he also does Body and Soul.

Joe C.