seeline Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) Re. Moacir Santos: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/arts/music/13santos.html?_r=1&fta=y http://brazilianmusic.com/mrsamba/moacir.html http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14219 http://www.youtube.com/artist/Moacir_Santos?feature=watch_metadata Edited April 5, 2011 by seeline Quote
seeline Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo, c. 1986... (Hermeto is on keys.) Hermeto & Elis at Montreux (late 70s)... Edited April 5, 2011 by seeline Quote
seeline Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 Hermeto & Elis (same gig) - funny *and* some really incredible phrasing (starts a bit past the halfway mark) - Quote
mikeweil Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 The reason many Brazilian musicians went to the US was they had more freedom in making their records there. Brazilian producers mostly wanted catchy two minute songs and absolutely no solos and instrumental improvisation. That was easier to do in the US as the jazz audience was open to this. Hermeto had to run his own label to get his music out the way he wanted to. Moacir even had problems in the US, as his rhythms were so unusual, beyond bossa nova. The phrasing partly lies in the language, but it also is the different tradition of phrasing that is inherent in the choro music and some things of African descent. Elis was special - I don't think any other Brazialian singer got there before or since. She wore her heart on her tongue, but that's also what made her so vulnerable. Quote
mikeweil Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo, c. 1986... (Hermeto is on keys.) Playing on a jam session with this band when it passed through town was one of the great musical moments in my life. A percussionist friend of mine was taking lessons with a Brazilian at the time, so we all went there and took the band to a club where another Brazilian pianist, Izio Gross, was working after hours. They played some hilarious four handed piano of Caravan, Brazil and stuff ... the band was cooking. Hermeto was such a sweet guy ... I'll never forget this. I put him on a level with Villa-Lobos and people. Hermeto and Moacir Santos are some of the greatest composers Brazil has ever seen. Quote
seeline Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) The reason many Brazilian musicians went to the US was they had more freedom in making their records there. Brazilian producers mostly wanted catchy two minute songs and absolutely no solos and instrumental improvisation. That was easier to do in the US as the jazz audience was open to this. Very true, but I think this is one of many reasons why people came... and went, for that matter. J.G. and his wife Miucha were here for a while, then went back; ditto for Joyce and her husband, drummer Tutty Moreno. I'm sure they're not the only ones. Hermeto had to run his own label to get his music out the way he wanted to. Moacir even had problems in the US, as his rhythms were so unusual, beyond bossa nova. Are you thinking of the Som da Gente label, maybe? I didn't know that Hermeto had his own label back in the day, though it seems that he does now... but I might very well be misremembering this. Moacir: yes, it's true. He talked about some of them at length in one of the pieces I linked to above. The phrasing partly lies in the language, but it also is the different tradition of phrasing that is inherent in the choro music and some things of African descent. I know Brazilians who would say that Brazilian Portuguese is partly a product of strong African influence, though... it certainly sounds much different than European Portuguese. As for other African influences (in music itself), of course! (Agreed completely on choro music as well.) Elis was special - I don't think any other Brazialian singer got there before or since. She wore her heart on her tongue, but that's also what made her so vulnerable. I think she was unique, definitely. Playing on a jam session with this band when it passed through town was one of the great musical moments in my life. A percussionist friend of mine was taking lessons with a Brazilian at the time, so we all went there and took the band to a club where another Brazilian pianist, Izio Gross, was working after hours. They played some hilarious four handed piano of Caravan, Brazil and stuff ... the band was cooking. Hermeto was such a sweet guy ... I'll never forget this. Wow!!! You're a very lucky guy, Mike. (I got to hear Hermeto and his band in 1988; it was an unforgettable experience.) I put him on a level with Villa-Lobos and people. Hermeto and Moacir Santos are some of the greatest composers Brazil has ever seen. Absolutely yes. I think Moacir has had more influence than anyone realizes. Edited April 5, 2011 by seeline Quote
JSngry Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Posted April 5, 2011 The Moacir Santos Blue Note albums are so beautiful and so frustrating all at once...the L.A. studio players involved try so hard to get it right... Quote
seeline Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) yeah... the albums you want to hear are "Coisas," "Ouro Negro" and "Choros & Alegrias." (The latter two are available in U.S. pressings, though Moacir didn't play on either of them ... both are marvelous, though.) Coisas is, unfortunately, out of print, but you might be able to pick up a used copy of the CD reissue. Edited April 5, 2011 by seeline Quote
seeline Posted April 5, 2011 Report Posted April 5, 2011 Indeed. They're *all* worth buying new, really. (3 of my favorite albums.) Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.