Musico do Brasil

Sometimes you take a trip and you know before it's over that your life has changed. Part of where you were has gotten into you and don't ever want it to leave. For someone who's life always involves music, only a place with that vibe can truly suck you in until you feel as if you're right at home...or maybe just in a friend's living room. Funny when that living room is in another hemisphere and the conversation is in Portuguese-even if that is Jim Morrison singing in the background.

If you're at all like me, your pre-conceived notion of Brazil is one of rain forests and Carnaval, girls wearing nothing but glitter, parties well into the morning and cafezinhu (little coffee) later in the morning when you finally get to work.

So, some stereotypes are correct...but I was too early for Carnaval (this year) and didn't see the girls in glitter. However, if the preconceived notion of Brasilian women is that they are beautiful, that stereotype is also correct. Popozuda, baby. I'm sitting here with my TV advertising a local news program running a story on 'whether teens dress too sexy.' Popozuda, baby. The Brasilians have it right, my friends.

The other thing the Brasilians have right is music. Even MPB (aka Brasilian popular music) is better than tolerable, unlike some 'developed' countries I know. With an extremely international influence blended with roots music from the African slaves and native inhabitants, Brasil offers a wide variety of rhythms, sounds and styles-including jam.

During my short stay (this time), I got a dose of five live shows in four days, and plenty of new sounds as supplementary material. My mentor in Brazilian music is Mr. Dennis Brandao. Dennis lives in Sao Carlos, Brazil and is working on his doctorate. Some times those trips you are on that change your life also include meeting people that become part of your life. Not even language can stop the way music fits into our lives, and all my new friends from Brazil speak the language fluently...

"...Pra surdo ouvir
Pra cego ver
Que esse xote faz milagre acontecer..."
"...For deaf hear
and blind see
that this xote (song) makes miracles happens..."
Xote dos Milagres - Fala Mansa

For sure, that´s a great introduction for this article, one of the forrós (pr: fo-HA) that you can hear everywhere in Brasil this summer, responsible for a musical miracle in the country. Unlike any other Brasilian music decade, the 90´s have been seen as one of the most active and crazy decades for our music. Rock and roll, samba, forró and a lot of different rhythms have started living together (and in harmony) since mid 90´s, thanks to a very creative generation of musicians, and a huge background of 500 years of music.

Claimed to be the most important musical movement since the Tropicalia in the 70´s, MangueBeat exploded in 1993 with Chico Science and Nação Zumbi, bringing music from the swamps of Recife, and opening a new conscience among the youth. The Brasilian folklore and the forgotten rhythms now would be explored without prejudice, revealing the richness of our music.

Since then, plenty of new artists came through Chico Science´s way and started mixing Rock with Forró, Forró with Country, Country with Samba, Samba with Funk, etc, etc, etc... all the combinations are now possible...

Well, today we can hardly identify a band or a singer in a style, as Chico Science himself said "Da lama ao caos...", " From the mud to chaos..."

The very danceable northeast rhythms and absolutely "positive vibes" are now spread over all the country and this summer will be the forró summer. Even in São Paulo, the great metropolis, is possible to see huge lines of university students in front of the forrós.

Some of the references for the " rhythms jam" revolution are cleared identified: Jackson do Pandeiro and Luis Gonzaga (the begining) , Gilberto Gil (I can´t find words to express his music...), Olodum, Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben Jor, Tim Maia and a lot of other people who truly make and made music with their heart. And as Brasil, their music is based on the Black + White + Red formula. What´s the result?? Good Music!! This is what we hope lasts for many years, a lot of new artists bringing their new music. Some of the guys who are inserted in this context are: Chico Cesar with his poems disguised on music; Lenine, the electrified mix of Rio-Pernambuco; Zeca Baleiro, from Maranhão to the world, Carlinhos Brown and some other guys from the northeast: Rita Ribeiro (She´s Great!!), Nação Zumbi, Cordel de Fogo Encantado, Mestre Ambrósio, Tribo de Jah (Reggae Roots yeah!!).

The Brasilian Rock as well will never be the same, after some bands that understand the meaning of "let´s do it different", like Raimundos, Mamonas Assassinas (making fun for the angels now), Skank, with their reggae influence, Rappa, Mauricio Pereira and Karnak (these guys are exellent!!), Paulinho Moska, Cassia Eller (one of the best rock concert I´ve ever been!), and so on.

The message I would like to leave for everyone is that if you try to make it different, you do it cause you like it and for having some fun, then you probably will do what this bunch of people above are doing . . . music of quality, happiness and positively making the world better. Luck for you all, and I hope see some of you guys on the Carnaval of Ouro Preto next week!!

As Bob Marley said: We are jamming...
Dennis Brandão

Dennis led me around the music of Brasil-from the radio to the CD, to the club and to the farm. He turned me onto Gilberto Gil's 1971 CD in English, just to open the dialogue. Then, forgetting my handicap with Portuguese, dove right in. Thursday night in Sao Paulo took us to Sem Eira Nem Beira and the reggae of Dinorinhos. S.E.N.B. is one of those little bars you walk into and you know you're in the right place. All the light fixtures were stars and they were selling tie dyes on the walls and all the girls are hot...then you see the lead singer with dreads to his ankles. Mostly Marley and Brazilian reggae, thick and tight all night. Friday night took us to the forro'. Forro' was a style of music in the 30's in Brasil-accordion, triangle and zubumba (drum). It almost reminds you of a south-of-the-equator polka. Evidently the American troops stationed in Northeast Brasil during WWII would host parties "For All", meaning that the locals were welcome. For all became forro' and the music has just been rediscovered. You can here songs rooted in forro' all over MPB and even country-dressed performers forro'-ing on national TV. But this forro', this is Remelexo-the forro' universitario-and the college kids are there in force-a two block line to get in an hour before the show starting at roughly 11:30 PM. Vendors selling beers and drinks up and down the line, beautiful girls dressed in belly shirts and hip huggers-Gostoso...muito, gostoso!

Approximately four beers were required to unhinge these frozen hips and catch on to the rhythm of the forro'-quite like a two-part two-step. Songs are usually short, 2-3 minutes, and it's generally bad form for a young lady to turn down a request for at least one dance. Interestingly enough, there isn't a lot of smoking going on, and the drinking is largely moderate. Beers are 3 for $5R (five reais, $2.50 US). Boi De Lata, the band, is more modern, with guitar, bass, drums, percussion and keys. And they are tight as well and laying it down fine. As the night moves forward, our group which included 2 Brasilians, a Chilean (espanol), and an American (ingles), expands to include a cool Columbian (espanol) and a number of other new friends. The forro' continues, and the band begins to branch out, playing more reggae, varying the tempos between a sexy slither for those amorous new couples and up tempo grooves for those still searching...and at some point they tease "Walking On the Moon" by the Police. I'm not the only one in the room that gets it. Well after 3:00AM the band plays their last and begin to tear down. Ricardo Mosca, the drummer du jour, is also a jamband fan and plays in a Brasilian jamband. He has been to M.I.T. in California and wants to hit NYC to study jazz. Maybe forro' is the miracle music, maybe not. But, it's a damn nice start. Franchione, I still have your number and I hope I get to see you the next time...maybe I'll 'falo' by then...

Saturday included a mercifully late start and a trip to Sao Carlos, a smaller city a couple hours north of Sao Paulo. Home of two universities and a nice underground culture, Sao Carlos is just a cool place to hang out on your buddies' couch. Beer is exceptionally cheap, as I already mentioned, so we indulged. This started a night that ended with a free jam session and me singing (kind of) Hendrix's "Red House" and "Fire" with Men With Wings, a local 'classic' rock cover band at Bar Bar. But, these guys aren't just a garden variety cover band. I haven't heard a vocalist cover Zep, AC/DC, Tull, Floyd, Cream and others like that for a long time-and certainly not in a second language. To 'Peanut' and Gabriel-you guys fucking rock.

The next hangover was the worst, but the trip to a rural restaurant cured the soul if not the body also. A roots samba combo was playing-mandolin, guitar, two drums and tambourines (basically) and vocals. Some fruit, some meat, some salad, some beer, some pinga (like tequila, but drinkable) and some samba. What may have impressed me more than the players, was the knowledge of my five companions in the roots music of their country. They sang the songs and requested more, and when the band was ready to leave, bought them a beer. Musicians are the same everywhere, man. This was true roots samba, on the farm, the pure expression of human emotion-both happy and sad. "I don't care who died, I just want to cry."

We headed to Arraquara, where Karnak was holding a concert. Karnak has toured the US in 1998 and was recently featured in a NY Times article. Coco de cana, sugar cane juice with lime, helped to quell the hangover, along with Galvao continually bringing me a beer. Karnak put on a SHOW. Never mind that the music was excellent, or that I didn't get all the jokes in Portuguese, I got the big one. Karnak is underground, seldom seen in popular Brasilian culture, but they're cool as hell... and great musicians. From their songs in ingles-"3 Aliens in LA" or "We Need Nothing", literally a commentary on our capitalistic obsessions, from their new CD "estamos adorando tokio" to their older music, Karnak entertained and toyed with the crowd, at the same time wearing smiles and having fun goofing around. Oh yeah, and Kuki the drummer just found out about Jambands.com recently from an MMW article. Enjoy the hat, dude, I hope you wear it on stage some night...

Worn out from 4 solid days of music, we loaded Chico Science and Nacao Zumbi into the player and headed back to Sao Paulo. As the now-silenced voice of Chico Science chanted "Maco", Dennis and I talked about how our two countries are different and how they are perceived, the things that truly have meaning to the soul and to the mind, and how easy it is to see that laughter and music and family and friends are common bonds that should bring all of us together. As we talked, I could only find more ways that we're stifled in the U.S., and how desperately we need another revolution. Suddenly, it dawned on me that our revolution may come from the outside. Let us hope that part of that revolution, and revelation comes from our friends in Brasil, a culture that understands the importance of music and the spirit of fun.

Brasilians have it right, my friends. We may have more money and more T.G.I. Friday's, but they are far more free than we may ever be. There's a way out, though. Take heed all you Young Americans. Brasil is only a 10 hour plane ride away, living is cheap, and the music is great...and there are hippies there too. Save some money, study some basic Portuguese, and get yourself somewhere in Brasil in the next year... If you find 10% of what I found, you will never be the same. By the way, the music's great...

Pro
pro@jambands.com

Levels Links:

Some links to quality Brasilian music (most are in Portuguese, but there are mp3's...)

Gilberto Gil ( www.gilbertogil.com.br)- Mention Brasilian music and you have mentioned Gil...

Karnak (www.karnak.com.br) -A truly original Brasilian underground band...

Chico Science and Nacao Zumbi ( www.sonymusic.com.br) -A true innovator and some cool ass jams!

Trip Magazine ( www.revistatrip.com.br) -Underground music and cool shit, Brasil style. The February issue includes an article on the late Chico Science and the authors trip to the Cannabis Cup...