Untitled Document

February 1998

a PRELUDE to
BOSSA NOVA
by Richard Boukas © 1998

Hello and welcome to my first JJG column on Brazilian Music and Fingerstyle Guitar.

I’m very honored and excited about this opportunity to share the fascinating diversity of guitar techniques, regional rhythms, brilliant players and composers that make Brazilian music such a unique treasure to explore.

I’d like to thank our one and only Ed Benson for inviting me to write for JJG. The recognition and support he has given to so many deserving players in JJG is a testimony to his love for the instrument and the players who have dedicated themselves to continuing our evolving tradition as we approach the new milennium. In that spirit, it is my goal to extend the same to those great artists who have shaped the rich tradition of Brazilian guitar.

Let’s hear from you!

JJG is unique for many reasons. Aside from being the only magazine truly dedicated to JG, it is one of the few whose columnists are among the field’s most highly esteemed players and educators.

More important, it provides our guitarists a sense of community, a place to share meaningful dialogue and ideas that continue to inspire and develop our craft. Keeping this in mind, I welcome readers, artists, recording companies and publishers to submit materials for review, any items of interest, comments and questions about Brazilian guitar and music.

With resources like e-mail and the internet, the entire world is our musical community. Before this column was even started I was thrilled to receive e-mail from players in Spain, Japan, England, Oregon, Brooklyn who voiced their enthusiasm and support.

Apart from the kind of techniques, transcriptions and compositions one might

expect to see in any guitar column, Brazilian Connection will serve also as a resource for Brazilian music and culture in general- including artist profiles/interviews, new CD's and classic recordings, radio shows and concerts, books and printed music, workshop announcements, web sites, luthiers- anything that will enhance our appreciation of this music by understanding it within its rightful social and cultural context. Only then can we develop a perspective that will allow us to explore this new language in a meaningful, uninhibited way.

Violão Verde: Transiçao do Jazz ao Samba

I remember back when I was totally green to Brazilian music and just beginning to find my voice as a Jazz player, vocalist and composer. The year was 1978- the golden era of Disco (which single-handedly almost killed any live music) and the waning of virtuoso Fusion (Mahavishnu, Weather Report, Return To Forever ) in favor of a more marketable Funk Fusion.

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The public health of Jazz, especially archtop Jazz guitar, was in a very fragile state then. After a four-year stint with a great Fusion band-gone-funk, I left in search of my Jazz musical identity. At that time I was very fortunate to connect with Jazz guitar great and JJG columnist Jack Wilkins - to me, he was a real model of artistic integrity, a great friend and as inspiring today as the first time I heard him play with Eddie Gomez at Sweet Basil in November 1975.

As someone who had already played Jazz fingerstyle and was very curious about this music, the transition to "Brazilian 101" was fairly easy. I picked up a few Bossa Nova comping patterns listening to João Gilberto and learned the three industrial strength Jobim tunes (Wave, Desafinado, Triste ). This got me through boring cocktail hours on casuals and brought a new vigor to the many Jazz duo gigs where Knicks cable and Pacman were the house percussionists.

the Journey Continues

Soon I started writing Brazilian Jazz tunes for my quartet/quintet (guitar trio w/ tenor player Ralph Lalama and/or trumpeter Tom Harrell ) to complement our large book of

straight-ahead tunes. People seemed to dig the variety and rhythmic urgency of these tunes. Between grooving as the main comping instrument and playing a lot of drumset, the guitar began to feel more like a narrow drumset with strings attached. Even swinging chord melody soloing à la Wes was not rhythmically satisfying anymore. It became clear that a whole other avenue of rhythmic and harmonic expression needed to be found or I would feel like an ocean swimmer doing laps in a jacuzzi.

By 1990, it was finally time to form Amazôna, a dedicated "compositional" Brazilian Jazz quartet with my guitar synth and vocals carrying the thematic weight and keyboards (Tony Regusis or Hector Martignon) taking the main comping role. My CD (of the same title) marked a real convergence of main influences: Jazz, Classical, Brazilian and polyphonic choral music.

More recently (after a ten-year lapse) I've returned to playing trio with Trio Brasileiro, featuring bassist and vocalist John Arbo and drummer Ray Marchica, both original members of Amazôna.

Here the focus has not been original music, but to recast existing tunes convincingly into varied Brazilian rhythms- asking the question: "what if Cole Porter or Brahms were Brazilian??" The results are a lot of fun and revealing in terms of how easily certain pieces adapt from one idiom to the other. Undeniably, there exists a common thread among these disparate vocabularies which allows them to connect and create viable hybrid forms.

the Common Thread

So, some of you may wonder, "why a column on Brazilian guitar in JJG?" Being someone who has never limited themselves to any one style or playing approach, the answer is simple: any music whose intrinsic beauty, formal integrity and technical demands help bring us to a higher level of expression without compromising our fundamental musical identity is a style well worth exploring- even if it's not our artistic calling. Fingering a Bach Partita for solo violin prepared me technically and aesthetically for the virtuoso melodies of Chôro; playing in a funk band sharpened my rhythmic sense for

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February 1998 Prelude to Bossa Nova
Brazilian Connection p.3

phrasing syncopated Samba rhythms; practicing Elvin Jones swing time on the drumset and becoming relaxed with polyrhythms made it so much easier to function as the guitarist in a Brazilian rhythm section.

Such "interdisciplinary" gains indicate clearly that the language of good music is transparent to considerations of style- it is only the vocabulary and syntax which changes, helping form our categorical notions of "style". In fact, any style of music which is still in evolution is constantly changing and therefore open to any influences which it can accomodate without losing its essential character. Styles whose evolution is largely complete (ex. the Baroque era, Ragtime) but embody a distinct chapter in music history often achieve status as an historical tradition whose purity is to be maintained true to its origins. As each style develops over time among different artists, dialects reflecting other outside influences take shape, thus setting the scene for the next evolutionary stage.

Being that Jazz itself is a musical gumbo of African, European Classical and American Popular music, I consider it to be less a definable style and more a certain spirit and approach to making music- one in which the player uses a pre-existing harmonic structure as an improvisational vehicle for expressing their creative ideas.

Upon closer examination, one discovers striking parallels between Jazz and many (but not all) styles of Brazilian music. Among other traits, they share:

• a strong rhythmic and polyrhythmic profile based in African folkloric and ceremonial music, and apart from Indian influences in certain regions, a throaty African vocal quality

• melodic shapes and compositional forms based on Western European classical and urban forms

• harmonic roots ranging from Jazz, Chopin and Debussy to a modal pedal used as accompaniment for sung poetry (ex. desafios of the Northeast)

• the spontaneous role of improvisation in developing key rhythmic, melodic and harmonic materials

Exploration, Discovery, Assimilation

Like Jazz, contemporary Brazilian music did not emerge overnight in a neat package of instructional books and videos. Today the overwhelming amount of information we have access to can rob us of our own exciting discoveries.

In reality, Brazilian music has undergone an evolution of almost five centuries which began with Portuguese occupation of native Indian peoples and then the African slave trade. The story is an equally fascinating and unnerving one, and for further interest I recommend the Appelby book listed at the end of this column.Column Contents and Format

For a given musical style (ex. Bossa Nova, Samba), the column will address these main points:

• Historical and regional origin of the style
• Essential rhythmic, melodic and harmonic traits • Key players who have contributed to its evolution, including interviews CD reviews, etc.
• Adapting original percussion rhythms to comping patterns, right-hand independence exercises
• Idiomatic voicings, progressions and voice-leading
• Any alternate tunings, special techniques or sound fx
• Sample transcription or tune applying the techniques
• Recommended listening, repertoire, reading, etc.

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February 1998 Prelude to Bossa Nova
Brazilian Connection p.4

It’s pretty obvious that we could devote ten or twenty columns to each musical style. It depends on your preference for getting deep into one style or working more from a quick overview. Either way, our main purpose will be to gain a working familiarity with each style so we can apply the techniques in a flexible range of situations.

More extensive treatments of each style will be found in my upcoming Brazilian Guitar method book, Bossa Nova and Beyond- a work five years in progress.

In fact, these columns will be using excerpts from the book, so you will get a look at these materials well before the final manuscript goes to print.

Overview of Brazilian Styles & Rhythms

Brazilian musical styles can be classified according to:
1)geography 2)social context 3) rhythm

1) North: Pernambuco, Bahia, Alagoas, Para, Ceará
South Central: Minas Gerais,São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro
South: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Caterina
West:Amazônas, Rondonia, Mato Grosso,Acre

2) Música Erudíta: "serious" classical composition

Música Folclórica: rural, ex. xôte, forró

MPB: Popular Brazilian styles, urban, ex. Bossa Nova, Tropicalismo

Música Religiosa: Cult music, ex. Candomblé, Xangô

Festive/Procession:Samba de Enredo, Frêvo, Maracatú

3) Samba, Chôro, Baião, Marcha Rancho, Afoxê, Frevo, Xote,Toada,Samba Canção

My own explorations of these styles have proceeded along two distinct but simultaneous paths: those rhythms which have traditionally used guitar (Bossa Nova, Chôro, Samba) and unidiomatic styles for which I have adapted comping and solo guitar textures from original percussion sourcerhythms. We will examine both streams as these columns unfold.

The Bossa Nova Story

In 1953, two Rio university architect students named Tom Jobim and Billy Blanco took time away from studies to write music together.

By 1958, with the pivotal involvement of poet/visionary Vinicius de Moraes and his protegés João Gilberto and Baden Powell, their efforts flowered into full-blown Bossa Nova.

Jobim’s musical influences were weighted more towards música erudíta (Bach, Chopin, Debussy Villa-Lobos) than raw folkloric and urban styles driven by polyrhythms, dance forms and religious cult worship. Distinguished by its cool instrumental and hushed vocal delivery, harmonic sophistication and refined poetic themes, BN was as much a divisive class statement as a musical one.

By the late ‘60’s the growing political discontent and economic polarization in Brazil rendered the BN’s ethereal message irrelevant to those less fortunate who were bearing the brunt of the harsh inequities.

This eventually gave rise to a popular style called Tropicalismo which introduced rock elements, a more hard-edged vocal style and socially "relevant" subject matter.

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February 1998 Prelude to Bossa Nova
Brazilian Connection p.5

the Bossa Nova Rhythm

Unlike most Brazilian styles which are a composite of different percussion polyrhythms later adapted to rhythm section instruments, the basic BN is a single rhythm which was conceived first as a solo guitar comping pattern. Generally attributed to João Gilberto (ironically a native of Bahia to the north), the great Baden Powell viewed this pattern as a simplification of samba’s tamborim rhythm with bass note pulses added to make the pattern self-sufficient. The smooth swinging feeling (not swing in the Jazz sense) was called "balanço". Note that BN is written in 2/4 halftime, unlike the 4/4 Jazz players are accustomed to (Fig 1).

Typical Voicings

The most common voicing type used in BN is what some might call Drop 3. This uses a
6 bass note with a 4-3-2 voicing above, placing the voicing in a very comfortable midrange slot perfect for accompaniment. Right hand assignments are p (thumb) for the bass pulse and i m a (index, middle, ring) for the voicing.

Straight 7th/6th chords are used as well as some extension tones (9, 11, 13), and inversions are quite common if not desirable. Here are voicings for root position, 1st and 2nd inversion. Sevenths are given, then a sample of possible extensions (Fig 2).

Typical Progressions

BN progessions are very specific to the tune in question, but there are some fairly standard ones which are based on turnarounds (I VI II V and variations) and II V sequences. Note how chords are connected smoothly by paying attention to voice leading (Fig 3).

Following is an eight-bar excerpt of João Gilberto’s comping on "Garôta de Ipanema". Notice the subtle rhythmic variations and interplay between the bass pulse and voicing attacks. Also, note the very idiomatic 13 b9 voicing with the b9 in the bass. This is a very common way a II-V progression is played (Fig 4).

TIP: If you’re playing an electric with a bassist (rather than a nylon classical w/ or w/o a pickup) be sure to keep the sound warm but not too bassy, as the 6 string bass note could clash in the same register. If you can’t change the EQ, either lighten up the bass pulse attack or drop it altogether and just play the voicing.

That’s just a first look at Bossa Nova comping. Next issue we’ll cover more advanced comping approaches, a great Baden Powell transcription and have an exclusive interview with the brilliant guitarist from Trio da Paz , Romero Lubambo. Until then, all best wishes for the New Year, and thanks for letting me be a part of your musical day.

Recommended reading:

Appelby, Music of Brazil, Univ. Texas,
Austin 1983
Schreiner, Música Brasileira, Boyers,
London 1993

For comments, questions, info on concerts, workshops, recordings, publications and other activities, please contact me at:

Richard Boukas
Artist Residency Programs
PO Box 670126
Kew Gardens Hills NY 11367-0126

(718) 441-4455
(917) 217-3157 cell

boukmusik@earthlink.net

Musical Examples for this issue are available in Adobe Acrobat Reader (pdf) format. To open, just click on the hypertext below or on the hypertext examples within the article itself.

JJG2/98 (Fig 1)

JJG2/98 (Fig 2-4)

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The Brazilian Connection