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Brazilian Connection exploring Brazilian Fingerstyle Guitar music and culture by Richard Boukas as originally published in Just Jazz Guitar |
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May 1999 MALANDRO:
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MALANDRO:
Brazil/New York Update Welcome back to Brazilian Connection. There’s much to report since our last column (JJG Nov 98). Last year closed with some great concerts- those including my Trio Brasileiro, a Hermeto Pascoal tribute program at the New School Jazz program where I teach, Quinteto Brasileiro co-led with Jovino Santos-Neto (Hermeto's pianist 77-92) which was broadcast on NY public television and some exciting recording projects in the works. São Paulo Jazz greats Teco Cardoso (reeds) and Léa Freire (flute) were in town to gig at the Blue Note and laid down a new CD for the cutting-edge artist-run Nucleo Contemporâneo label. In our second look at Bossa Nova last November we explored more comping patterns and rhythm section transcriptions to shed light on the guitar's applied role in this style. Current plans for the August issue are an introduction to Chôro- the rich musical genre whose virtuosity, syncopated Afro-Brazilian rhythms and small group interaction parallel our own Bebop, only permeated further by |
European dance forms, Chopin’s lyricism and a host of plucked string instruments including 6 & 7-string classical guitars, cavaquinho and bandolim. Keep those e-mails coming! Players from Brazil, New Zealand, and other corners of the world (like Brooklyn) have shown great interest in this music and where they can get their hands on it. The sad news is that only a limited number of authentic Brazilian guitar recordings are available in most U.S. record chains, and well-stocked specialty stores such as Tony Acosta's Luthier Shop in Manhattan are a blessed rarity (see info end of column). While in Brazil last summer it was tragic to discover just how much great music from there has little or no opportunity to be heard live, recorded or found in print here in the States- and surprisingly, even in some major Brazilian cities as well. I remember walking into the famous Rio music store Ao Bandolim de Ouro, finding a back room of rickety wooden drawers with original and long out-of-print 1950's editions of solo guitar music beaten by years of humidity and neglect. Only European editions showed print dates after 1980, and these were predictably very expensive. But thankfully there are a few brave individuals here committed to changing all this. |
In just over a year’s time, ambitious president Rick Warm of Malandro Records has managed to release some of the most significant Brazilian guitar and instrumental Jazz recordings in recent memory.Producing both mainstay and emerging artists alike, his work deserves our attention and support. Getting Warm As for availability of recordings and artist touring, economic times are once again very volatile, making it even more difficult in Brazil to build the industry support offered by major labels, management and trade media enjoyed by our best-known Jazz artists. With few exceptions (such as Brazil's Kuarup and Velas ), if artists did not produce and release their own recordings there would be precious little new music out of Brazil other than current pop trends which lean heavily into rap and axé, their version of house. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Warm at 35 evinces a strong alchemy of artistic vision, cut-to-the-chase marketing smarts and an undeniably keen affinity for Brazilian music and culture. His jeans, well-groomed pony tail and loquacious enthusiasm portray him as someone who could run your local health food store or vintage guitar shop. But make no mistake- Warm is a seasoned veteran of the international corporate world. scroll down for next page |
