Flowers Dance Through My Thoughts--Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical

Beleza Tropical was my gateway record into the fabulous world of Brazilian music. All I knew about Brazilian music prior to this was The Girl From Ipanema. But I heard some hype about this record and I imagined that if David Byrne thought highly enough of this music to put out compilations on his own Luaka Bop label, there must be something significant to it. I bought the record and was pretty unimpressed at first. I was a fan of the Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Husker Du. This album seemed a little mellow for my tastes, sounding a little loungy to my overamplified eardrums. And I'm American and the music is in another language. Ultimately, I came back to this record more than once and then developed a deep appreciation of the subtle charms expressed here. Sometimes my favorite records don't make an immediately positive impression, but in general those are the one that wind up broadening my outlook. There are other compilations in Byrne's Brazil Classics, but this one, the first has a sentimental spot in my heart.

In some ways it seems kind of silly to tout this record---it's like trying to explain to people why they should listen to The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan. The artist represented on this compilation are superstars, political activists, and national icons in Brazil. This is definitely no Brazilian Nuggets collection. But from my historical perspective, before this record came out I would have been clueless as to where to start hearing Brazilian music. Aside from Reggae music, the concept of "World Music" was in its infancy, and the musical taste makers of America decided that this sort of music was not saleable, even in small numbers. So as a readily available sampler that was getting at least a little bit of hype, this was really my best option at the time. And for me this album was an opportunity to dip my toe in the balmy waters of Tropicalia. Turns out, Brazil has an amazing musical tradition, replete with songwriters of the highest calibre of which this collection merely scratches the rim of the Caipirinha. But if you are unfamiliar with theTropicalia musical movement, this would be a pretty good place to start. I played this for my niece back when she was about four, and I remember that even she liked it.

The Tropicalia movement began in the 60's in Brazil, and it seems to parallel in some ways many of the student-based movements going on in the world in that era. This cultural movement was part of a reaction to the military coup d'etat of 1964 and the subsequent military dictatorship. The artists of the movement sought freedom of expression, incorporating music from areas throughout Brazil with jazz, rock and roll, or whatever found their fancy. This movement was perceived by the government as a political threat, and artists such as Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso were briefly jailed and ultimately forced into exile. Other more unfortunate artists were subjected to torture or incarceration in psychiatric institutions. Despite the hardship, this era produced an amazing creative cornucopia that sets a shining example for new generations of aspiring musicians, and not just Brazilians.

Beleza Tropical starts out with the great Jorge Ben, and soccer tune Ponta de Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma), the funkiest song on this collection. Most of the songs here are pop ballads done with subtle nuanced vocals and understated rhythmic complexity. Anyone hearing this music will find a healthy respect and appreciation for the Portuguese--it is such a beautifully poetic and sexy language, you don't have to know what these artists are saying to be thrilled. Passionate yet languidly sophisticated, smooth, yet rootsy sounding, it is music that transcends any language barriers.

I probably came back to Beleza Tropical after I saw Portastatic (Mac from Superchunk/Merge Records' side project) at the Mercury Lounge. Right now I can't recall who he opened for, but I remember that he performed Baby by Gal Costa (not on this album), and related that he actually was so smitten by Brazilian music that he had recently put out an Ep of Brazilian covers. Seeing him perform Baby on stage, while not in any way comparable to Gal Costa, opened my eyes and ears a bit. Maybe it took seeing live performance for me to get it, but I did! Shortly after I grabbed a cheap compilation of Gal's music and off I went. Gal performs on this album Sonho Meu with Maria Bethania. I've already reviewed in this blog the terrific album by Arto Lindsay and Peter Scherer's group Ambitious Lovers called Greed. An amazing hybrid of Punk, Funk, Brazil, Skronk, and Pop. Probably my very first intro to Brazilian music, not counting The Girl from Ipanema. Arto wrote the liner notes here, and for all you hesitators, be advised that the lyrics are also printed, in Brazilian and translated into English.

On this compilation you get to hear the great Lo Borges singing the piano pounding Equatorial. Caetano Veloso shines brightly on the sweet whimsical acoustic O Leaozinho "Little Lion". Chico Buarque is represented here by the sad acoustic ballad Calice, and the bouncy Cacada. Gilberto Gil sings the sweet So Quero Um Xodo on here, another favorite of mine with lots of accordion present. Milton Nascimento performs Anima here, a simply beautiful song. The thing about Beleza Tropical is the artists make it sound all so easy, but the reality is that this music has a lot going on within requiring top notch musical chops. The songs breathe, they have a lightness to them that I think would be hard to master.



One name I had not heard before I got this collection was Nazare Pereira and he comports himself well on Maculele, an instant party classic. You hear another side of Jorge Ben on the gritty acoustic folk of Fio Maravilha. Great stuff. Another great tune here is Um Canto de Afoxe Para O Blaco do Ile (Ile Aye) by Caetano Veloso. The album ends with on a sublime note with Caetano's Terra with great lyrics.



David Byrne is an artist who keeps his ears open, and he felt so strongly about this music that he wanted people to hear this great music that so many of us in the US were blissfully ignorant. And of course he is smart; he knew, like any dealer with his salt, that if people got a little taste, they would be back for more, itching to feed their new found addiction. Once this music gets under your skin, the worldview becomes a little different. And of course there were other volumes to this series--Brazil Classics Volumes 2 O Samba and 3 Foro Etc I highly recommend, just a shade below Volume 1, and that is probably mostly my own sentimentality showing.



So what are you waiting for? For mere pennies you can pick this baby up! If you don't ever get to to hear this music you will be missing out on something very special.

David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries:(Nothing But) Pedals? Nah, More Like Byrnesy The Observer

Just finished reading David Byrne's book The Bicycle Diaries. Before I bought the book, I checked out what people had to about the book on Amazon. It was a mixed bag. But then again so is the book.

I think a lot of people who panned the book were avid bikers who received the book as a gift by some well intentioned friend or relative who didn't know much about bikes. The recipients may very well not have known who the author is. It is not really a bike book, with hard technical knowledge about preparing for races, or the most scenic bike routes in the Berlin area. Biking is a part of the book but it is only a small part of the picture. So some people get outraged because the content is wrong. I can understand. I was pretty annoyed when I discovered that there were no French Connection style car chases in Driving Miss Daisy.

The other haters seemed to be the American Super Patriot type, who don't brook dissent, unless of course they are in disagreement with things. They complain that Liberal David Byrne, a known freedom hater and punk rock subversive, is out bashing stuff again, with his internationalist, cosmopolitan, euro-hopping car killing socialism. Blah. Blah. Blah. Makes you wonder if they read the book.(doubt it). Those sort of comments would make Mr. Byrne appear to be a pretentious sort. In reality, while David has strong convictions on issues, he is pretty low key and unassuming in the book, almost to a fault.

But I thought it would be an interesting read. David Byrne is a creative soul, an intelligent person who seeks out new and interesting things. He is a thoughtful person, a man who straddles the art and music world. He has the eclectic Luaka Bop music label. So is this a great great work of erudition, or as in the enlightened vernacular of today, a must read? Not particularly. But I enjoyed it, much as I enjoy a lot of comedies. There are great bits in it, that made me think, made me laugh. I learned a few things. On a lot of his big ideas, it sometimes felt like I was on a tandem bike with him. But like any bike ride there are ups and downs. And in reality Byrne does not have high aspirations here.

First of all, as I said, it is not a bike book. The Bike Motif is a literary foil that connects his travels and his thoughts as he goes about his life. It is not a particularly great travel book either. You get little snippets, little snapshots and philosophical musings about places, and some of the people who are creating things in these places. His destinations include places like Manila, Berlin, San Francisco, Istanbul, and Buenos Aires. But the book is more like the title a diary, or perhaps a blog. Certainly the text is embellished with numerous photos and images. I'd like to imagine that the title Bicycle Diaries is a homage to Basketball Diaries by the late poet-musician Jim Carroll, but since he doesn't mention it anywhere I am probably off base. Unless of course it is that painfully obvious.

Bicycle diaries is not particularly revelatory, at least not in the Hollywood Tell-all style. So Talking Heads fans will not want to read this to find out juicy details about the author. There are just numerous musings on art, music, individuality, architecture, urban society, public policy, global ecology. Belly dancing. The East German Secret Police. It's interesting to hear what he has to say on a myriad of topics. But he seems to be a pretty self effacing person. He is very much a third person in this chronicle, an outside observer. In a way, it's kind of refreshing. So many people visit a place for a few weeks and think they have uncovered timeless secrets and insights. It's more about them than the place, a sort of verbal imperialism. But he doesn't try and dictate what things are so much, or what people should or shouldn't do.

It's not always so clear cut.

But he gets impressions of places through his bike journeys, and puts a lot of thought to more universal ideas. I particularly like his musings on "outsider" art made by school janitors and mentally ill people, and how similar artworks by big name "sane" and savvy downtown artists command respect and big dollars. I think he basically said that if archaeologists uncovered two similar examples of such art by disparate authors, they would not be able to make many qualitative distinctions. I guess there is at least a little bit of hype in everything.

So I would recommend this book, if you've read what I've said about it and are intrigued. The book grew on me as I continued reading. It's like having a conversation with a really smart reflective guy who travels the world with his eyes wide open. With a quirky sense of humor to boot. Most people reach a certain age and decide what they like and don't like and become set in their ways. They don't want to know about new things--well, maybe they will go on some trips and take pictures of the Pyramids or a Norwegian Dragon Church. But other people have a thirst for knowledge and for experiencing and interacting with the world that is boundless. They don't fall for those stereotypes that are often fostered by ignorance. And in a way I consider that to be a form of respect for other people, something that we need more of in this world.
I'm just saying that this sort of questing attitude should keep going, not stop when you throw your cap in the air after graduating High School or when you get a real job. Keep your mind sharp--you might have to use it some day.