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.

Os Mutantes---Fab Tropicalia and the World's Most Interesting Man

I did not have any clue about Brazilian music until David Byrne began putting out Brazilian compilations on his Luaka Bop label. The first in the series, Beleza Tropical (covering artists of the 60's and early 70's), was where I got the bug, but it took a while for the infection to spread. Brazilian music is different from what I was used to hearing--in a lot of this music there is a subtlety that I was unaccustomed to. Plus enjoying music performed in other languages seems to be an acquired taste. But you can't go wrong with a compilation with Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and Chico Buarque, and I overcame my musical baggage and began to appreciate this great new musical world.

I could not help but love this music, and there is something very special about Portuguese. There is a real poetic languid beauty there that is not in many other languages. Someday I would like to get there as it seems to be an amazing and diverse culture, though I wish that there were some solution to the great economic inequities found in that society. I have a few terrific albums, I've seen the Simpsons episode in Rio and I've been to Rodizio restaurants, but that is about it.

I do have a friend who has made his way down to Rio as a cultural ambassador a few times, and while some people see him as an unassuming sort, those in the know are aware of his greatness. Every time I see the Dos Equis commercials starring "The World's Most Interesting Man". I know that there is a real person who is the

Stay Thirsty Smarty Jones

inspiration for this fictitious character--they "copied" him. Take away the beard, replace the head hair with a NY Yankee hat, and that's my friend. He's a guy who has travelled the four corners of the globe and has the photos to prove it. Skiing in the Alps, cruising the Amazon, on Safari in Africa, buying gourmet olive oil in Bari, rubbing shoulders with diplomats in St Petersburg. Watching the changing of the Scotch Guard in Edinburgh. And of course enjoying the high life in Rio, while being the world's biggest Yankee fan (an honorary Steinbrenner) and a reformed punk rocker who traded in his Doc Martens for a thong. And he really does like Dos Equis!!And if a man of his pedigree is a Brasileirophile, should I be anything less?

Os Mutantes were a band starting out at the same time as the groups from Beleza Tropical, and they were also formed part of the Tropicalia movement of the 1960's. There was political unrest and social change in Brazil at the time, as there was in the US and Europe. Tropicalismo, as it was also called, was also a movement that involved literature, poetry, and theatre.  And aside from  merely being an incorporation of rock and roll and psychedelia into Brazilian music, there was also a political component to the new movement, a reaction to the military coup d'etat in 1964, which set up a right wing reactionary government. In many cases dissent was not tolerated and artists suffered reprisals from the new regime.


O Bruxo Do Luxo

 I am flabbergasted that Os Mutantes were teenagers when they put out their first album. They were so musically talented and precocious. It is very easy to remark about their love of the Beatles. It is very clear that they were very influenced by the Beatles and seemingly the sort of rock and roll  seen in American teen films of the era. But they took those influences and mixed them with Brazilian traditions. And on top of that, the music is so eccentric, theatrical, sweet, wacky, and unpredictable. You really don't know what will happen next, but you can't wait to find out. And I'm not talking about so-bad-its-good kitsch. This album is without a doubt a desert island disc, and one of the best albums of the 60's.

Os Mutantes consisted of brothers Arnaldo and Sergio Baptista and Rita Lee. I'm not sure who played what, and there certainly many other musicians who contributed to this album. Panis et Circensis starts the record in predictably eccentric style. The song keeps changing forms like a case of attention deficit disorder. But the musicianship is excellent with nice "Penny Lane" horns and the harmonies are great. A Minha Menina is just a really classic song featuring a great fuzzy psychedelic guitar lick and gogo type harmonies. My personal favorite here. Like a lot of the songs O Relogio starts and ends as a sweet ballad featuring Rita Lee and morphs into a lysergic rave up in the middle. Throughout the record there are sound effects--crashes, laughter, bird calls, whistles. And there are xylophones, clarinets, trombones, flutes, organ, strings. It's nice to see music like this getting recorded, because I could really see a producer or engineer taking these guys aside and asking "why are you doing this? This is a bad idea".

Adeus Maria Fulo is a very percussive Brazilian tune, the sort of thing you might expect on a Brazilian album today, but maybe not the refined Bossa Nova style that they were known for then. The following song is another highlight, the playful sexy Baby. I actually saw Portastatic (Mac McCaughan of Superchunk solo really) sing that song at Maxwell's in Hoboken, and he did a nice job. Gal Costa also does a beautiful version of this. Senor F is cheeky musichall  cabaret, replete with New Orleans horns. It's like modern Western music in a microwave.

Probably the crowning song on this album is Bat Macumba in all its joyous strutting abandon. After this is the cool stoner madrigal Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour. Another highlight is Trem Fantasma, which is a mercurial pop song, changing from droniness to sleighbells to harmony filled chorus with horns. Tempo no Tempo is a cabaret type song, ending with church bells. The album closes with Ave Genghis Khan, another organ filled rave up. What a shame this didn't come out in the US sooner! A crazy and fun album to listen to. made a few  The second album Mutantes is also recommended. And before Rita Lee was out of the band they made a few more. They actually reunited recently and toured the US, though without Rita Lee, unfortunately. If you like 60's rock and psychedelia this album should be part of your life. And stay thirsty, amigos.