A ALMA DO BRASIL
ORGANIZAÇÃO E PREFÁCIO
A publicação ressalta não apenas estes últimos 40 anos, período que coincide com a própria exis-
tência da FINEP, mas a ampla introdução de Ricardo Cravo Albin traça o nascimento dos gêneros e
compositores, desde as primeiras manifestações de miscigenação, de transculturação, e de evolução
que fundamentaram nosso swing, numa caminhada poética pelas casas das “tias”, pela época de ouro
do rádio, marcada não apenas pelo choro como também pelo jongo.
Os textos de Antônio Carlos Miguel, Artur Xexéo, João Máximo e Luiz Antônio Giron contextualizam
as quatro décadas e iluminam a trajetória que levaria à pujança da música brasileira do século XX,
marcado pelo desabrochar da Bossa Nova, movimento que acabou por conquistar o mundo.
O livro não basta ser lido. Trata-se de um testemunho crucial para o entendimento da história do
Brasil contada em tons e semitons que marcaram a cultura brasileira. Por isso deve ser apreciado e
preservado. Como um patrimônio. E não há patrimônio maior do que o sentido de identidade e per-
tencimento que nos é proporcionado pela cultura nacional.
Temos, assim, o dever não apenas de preservar a história dessa música, mas de investigar com maior
afinco a sua complexa constituição ao longo das décadas do século XX. Muitas histórias precisam
ser contadas, fatos esclarecidos, para que possamos entender a profundidade de seu enraizamento
na cultura. Há bastante tempo, o pesquisador e musicólogo Ricardo Cravo Albin vem se dedicando a
nos mostrar algumas das muitas páginas dessa história. A presente edição é prova disso: além de ri-
camente ilustrada, ela traz, nas preciosas contribuições de Antonio Carlos Miguel, Artur Xexéo, João
Máximo e Luiz Antônio Giron, um excelente panorama dos vários movimentos da MPB.
A FAPERJ, que tem entre suas metas o apoio à investigação e à divulgação de nossa cultura, se sente
honrada em ter podido contribuir para mais esse belo produto do Instituto Cultural Cravo Albin. Es-
peramos que, na esteira desse livro, muitos outros possam vir à luz, ampliando o nosso conhecimento
sobre aquilo que não apenas faz parte de nossa alma, mas que, principalmente, não deixa nunca de
nos encantar.
Cazuza
MPB
A ALMA DO BRASIL
Sumário
Não à toa, João Máximo, Artur Xexéo, Antônio Carlos Miguel e Luiz Antônio Giron foram convidados
a garimpar seus conhecimentos crítico-evocativos e agregá-los a essa tentativa de desfiar mais uma
vez a história de uma paixão nacional.
Quatro lustros – situados entre 1967 e 2007 – que acompanham a experiência bem sucedida dos 40
anos da FINEP. Instituição de pesquisa que começou a investir entre 1967-68 com uma originalidade:
injetar recursos no primeiro grande sonho do disco independente neste país, o do produtor Marcos
Pereira. Meu amigo Marcos Pereira pensou grande, agiu grande, gravou grande.
A este livro logo se somou como parceiro a FAPERJ, que vem acompanhando o Instituto desde o seu
começo e a quem o ICCA deve não apenas o incentivo acadêmico como a solidariedade pontual no trata-
mento de seus multiplos acervos. Finalmente – e graças ao assentimento geral dos parceiros – a Funda-
ção Alexandre de Gusmão (MRE) agregou-se a este livro, fazendo-o reluzir com os textos em inglês.
Espero que possa ser de alguma utilidade a introdução aos quatro belos
textos que o leitor terá a seguir. Até porque – como costumo repetir
com persistência nesses últimos 45 anos de atuação na historiografia da
MPB – nenhuma história nasce do nada. Tudo se intercomunica com os
canais do tempo, fortificando as raízes que permitem as sequências.
E consequências.
Banda de Pifanos de Caruarú
A Bandinha Vai Tocar
1980 - Marcus Pereira
UMA INTRODUÇÃO
Daí para cá, esses últimos cento e tantos anos, abertos tanto pela Abolição
da Escravatura (1888) quanto pela Proclamação da República (1889), assis-
tiram à consolidação de uma revolução cultural que nos redimiu: a dramá-
tica ascensão da civilização mulata no Brasil. E com ela, a consolidação de
sua filha primogênita, a mais querida e a mais abrangente, a MPB.
Não será apenas por incorporar a palavra popular que a MPB pode exibir,
com tamanho luxo, sua melhor e mais nobre configuração: a interface da
solidariedade que ela propõe. E - mais que isso - que ela vem realizando
ao longo deste último século.
Pois sempre é útil lembrar-se que nossa música popular é fruto direto - e
indissociável - do encontro inter-racial que culminou no país mulato que
somos nós.
Quero deixar também claro – nesta minha introdução – que muitos no-
mes de compositores, intérpretes e músicos - até da minha estima e res-
peito pessoais - não foram citados neste texto, especialmente na opulenta
década de ouro, os anos 30. Se fosse registrar todos os que queria, esta
leitura seria a de um enfadonho listão de nomes, a não mais acabar. Por
isso mesmo, ousei resumir todas as décadas que antecedem a atualidade
de quatro lustros em apenas alguns dos compositores fundamentais.
uma importância decisiva na história da MPB. Considero-os como a mas-
sa do bolo que é a música popular, ficando seus intérpretes (cantores e
músicos) como o fermento e cobertura que lhe dão a beleza e a tornam
desejável aos paladares. E aí - que me perdoem os recalcitrantes - a esco-
lha deles todos é mesmo pessoal.
Da Modinha e do Lundu ao Samba
Lima Neves Gonzaga (Rio, 1847 - Rio, 1935), filha de família ilustre,
Não posso negar (2 X)...
De tão grande importância quanto Chiquinha - e talvez até maior sob uma
ótica estritamente musical – Ernesto Júlio Nazareth (Rio, 1863 - Rio,
1934) era filho de modesta família da pequena classe média. Aluno apli-
cado de piano, lançou o primeiro tango brasileiro, “Brejeiro”, que no fundo
era quase o choro. E assim se iniciou uma carreira que o transformaria no
compositor mais original do Brasil, no dizer de Mário de Andrade: é po-
pular e erudito ao mesmo tempo. Nazareth, contudo, desprezava música
popular, mas era obrigado a tocá-la em lugares plebeus, como antessalas de
cinema - onde, aliás, era ouvido por gente do porte de Darius Milhaud, que
nele se inspirou para compor algumas de suas peças. Rui Barbosa, outro Ernesto Nazareth
personagem famosíssimo, sempre ia ouvi-lo no cinema Odeon. Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 26
Patapio Catullo
Pixinguinha - Carinhoso
Meu coração, não sei por que
Foges de mim...
dizer de Carlos Drummond de Andrade), apareceu em 1912 um menino
de calças curtas tocando flauta melhor que gente grande. Esse menino
virtuoso viria a ser o herdeiro de toda a tradição musical inaugurada e
cultivada por Nazareth, Chiquinha, Callado, Patápio e Catullo, e tam-
bém seria – pelo menos ao meu ver – o estruturador e o patriarca de
toda música que viria depois dele: Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, o
Pixinguinha
Pixinguinha (Rio, 23 de abril de 1897 - Rio, 17 de fevereiro de 1973).
Crescendo num ambiente de música e músicos da baixa classe média,
o menino Alfredo era chamado pela avó africana de Pizindin (menino
bom). Já aos 12 anos esgotaria os conhecimentos musicais que lhe mi-
nistrara o maestro César Leitão.
Pois bem, essa parte da população não saía no carnaval de forma organizada,
mas em blocos desordenados, cujos desfiles terminavam quase sempre
em grandes brigas de capoeira e em “terríveis cenas de sangue”, segundo
Centro do Rio
o cronista João do Rio. Aliás, atento às evoluções urbanísticas do Rio, Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
a batucada, nos redutos da Praça Onze, nas casas das tias e nas festas
da Penha. Aliás, muitos anos mais tarde, por volta de 1932, quando a
população que descendia dos escravos foi obrigada a morar em casebres
no alto dos morros cariocas, Caninha compôs um samba que atestava
as origens da MPB: “Samba de morro / Não é samba, é batucada / Lá na
cidade / A escola é diferente”. A propósito, os primeiros moradores dos
morros cariocas foram os descendentes dos baianos, vindos da guerra de
Canudos e que deram à comunidade o nome de favela, hoje substantivo
abrangente, sinônimo das habitações de comunidades carentes.
Outro pioneiro que criou o samba a partir da batucada foi João da Baiana
(Rio, 1887 - Rio, 1974). Filho da baiana Prisciliana dos Santos Amaro, a
Tia Prisciliana, João – o inesquecível e doce tio João como nós o chamá-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 34
Tela e foto de
Heitor dos Prazeres
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
vem este pintor extraordinário?” Heitor, que seria premiado na primeira O chefe da folia
Bienal de São Paulo, passou boa parte da vida como contínuo do antigo
Pelo telefone
Ministério da Educação e Cultura, emprego vitalício que lhe fora conse-
guido pelo poeta Carlos Drummond, seu confesso admirador.
manda me avisar
Que com alegria
O compositor Heitor dos Prazeres foi também o reponsável pelo apareci- Não se questione
mento da Escola de Samba da Portela, ao lado de Paulo Portela. Mas isso para se brincar...
já ao comecinho dos anos 30.
Donga / M. de Almeida
Pelo Telefone
O samba só veio a ser registrado com esse nome quando o quarto
desses pioneiros, Ernesto Joaquim Maria dos Santos, o Donga (Rio,
1899 - Rio, 1974), filho de Tia Amélia mas também frequentador dos
folguedos de Tia Ciata, gravou uma música adaptada por ele e pelo
cronista carnavalesco do Jornal do Brasil, Mauro de Almeida, o Peru
dos Pés Frios, baseada em motivo popular que ambos intitularam “Pelo
telefone”. Esse fato – aparentemente banal – teria a maior repercussão
tanto para a história do samba (apesar de “Pelo telefone” ser formalmente
mais para maxixe do que para o samba) como para a definição do começo
da profissionalização da MPB. E por quê? Porque isso se deu em janeiro
de 1917, e a primeira providência do Donga foi registrar música e letra
na Biblioteca Nacional.
A Consolidação do Samba
uma hemoptise, a bordo da barca cantareira que vinha da ilha do Gover-
nador para o Cais Pharoux, plena baía de Guanabara. Mas esses dez anos
de carreira foram mais do que suficientes para que Sinhô ingressasse na
história do cancioneiro popular como o primeiro sambista profissional.
Sinhô
de pelo menos um clássico no mundo inteiro, o choro “Tico-tico no fubá”).
Foto Arte Magazine, 1929
Coleção Almirante
Museu da Imagem e do Som
O Tico-Tico tá
Aracy Cortes, 1930
Coleção CEDOC/Funarte Tá outra vez aqui
O Tico-Tico tá comendo meu fubá
O Tico-Tico tem, tem que se alimentar
Que vá comer umas minhocas no pomar...
Zequinha de Abreu - Tico-Tico no Fubá
Voltando a Sinhô: no auge do sucesso (a partir de 1925), ele começou a Mário Reis e Francisco Alves
Ases do Samba
frequentar casas de intelectuais como Álvaro Moreyra, transformando-se 1993 - Revivendo
no primeiro sambista publicamente reverenciado por figuras proeminentes Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
como José do Patrocínio, filho. Vaidoso das ilustres admirações, fez sambas
dedicados a inúmeras personalidades, como Eugênia Moreira e o então jovem
jornalista Roberto Marinho. Apesar de ter sempre contra si a pecha de pla-
giador de sambas alheios. Aliás, o maior escândalo da carreira de Sinhô foi o
“Gosto que me enrosco”, reivindicado por Heitor dos Prazeres, logo depois,
inclusive, de ter o mesmo Heitor questionado a autoria do “Ora vejam só”.
O fato gerou uma das mais acesas polêmicas da MPB. Data daí, ou seja,
do momento em que Heitor dos Prazeres procurou Sinhô para cobrar seus
direitos de autor, uma das mais famosas frases da história da MPB, atesta-
do singular da ingenuidade, malícia e até malandragem dos compositores
do povo: “Samba é como passarinho que voa, é de quem pegar primeiro”.
Ao que Heitor retrucou não só chamando o desafeto de “Sinhô dos meus
sambas”, mas também compondo duas peças contra Sinhô, cujos títulos são
realmente conclusivos: “Olha ele, cuidado” e “Rei dos meus sambas”.
A sedutora mulata Aracy Cortes seria a grande sensação da MPB nos anos
20, despertando paixões nas plateias dos teatros de revista da Praça Tira-
dentes (Rio) ao cantar “Jura” (Sinhô) e “Ai, ioiô” (H. Vogeler, L. Peixoto),
com graça insuperável, falsetes geniais e olhos maliciosos que, ao pisca-
rem no palco, incendiavam as plateias.
Ismael Silva Se Sinhô foi o primeiro compositor a profissionalizar o samba, ele só viria
1973 a ser definitivamente estruturado – em sua forma como é hoje conhecido
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
– por um grupo que habitava o Estácio de Sá, bairro de baixa classe mé-
Francisco Alves
Rei da voz em todas as épocas dia carioca na segunda metade da década de 1920. Esse grupo de compo-
Revivendo sitores, boêmios e malandros, que hibernavam de dia e floresciam à noite
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
nos botequins Café Apoio e Do Compadre, tinha por líder o compositor
lsmael Silva. O grupo do Estácio entraria para a história da MPB como
consolidador do ritmo e da malícia do samba urbano carioca, até então
muito influenciado pelo maxixe em sua estrutura formal, do que nos dão
testemunho claríssimo “Pelo telefone” e quase todas as obras de Sinhô.
lsmael Silva (Niterói, RJ, 1905 - Rio, 1978) aos cinco anos de idade já
era morador do sopé do morro de São Carlos, no Estácio de Sá. Ali de-
senvolveria a sua extraordinária musicalidade em rodas de sambistas e
malandros locais, dentre os quais Alcebíades Barcelos e Armando Marçal
(autores de “Agora é Cinza”), Rubem Barcelos (irmão de Bide), Baiaco,
Brancura, Mano Edgar do Estácio e o primeiro grande parceiro de lsmael,
Nilton Bastos, morto prematuramente logo depois (1931).
Esse elenco dos cantores do rádio é todo um capítulo de pura sedução: Locutor Celso Guimarães
(Arquivo Rádio Nacional)
o seresteiro Sílvio Caldas; o meteórico mas genial sambista Luís Barbosa;
o ex-alfaiate Carlos Galhardo, que se consagraria como cantor romântico Elenco do Rádio-Teatro)
(Arquivo Rádio Nacional)
apesar de iniciar-se com “Boas festas”, de Assis Valente (1933); o hoje
Carmem Miranda
esquecido Patrício Teixeira, grande sucesso de época (citado até como Acervo Museu da Imagem e do Som
personagem da MPB em “Quatro estações”, de Lamartine Babo, 1933);
o iluminado Orlando Silva, que a partir de 1936 acendeu a mais forte luz
que a MPB já terá conhecido até hoje, pelo menos na época de apogeu
do seu canto (1936 - 1945); as cantoras Marília Batista e Aracy de Almei-
da, sempre disputando a preferência de Noel; o casal 20 que foi Odete
Amaral e Ciro Monteiro (dois estilistas notáveis a partir do final dos anos
30, mas de discreto prestígio junto ao grande público); e ainda as irmãs
Batista (Linda e Dircinha, ambas também muito queridas, especialmente
Ary Barroso
no final dos anos 30 e nas duas décadas seguintes). E tantos e tantos Ary Barroso com Silvio Caldas
outros que acabaram injustamente esquecidos. 1953 - Long Play Rádio
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Carmen Miranda O compositor mineiro Ary Barroso foi também pianista, locutor e ferre-
Em Suas Inesquecíveis Criações
1955 - RCA-Victor nho defensor da integridade dos ritmos brasileiros. É autor de “Aquarela
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin do Brasil”, a mais gravada música brasileira no mundo. E que teria como
Carlos Galhardo concorrente posterior apenas a “Garota de Ipanema”.
1972 - Selo Imperial
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Com “Aquarela” Ary iniciaria uma nova fase, a do samba-exaltação, que
Aracy de Almeida
Sucessos de Aracy de Almeida servia como luva às intenções nacionalistas do Estado Novo de Getú-
1956 - Continental
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin lio, então namoriscando os países do Eixo. Ary, aliás, chegou a trabalhar
nos Estados Unidos e a ser apontado para um Oscar da Academia de
Hollywood. Ao voltar dos estúdios da Disney faria de tudo no Brasil:
desde radialista famoso (de programas de futebol e de calouros) até ve-
reador municipal (foi seu o projeto para construir-se o Maracanã). Ainda
pianista, chefe de orquestra, boêmio inveterado nos anos 50 e defensor
intransigente da autenticidade da MPB, Mestre Ary lutou contra os ritmos
estrangeiros e sua crescente influência. Morreu dormindo no carnaval
de 1964, mas sua fama sobrevive através das mais de mil gravações exis-
tentes da “Aquarela do Brasil” em todo o mundo.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 45
ano seguinte (1932) fez músicas com dois parceiros importantes: dez
sambas com lsmael Silva e pelo menos outros tantos com o musicista
paulista Oswaldo Gogliano, o Vadico, com quem compôs obra-primas
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 46
Ninguém mais sedutor do que o carioca Noel Rosa tanto pela qualidade
poética de sua obra quanto pelo fato de ter vivido intensamente como poeta.
De que sua morte por tuberculose aos 27 anos é eloquente testemunho.
O primeiro sucesso foi com “O teu cabelo não nega” (carnaval de 1932).
Que também gerou uma polêmica com os irmãos Valença, autores
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 48
tu estavas tão linda”, “Só nós dois no salão e uma valsa” e “Alma dos
violinos”, além de canções, como “No rancho fundo” e “Serra da Boa Es-
perança”, estão sempre guardadas nos corações brasileiros e na garganta
de qualquer seresteiro que se preze.
Altaulfo Alves O ano de 1933 traz para a cena artística o primeiro sucesso do quarto dos
Ataulfo Alves e suas Pastoras
1959 - Sinter cinco compositores que iluminaram a época de ouro com cinco grandes
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin bagagens musicais, quer qualitativa, quer quantitativamente. Ataulfo Alves
de Souza (Mirai, Zona da Mata, MG, 1909 - Rio, 1968) era filho de la-
Helena de Lima
Ataukpho por Helena de Lima vradores muito pobres, que mal tiveram condições de lhe dar a educação
e Adeílton Alves - 1969 primária. Por isso, o rapazola chegou ao Rio para tentar a vida (1927) e
Acervo Museu da Imagem e do Som
foi morar no Estácio dos malandros sambistas. Ali Ataulfo exerceria as
mais modestas profissões, desde office-boy até prático de farmácia. Mas
a música popular era ainda mais forte que os múltiplos trabalhos em que
se metia. Logo, logo, Ataulfo começou a participar das noites de samba e
de boêmia do já afamado grupo de sambistas do Estácio. Assim começou
como compositor, consolidando seu prestígio nas três décadas seguintes
como autor de uma das grandes obras solitárias da música popular brasi-
leira. Por que solitária? Porque toda ela guarda uma impecável e elegante
unidade estrutural, não apenas na chancela melódica (qualquer observa-
dor mais atento é capaz de reconhecer uma melodia ataulfiana), mas tam-
bém, o que é um fato igualmente singular, na parte poético-literária. Ou
seja, Ataulfo Alves colocou melodias usualmente tristes a serviço de le-
tras no mais das vezes melancólicas, saudosas, romanticamente doídas.
ro, a pobreza dos pais e de sua infância e ainda, talvez, suas primeiras
decepções amorosas – como ele certa vez me confidenciou – lhe terão
dado a tristeza das letras, em que no mais das vezes existem preciosos
achados poéticos. Se bem que tivesse aparecido com “Tempo perdido”
em 1933, registrado por Carmen Miranda, o ano de 1940 foi mesmo
o marco decisivo na vida e carreira do mestre Ataulfo. Isso porque ele
estreia também como cantor – condição em que atuaria até sua morte
– com um samba “Leva meu samba”, mais tarde transformado num
dos clássicos do compositor: “Leva meu samba / Meu mensageiro, este
recado / Para o meu amor primeiro”.
muita coisa dos versos do parceiro. O que originou uma briga entre am-
bos, logo tornada sem efeito, até pelo sucesso que fez o samba. Aliás, há
outro fato curioso sobre Amélia: ele mostrou a música a vários cantores
da época, que se recusaram a gravá-la. Todos a consideraram um “samba
desinteressante e menor”. Foi por isso que ele se arriscou mais uma
vez como cantor, registrando Amélia em disco, acompanhado por sua
Academia de Samba, mais tarde o conhecidíssimo grupo Ataulfo Alves e
suas Pastoras.
A partir de então a carreira de Ataulfo manteve-se acesa, exibindo-se
sempre com suas pastoras em shows, rádios, boates e teatros e compondo
maravilhas como “Atire a primeira pedra”, “Fim de comédia”, “Errei, sim”,
“Vai na paz de Deus”, “Entre nós tudo acabado”, “Pois é” (revitalizando
o samba em 1954, época de crise em que samba não tinha vez), “Mulata
assanhada” (um raio de sol em sua tristeza que lançava o cantor Miltinho
em 1960) e “Na cadência do samba”, quando profeticamente Ataulfo dizia:
“Quero morrer / Numa batucada de bamba / Na cadência bonita do samba
/ O meu nome / Ninguém vai jogar na lama / Diz o dito popular / Morre o
homem / E fica a fama”. E ficou mesmo a fama, apesar de hoje injustamente
esmaecida, quando mestre Ataulfo morreu sem ninguém esperar, vitimado
por uma úlcera de duodeno que ele considerava de estimação.
Esse Caymmi tão arraigado à Bahia atingiria o melhor de sua obra nas
chamadas canções praieiras. Baseadas na paisagem humana e física das
praias da Bahia, são muitíssimo inspiradas nas cantigas do povo, cantigas
folclóricas transmitidas oralmente de geração a geração. Caymmi nelas se
embebeu para juntar uma das mais belas coleções de canções sobre o mar
de que este país, ou qualquer outro, tem notícia. Canções como “Noite
de temporal”, “É doce morrer no mar”, “A jangada voltou só”, “Quem
vem pra beira do mar”, “O vento”, “O canoeiro” e especialmente “O
mar” (a primeira delas, 1938) constituem um conjunto capaz de engran-
decer e honrar qualquer música. De qualquer país do mundo.
Wilson começou a vida muito cedo na baixa boêmia do Rio, onde aos 18
anos já aparecia como sambista nos cabarés da Lapa antiga e nas zonas
de meretrício. Ele retomaria não só estilística mas também socialmente
a obra de lsmael Silva. Devo reconhecer que ao começo dos anos 30 os
compositores de classe média tomaram quase que de assalto o ambiente
artístico, relegando os sambistas analfabetos – de condição sócio-cultural
mais baixa – a um plano inferior. Por isso mesmo não estarei longe da
verdade se afirmar que Wilson influenciou sambistas do seu nível social
como Geraldo Pereira, Paulo da Portela, Gordurinha, Zé da Zilda, Raul
Marques, Bucy Moreira, Rubem Soares e até mesmo compositores como Arcos da Lapa (em primeiro plano)
Rio Antigo - 1905
Roberto Martins, Marino Pinto, Pedro Caetano e Claudionor Cruz, estes Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Por isso tudo é bem fácil entender que o primeiro sucesso de Wilson
Baptista como compositor faria a apologia da malandragem – no melhor
estilo de lsmael e do seu “O que será de mim” – (“Se eu precisar um dia /
De ir pro batente / Não sei o que será / Pois vivo na malandragem / E vida
melhor na há...”), Pois bem, a música de Wilson chamou-se “Lenço no
pescoço”, cujos versos traçavam um exato retrato do malandro carioca da
década de 1930. Teve tanto sucesso na gravação de Sílvio Caldas (1933)
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 57
que Noel Rosa, então já muito respeitado e com inúmeros sambas gravados,
resolveu contestar essa exaltação à malandragem.
Wilson ainda insistiria com “Terra de cego”: “Perca essa mania de bamba
/ Todos sabem qual é / O teu diploma de samba / És o abafa da Vila, bem
sei / Mas em terra de cego / Quem tem um olho é rei”.
Dalva de Oliveira O compositor fluminense Herivelto Martins foi até produtor executivo
Rancho da Praça Onze
1965 - Odeon de Orson Welles cá no Rio em 1942, quando o astro americano rodou o
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin fime nunca acabado “It’s all true”.
na mão | E sorria quando o povo dizia: sossega leão, sossega leão ...”
Assis Valente - Camisa Listrada
“Vestiu uma camisa listrada e saiu por aí | Em vez de tomar chá com
dos anos 30-40, como Orlando, Sílvio, Galhardo e Chico Alves.
Capiba
Carnaval Capiba III.
Frevo alegria da gente
1974 - Passarela LP
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Lupicínio Rodrigues
Mestres da MPB
1994 - Continental
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 61
tal sentido rítmico para cantar cocos (gênero musical nordestino de an-
damento bem mais acelerado que o baião) que nunca foi igualado, nem
antes dele (como Manezinho Araújo, Jararaca e Ratinho ou Alvarenga e
Ranchinho), nem depois (como João do Vale, Alceu Valença, Xangai, Jorge
Luiz Gonzaga, 1948 do Altinho ou Elomar).
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Como todo modismo que se preze, o samba-canção dos anos 50 foi como Jackson do Pandeiro
Os grandes sucessos de
uma enxurrada, um rio caudaloso que agregou em seu curso muito lixo. Jackson do Pandeiro
1975 - Tropicana/CBS
Quero resumir esse rio tão desigual na reverência a dois personagens de Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
primeiríssima linha, a melhor expressão do samba-canção dos anos 50:
Claudette Soares
Antônio Maria e Dolores Duran. Claudette Soares
1967 - Philips
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Antônio Maria foi uma das personalidades mais marcantes dos anos 50.
Carmélia Alves
Boêmio, homem da noite, amante das ruas e das madrugadas do Rio/São Os ídolos da MPB nº 18
1976 - Continental
Paulo, era jornalista assíduo nas melhores redações, onde assinou as pri- Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
meiras colunas individuais brasileiras que tratavam simultaneamente de
todos os assuntos, sobretudo os da música e do bem-comer. Maria, boê-
mio e intelectual, produziria crônicas e poemas memoráveis, a partir de
“Ninguém me ama” e “Menino grande”, nos quais a observação amarga
e irônica do cotidiano era constante fonte de inspiração.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 66
Dolores Duran
Canta para voce dançar
1957 - Copacabana
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Hoje eu quero a rosa mais linda que houver
com uma música que entrou nas paradas de sucesso: a “Canção da vol-
E a primeira estrela que vier
Aliás, era muito normal esse sonho de ser estrela de rádio nos
dourados anos 50. Afinal, o rádio trazia popularidade, fama e dinheiro
quase instantâneos para os que nele entrassem com o pé direito. Exem-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 67
Muito discreta nos anos 50, seria Elizeth Cardoso uma das divas da MPB
a partir daí. Elizeth, cuja carreira jazia no lusco-fusco de gravações impe-
Elizeth Cardoso , Zimbo Trio
cáveis mas de pouca repercussão popular, tomou impulso quando Viní- e Jacob do Bandolim
cius e Tom Jobim a convidaram para registrar as novas canções da dupla Ao vivo no Teatro João
Caetano - Volume I
no elepê ”Canção do amor demais”, produzido por Irineu Garcia para o 1968
Acervo Museu da Imagem
selo cultural Festa. Dez anos depois obteria definitiva consagração com e do Som
mais um disco editado por outro selo cultural (“Museu da Imagem e do
Elizeth Cardoso
Som”) e do qual eu tive o privilégio de ter sido o produtor exclusivo: os Noturno
1957 - Copacabana
elepês duplos Elizeth-Zimbo Trio e Jacob do Bandolim. Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Zezé Gonzaga
Da fossa do samba-canção à Bossa Nova, que o redefiniria por completo, Vivo a cantar
1957 - Columbia
foi um passo rápido, ao final dos 50. Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 70
A Bossa Nova nasceu como uma reação intuitiva de gente jovem ao pro-
A Novidade da Bossa
A Bossa Nova, portanto, surgiria não apenas como uma reação a esse
estado de coisas. Seria também um elemento definidor da febre pelas
novidades que se abriam para o desenvolvimento do país. O governo
JK prometia cinquenta anos em cinco e começava a construir Brasília, a
abrir estradas de rodagem e a implantar parques industriais pesados. O
Brasil vivia um clima de euforia nos três últimos anos da década dos 50,
do qual sairiam também movimentos renovadores no campo de vários
outros segmentos artísticos: no cinema, o começo do chamado cinema
novo. Na poesia, os poetas concretistas e na música erudita, os decafo-
nistas, enquanto nas artes plásticas, a nova figuração. Em música popular,
esse processo geral de renovação encontraria o caminho da Bossa Nova.
A partir da Bossa Nova, Vinícius fez música com todo o mundo. A co-
meçar por Tom, ele projetaria Carlos Lyra (60), Baden Powell (62), Edu
Lobo (63), Francis Hime (64), Toquinho (68), e faria música com quase
todos os compositores jovens ou não jovens do Brasil, como Ary Barro-
so, Pixinguinha e até Bach, em cuja peça “Jesus Alegria dos Homens”
Bossa with a beat colocou letra, mudou-lhe atrevidamente o ritmo para marcha-rancho e a
RCA Victor
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin rebatizou de “Rancho das flores”.
Tom Jobim
Antonio Carlos Jobim Já Antônio Carlos Jobim abandonou a Faculdade de Arquitetura ao co-
1963 - Elenco
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin meço dos 50 para dedicar-se à música. A primeira a despertar discre-
ta curiosidade do público foi “Teresa da Praia”, em parceria com Billy
Vinicius de Moraes
Antologia poética Blanco, gravada (julho de 54) por Dick Farney e Lúcio Alves, cantores do
1977 - Philips
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin samba-canção, mas que interpretavam suas criações com um sentido de
improviso e descontração que neles já se registravam – como em Johnny
João Gilberto
João Gilberto Alf – alguns indícios da inquietação musical que a Bossa Nova absorveria.
1961 - Odeon
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Ainda no mesmo período das parcerias iniciais com Billy Blanco, Dolores
Duran, Marino Pinto, e logo depois Vinícius – a quem ele foi apresentado
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 73
por Lúcio Rangel no bar Vilariño, para musicar a peça “Orfeu da Concei-
ção” – Jobim também fazia música com um amigo de juventude da praia
de Ipanema. Era o pianista Newton Mendonça, com quem comporia dois
clássicos da Bossa Nova depois de “Chega de Saudade”. E apenas para
defender o novo movimento musical. O fato concreto: uma tempesta-
de de críticas começou a aparecer contra os estruturadores desse novo
movimento, especialmente João Gilberto, a quem os críticos tradicionais
acusavam de desafinado, de antimusical e outros insultos. Estas duas mú-
sicas de Tom e Mendonça foram respostas bem-humoradas à acidez dos
críticos: “Desafinado” e “Samba de uma nota só”. No primeiro (1959)
eles defendiam o supostamente desafinado João e a Bossa Nova:
Apenas para resumir: a Bossa Nova teria sido historicamente criada por
Jobim, Vinícius e muito especialmente por João Gilberto, com a batida
de um violão criativo e provocante. O que não quer dizer que o novo mo-
vimento ficasse restrito a eles. Muito pelo contrário: sambistas, cantores
e, especialmente, músicos juntaram-se para institucionalizá-lo, dando-
lhe a segurança numérica de que qualquer movimento musical carece
para declarar-se instalado e propagar-se.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 74
“Quero que tudo o mais vá para o inferno”. Apareceu nesse meio tempo
a Jovem Guarda – em que ele era o rei, Erasmo Carlos o valete e Wanderléia
Erasmo Carlos
Grandes sucessos
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Edu Lobo Outro, com características iniciais algo próximas a Baden, foi Edu Lobo,
1983 - Acervo ICCA
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin que ganharia o primeiro Festival da MPB da TV Excelsior, quando apre-
sentou “Arrastão”, também com Vinícius. Defendida no Festival por uma
cantora gaúcha de 20 anos de idade, que cantava com movimentos coreo-
gráficos de braços ensaiados pelo bailarino americano Lennie Dale e que se
chamava Elis Regina, “Arrastão”, de coloratura inspirada em Caymmi, não
só venceu o Festival como também lançou nacionalmente Edu Lobo.
CaetanoVeloso
Foto: Vânia Laranjeira João Máximo
DOS FESTIVAIS
À VOLTA DO SAMBA
João Máximo
1967 - 1977
The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper´s Lonely Hearts Club Band
1967 - Emi Music
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 90
Vinícius de Moraes
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 91
Araça Azul talvez, um Gil eletrificado, acompanhado pelo som e pelo visual roqueiro
1972 - Polygran
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
dos Mutantes, com moderníssimo arranjo orquestral de Rogério Duprat,
destinado a ser o George Martin do Tropicalismo. Logo Gil, que três
meses antes marchara contra as guitarras pelas ruas da cidade. É possí-
vel que “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, pelo qual Caetano se
encantara logo na primeira audição, tenha mudado também a cabeça de
Gil, a julgar por suas justificativas à imprensa: “Na música pop de hoje,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 95
Gilberto Gil
Vale dizer aqui, sem risco de exagero, que não há no mundo música mais
frequentemente discutida, mais polemizada, mais aberta a tendências
e movimentos, mais sujeita a rachas (como o que pôs, de um lado, Gil
e Caetano e demais tropicalistas, e do outro, Edu Lobo e, involuntaria-
Caetano Veloso
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 99
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
1969 - Polydor
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 100
Outra canção que provocou reação, e que certamente não ficaria só nisso,
foi “Caminhando” ou “Para não dizer que não falei de flores”, de Geraldo
Vandré. Por momentos, o que se viu no auditório do Tuca, entre socos e
pontapés, foi um confronto entre as duas torcidas, como se os composito-
res e as canções fossem adversários políticos. De um lado, viam-se carta-
zes dizendo “Tropicalismo é liberdade” e “Folclore é reação”, em defesa
de Caetano e num ataque a Vandré (ao contrário do psicodélico cenário
armado para “É proibido proibir”, o de “Caminhando” era muito simples:
o próprio Vandré, sozinho no palco, acompanhando-se no violão). Do ou-
tro lado, mais tomates e mais insultos da torcida de Vandré a Caetano.
Baden Powell Qual o saldo, afinal, deixado pelos festivais? Pelo menos um positivo,
Carinhoso
1971 - Barclay de certo o mais relevante: o de terem revelado a primeira geração de
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin admiráveis compositores surgida depois da Bossa Nova (segundo os mais
Paulinho da Viola exigentes, a última). Outro ponto positivo: mobilizar o público em torno
A Dança da Solidão
1972 - Odeon da música popular, acompanhando tudo com atenção, interessando-se
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin em discutir o que estava acontecendo, comprando discos. Há quem
Ivan Lins garanta que as vaias, as manifestações deselegantes das torcidas organi-
Modo Livre
1974 - RCA-Victor zadas, tenham sido um sinal dos tempos, o brasileiro sem oportunidade
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin para se manifestar sobre qualquer assunto.
(menos de dois anos). Pode ter sido, como querem alguns, “fabricado”
por produtores musicais que, amparados no talento de Caetano e Gil, an-
teviram atraentes oportunidades comerciais na oposição ao refinamento
de Chico Buarque, à conscientização política da canção de protesto, à
emulação inócua dos participantes de festivais e até aos filhos da Bossa
Nova (entre os quais Gil e Caetano se incluíam). O Tropicalismo pode ter
tido, também, caráter iconoclasta, de destruir o bom gosto pela valoriza-
ção do mau gosto, o que explica a transformação em ícones de figuras
faz no sul como no norte/ que também significa Deus é quem decide a Chico Buarque
Grandes Sucessos de Chico
minha sorte”. Buarque Volume 2
1970 - Premier
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
As mudanças mais sensíveis foram outras. Enquanto Chico Buarque con-
tinuaria sendo Chico Buarque – refinado, sem medo do bom gosto, cons-
ciente de estar construindo uma das mais ricas obras de música popular
brasileira – imune, portanto, à crítica por vezes debochada dos tropica-
listas, os festivais que Caetano e Gil tentaram virar de pernas para o ar
(“Gil fundiu a cuca de vocês”, bradara Caetano aos jurados em meio às
vaias a “É proibido proibir”) perderiam a graça. Em breve, nenhuma grande
canção emergiria daquelas disputas atiçadas por torcidas organizadas.
As canções de protesto, em parte pelo rigor da censura oficial, ficavam
cada vez mais raras. E a maldição que por algum tempo pairou sobre as
guitarras desapareceu. Em seu lugar, multiplicavam-se as bênçãos gerais
aos sons amplificados do universo pop.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 106
Rita Lee
Já o uso da guitarra, sim, uma vez que a tentativa da Jovem Guarda ficara Alceu Valença
Cinco Sentidos
restrita a ela. Os tropicalistas se apropriaram do instrumento, mas não exa- 1981 - Ariola
tamente através de Roberto e Erasmo. Os Beatles e outros astros do rock Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
internacional é que foram os seus modelos. Como foram eles os modelos Beto Guedes
Viagem das Mãos
de Rita Lee, a mais cintilante representante do rock tupiniquim e, nos 1985 - Emi Odeon
anos por vir, a mais completa tradução do que restaria do tropicalismo. Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Pouco importa que a guitarra tenha sido incorporada ao som dos jovens
do Clube da Esquina, Milton Nascimento, Wagner Tiso, Toninho Horta,
Beto Guedes criando uma música que certamente se estabeleceria como
das mais novas e mais interessantes da década de 70. Pouco importa
porque, de tropicalistas, os mineiros daquele grupo nada tinham. Mais
deviam aos tropicalistas os nordestinos da nova safra que acrescenta-
vam elementos do rock em suas composições, casos de Alceu Valença,
Djavan, Novos Baianos. Ou dos cariocas do Secos e Molhados. Ou dos
primeiros adeptos do soul, Tim Maia à frente. Ou do samba temperado
com rock de Luís Melodia.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 108
Bossa with a beat O LP de Jobim com Sinatra chegou às lojas quando a Bossa Nova já tinha
RCA Victor
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin vivido seus melhores dias no Brasil. Em 1967, o movimento que nove anos
antes mudara rítmica e poeticamente a cara do samba tradicional, sobre-
Aldir Blanc e Maurício Tapajós
Aldir Blanc e Maurício Tapajós tudo pela revelação ou afirmação de grandes talentos, Jobim entre eles,
1984 - Saci
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin começava a conformar-se com a condição de mero repertório. Ninguém
mais compunha naquela batida diferente de João ilberto. Nem mesmo Jo-
bim, que jamais se considerara um compositor bossa-nova. O disco com
Sinatra, no qual ele troca o piano pelo violão, foi exceção aberta em nome
da excepcional oportunidade de gravar suas músicas com “The Voice”.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 109
Tom Jobim
Matita Perê
1973 - Philips
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
Chico Buarque
Construção
1971 - Philips/ Phonogram
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 110
Martinho da Vila
Clara Nunes
Assim, foram dez anos de muita agitação para a música popular, tudo
começando naquele histórico julho de 1967.
“Chega de tentar dissimular
E disfarçar e esconder
O que não dá mais pra
ocultar
E eu não posso mais calar
(...)
Não dá mais pra segurar
Explode coração”
Gonzaguinha
Artur Xexéo
ESTRELAS CINTILAM,
O ROCK IRROMPE
Arthur Xexéo
1977 - 1987
Para o público não era muito difícil ouvir o texto de Morya e associá-lo à
repressão que regia a política da época. O país estava prestes a completar
13 anos seguidos de ditadura militar. Os tempos eram sombrios. Bethâ-
nia, aos 30 anos de idade, queria amedrontar os lobos, pois já sentia no
ar os primeiros sinais de abertura. E a ideia era que “Pássaro da manhã”
reproduzisse esse clima. “Um show que transpire liberdade, pois a gaiola
de um homem, só ele mesmo pode abrir”, dizia Fauzi Arap antes da
estreia. Sobre o papel de Bethânia na produção, ele também era muito
claro: “Uma estrela, as estrelas existem para iluminar o caminho (...) O
verão está aí. E o sol já desponta mais cedo. Chega de escuridão.”
gero dizer que, aos 31 anos, o Luiz Gonzaga Jr que aparece em 1976 é
outro Gonzaguinha, um artista mais suave. “Começaria tudo outra vez”,
o Gonzaguinha de “Pássaro da manhã” se tornaria o primeiro grande
sucesso do compositor.
Gonzaguinha
De volta ao começo
1980 - Emi Odeon
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 123
“Rodrigo, Roberto
Caetano, Moreno,
Francisco, Gilberto, João
Gente é pra brilhar
Não pra morrer de fome”
As quatro novas canções pareciam adequadas para anunciar os novos tempos
que Bethânia vislumbrava. Talvez por isso a cantora tenha rejeitado a música
que seria, certamente, a mais bonita do espetáculo (e que foi a mais bonita
da MPB lançada naquele ano). Sueli Costa ofereceu a Bethânia sua primeira
parceria com Abel Silva, “Jura secreta”. Bethânia a rejeitou. A melancolia de
“Jura secreta” estava em desacordo com o repertório de “Pássaro da manhã”.
Tinha mais a ver com a música que era feita até 1976. A música que retratava
os males da ditadura. A música que brigava com a Censura.
“Jura secreta” não foi escalada para o show de Bethânia, mas não demo-
raria muito para aparecer. Ela foi o carro-chefe do LP da maior novidade
da música brasileira em 1977: Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, ou sim-
plesmente Simone.
Simone
Simone não era exatamente uma iniciante. Baiana, ex-jogadora de bas-
quete, há quatro anos mantinha um contrato com a gravadora Odeon.
Aos 27 anos, tinha gravado quatro discos, feito uma excursão à Europa
com o sambista Roberto Ribeiro, participado de shows nos Estados Uni-
dos e no Canadá, mas permanecia afastada do sucesso. Estava pensando
em desistir. A crítica teimava em classificá-la como uma cantora elitista.
Ela queria provar que poderia ser popular. O disco programado para 1977
seria sua última tentativa. Com produção de Renato Correa, o repertório
buscava o melhor da MPB. Entre outras, ali estava, de novo, “Começaria
tudo outra vez”, de Gonzaguinha, uma das músicas do ano. Havia três fai-
xas com músicas de Chico Buarque: “Valsa-rancho”, parceria com Francis
Hime; “O que será”, que ela tinha gravado para a trilha sonora de “Dona
Flor e seus dois maridos”; e “Primeiro de maio”, composta com Milton
Nascimento. E duas músicas de Sueli Costa. A primeira, parceria com
Cacaso, dava nome ao LP, “Face a face”. A segunda era a parceria com
Abel Silva rejeitada por Bethânia. Simone acertou na mosca e passou à
linha de frente das vozes femininas da MPB.
Djavan
O “Álibi” de Bethânia tinha ainda três faixas de Chico Buarque (“O meu
amor”, gravada em dueto com Alcione, mais uma da inesgotável trilha
de “Ópera do malandro”; “De todas as maneiras”; e “Cálice”, parceria
com Gilberto Gil proibida cinco anos antes e, enfim, liberada pela Cen-
sura), duas de Caetano (“Diamante verdadeiro” e “A voz de uma pessoa
vitoriosa”, esta composta em dupla com Wally Salomão); “Negue”, de
Adelino Moreira e Enzo de Almeida Passos; “Interiores”, de Rosinha de
Valença; “Ronda”, de Paulo Vanzolini. Mas o disco tinha um coringa que
certamente puxou aquele milhão de cópias vendidas: “Explode coração”,
de Gonzaguinha. A ditadura parecia um pouco mais combalida do que
naquele verão cantado por Bethânia em “Pássaro da manhã”. E a pressão
popular por tempos mais democráticos se fazia mais presente. Gonza-
guinha captou esse clima numa canção que, aparentemente, falava de
amor, mas serviu como um desabafo na alma brasileira. Não dá mais pra
segurar, cantavam todos com Bethânia. Sem rancor:
Ivone Lara
Ivone Lara (...)
1985 - Som Livre
Não dá mais pra segurar
Explode coração”
“Explode coração” é a canção-síntese de “Álibi”. Mas, hoje, recuperan-
do-se aquele repertório impecável, percebe-se que há outra canção que
também captava o anseio da sociedade no emblemático ano de 1978. Os
lobos, finalmente, mostravam-se amedrontados. O movimento operário
saía de sua letargia e, em maio, foi deflagrada, em São Bernardo do Cam-
po, a primeira greve de metalúrgicos desde 1964. A luta pela anistia dos
condenados por crimes políticos começava a crescer. E Bethânia, acom-
panhada por Gal Costa, cantava “Sonho meu”, de Yvonne Lara e Délcio
Carvalho. Pode até ser que os compositores não pensassem nos exilados
Gal Costa políticos quando fizeram o samba. Pode até ser que as cantoras não se
dessem conta do significado oculto naquelas palavras. Mas o subtexto
era evidente:
“Anistia, teu nome é perdão”, dizia num trecho. “Mas como perdoar a
quem não cometeu falta ou delito, e, não os cometendo, foi castigado? Se
teu nome é perdão, deve este ser pedido às vítimas da injustiça e o arbí-
trio? Em vez de compaixão, neste caso, a anistia precisava ser um ato de
arrependimento seguido de reconhecimento público e proclamação da
justiça. O perdão cabe ao ofendido. E há muitos ofendidos e humilhados
Elis Regina que, sem culpa, tiveram de pagar pelo crime que não perpretaram.”
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 133
Mas nenhuma canção, nenhum poema foi tão marcante como a música
que ficou conhecida como o hino da anistia: “O bêbado e a equilibrista”,
de João Bosco e Aldir Blanc, que fazia parte do disco que Elis Regina
estava lançando naquele 1979, “Essa mulher”. Bosco e Blanc se torna-
ram os primeiros compositores brasileiros, desde a metade da década
de 1960, a ocuparem papel de destaque na MPB sem terem participado
de festivais. Nem dos festivais temporões. São de um tempo em que
ou você estourava num festival ou você era descoberto por Elis Regina.
Eles estão no segundo caso. A dupla já constava, com “Bala com bala”,
no repertório do disco que Elis lançou em 1972. No disco que a cantora
gravou em 73, eram os autores de quatro faixas (“Comadre”, “Cabaré”,
“Agnus sei” e “O caçador de esmeralda”)! Eles se tornaram uma dupla
tão criativa na música brasileira quanto Noel e Vadico ou Tom e Vinicius.
E foi neste período dos anos 70 que estiveram mais produtivos. Bosco
já vinha gravando seus próprios discos, mas era nos discos de Elis que o
público tomava conhecimento da produção da dupla. Foram três canções
no LP de 74, mais quatro no de 76, uma no de 77. Neste período, Elis
só não gravou Bosco e Blanc no disco que dedicou inteirinho às compo- Elis Regina
Elis, Essa Mulher
sições de Tom Jobim. 1979 - WEA
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
“Lança, menina
Lança todo esse perfume
Desbaratina
Não dá pra ficar imune
Ao teu amor
Que tem cheiro de coisa maluca”
Rita Lee A música de Rita Lee, na parceria com Roberto Carvalho, era rock com
Rita Hits
1984 - Som Livre a alegria de uma marchinha de carnaval. Seu sucesso indicava alguma
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin tendência do mercado que os medalhões não estavam percebendo. Mas
tudo ficaria mais claro no ano seguinte.
Foi em 1981 que uma banda, criada no ano anterior no palco do Tea-
tro Ipanema, começou a se apresentar em locais alternativos do Rio. O
grupo começou como uma brincadeira nos intervalos que separavam as
apresentações da peça “Trate-me Leão”, do Asdrúbal Trouxe o Trombone,
e de um show de Marina Lima. Os dois estavam em cartaz simultanea-
mente no Ipanema. Evandro Mesquita, ator do Asdrúbal, era o vocalista
da banda nova. Lobão e Ricardo Barreto, que tocavam com Marina, eram,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 137
Blitz
Você não soube me amar
1982 - Emi Odeon
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 138
Dusek foi o mais improvável dos ídolos do rock brasileiro. Tendo estu-
dado piano na Escola Nacional de Música, chegou a ter algumas de suas
composições, feitas em parceria com Luiz Carlos Góes, gravadas por can-
tores populares (Ney Matogrosso registrou com sucesso “Seu tipo”) e
chamou a atenção para seu estranho estilo no festival MPB 80, da Rede
Globo, com “Nostradamus”. Não parecia ser o currículo de um cantor de
rock. Mas havia algo na parceria dele com Góes que tinha a ver com a
música de Rita Lee e da Blitz: o bom-humor. Com guitarra e bom-humor,
ele emplacou, naquele 82, “Barrados no baile”, dele com Góes, e o rock
de protesto “Rock da cachorra”, de Léo Jaime.
Eduardo Dusek
Olhar Brasileiro
1981 - Polydor
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 139
O Barão tinha sido criado no ano anterior, com Roberto Frejat, Guto Go-
ffi, Dé Palmeira e Maurício Barros. Mas foi só em 1982 que encontrou
seu vocalista e sua personalidade: Cazuza. O Barão não tinha o bom-hu-
mor dos primeiros grupos de rock da década, mas o talento de Cazuza
– que abandonou a banda em 1986, seguindo carreira solo – deu ao rock
brasileiro uma tradição da MPB: a do bom letrista. “Todo amor que hou-
ver nessa vida”, de Frejat e Cazuza, foi o primeiro sucesso do grupo:
Cabia tudo no rock brasileiro. Até mesmo bolero. Foi um bolero, com
pinta de rock, que manteve o RockBrasil nas paradas em 1983. Lulu San-
tos estava com 30 anos quando lançou, com produção de Liminha, seu
segundo LP: “O ritmo do momento”. Já estava ali o “hitmaker” que se
destacaria nos anos seguintes. “Adivinha o quê”, de Lulu, e “Um certo
alguém”, parceria com Ronaldo Bastos, são canções que até hoje fazem
parte do repertório do cantor. Mas o destaque do disco foi mesmo o bo-
lero “Como uma onda”, parceria com Nelson Motta:
Lulu Santos
O ritmo do Momento
1983 - WEA
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 141
Mas Lulu não brilhou sozinho em 83, marcado também pela estreia de
Ritchie, um colega de Lulu na banda Vímina, de vida curta anterior às
carreiras-solo de seus integrantes (Lobão também fazia parte do grupo).
Ritchie tornou-se o maior fenômeno de vendas do ano. Nascido na Ingla-
terra, ele foi, nos anos 70, professor de inglês de gente da música como
Egberto Gismonti e Gal Costa. Seu disco de estreia como cantor, “Vôo
do coração”, vendeu mais de 1 milhão de cópias e lançou um sucesso
nacional, “Menina veneno”.
“Menina veneno,
O mundo é pequeno demais pra nós dois
Em toda cama que eu durmo
Só dá você, só dá você”
Legião Urbana
Que Pais é Esse?
1985 - Emi Odeon
Coleção Instituto Cravo Albin
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 142
Parecia não haver espaço para outro gênero na música brasileira. Os gru-
pos de rock, batizados com nomes divertidos, nasciam a cada dia e se
transformavam em sucesso instantâneo. Kid Abelha e os Abóboras Selva-
gens, Ultraje a Rigor, Paralamas do Sucesso, Titãs do Iê Iê Iê... Dois deles,
pelo menos, se destacaram no balaio: O Legião Urbana, que tinha como
vocalista aquele que dividiria com Cazuza as honras de manter a poesia
afiada na música brasileira pelos anos seguintes, e R.P.M., o primeiro
fenômeno de massa do rock brasileiro dos anos 80.
Canções de guerra
Quem sabe canções do mar
Canções de amor
Ao que vai vingar...
1987 - 1997
A pauta é música, sim, mas, por essa época, fins dos anos
80, cada vez mais a economia, o comércio, o marketing
passaram a regular a produção cultural. No caso do dis-
co, departamentos de marketing começaram a assumir
o poder, em detrimento dos artísticos. Em 1987, ano
no qual pegamos o bastão nessa retrospectiva que co-
bre os últimos 40 anos da música popular brasileira, o
país ainda vivia o auge da geração que ficou conhecida
pelo rótulo BRock (termo cunhado pelo jornalista Arthur
Dapieve). Um ano antes, a euforia - ilusória, como logo
Titãs
Antes da versão comercial desse “Inédito” que não era exatamente iné-
dito, Tom tinha lançado em novembro de 1994 “Antonio Brasileiro”, ou
seja, o disco chegou às lojas um mês antes de sua morte (em 8 de de-
zembro, em Nova York). Com a confortável Banda Nova – que há quase
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 153
uma década acompanhava-o nas turnês que passou a fazer pelo mundo -,
ele mostrou novas canções – “Piano na Mangueira” (samba para a verde
e rosa em parceria com Chico Buarque), “Pato preto”, “Forever green”
e “Samba de Maria Luiza” -; regravou clássicos como “Só danço samba”
e “Chora coração”; foi ao “Clube da Esquina” para fazer uma versão
em inglês de “Trem azul”, de Lô Borges e Ronaldo Bastos, “Blue train”;
reencontrou o amigo de sempre Dorival Caymmi, que lhe apresentou a
inédita “Maricotinha”; encontrou o roqueiro inglês Sting, num dueto em
“How insensitive”.
Não estava entre os planos de Jobim partir tão cedo, aos 67 anos, mas
“Antonio Brasileiro” acabou sendo a bela despedida do autor de uma obra Tom Jobim
Antonio Brasileiro
que a cada ano fica cada vez mais viva, gravada e regravada ao redor do 1987 - Verve
mundo. Na época, no entanto, não faltou quem se equivocasse na avalia-
ção. Para ficar num só exemplo, o crítico de uma revista semanal conse-
guiu cometer dois erros numa frase que dizia algo assim: “E no que tem
sido o calcanhar de Aquiles do compositor desde a morte de Vinicius de
Moraes, as fracas letras de Jobim…”. Bem, gosto se discute, mas (…)
Tom e Vinicius tinham parado de compor juntos no início dos anos 60,
portanto, muito antes da morte do poeta, em 1980; Jobim gostava de
parcerias, mas antes, durante e depois de Vinicius, também sempre fez
letras sozinho, e ótimas letras, como provam, entre outras “Fotografia”,
“Samba do avião”, “Corcovado”, “Águas de março” (incluindo a versão
em inglês, na qual teve o preciosismo de usar apenas palavras anglo-saxô-
nicas, sem botar o latim no meio), “Lígia”, “Passarim”, “Chansong”… E
mesmo na parceria com Newton Mendonça, que rendeu clássicos como
“Desafinado”, “Samba de uma nota só” , “Meditação” e “Foi a noite”, os
dois faziam letra e música juntos. E, discussões críticas fora, a obra de
Jobim continua, cada vez mais influente.
Ainda na década que fora do rock, jovens artistas que estreavam então
abriam o leque do que viria ser o pop da década de 90. Mesmo apostas Tom Jobim
Passarim
das grandes gravadoras traziam sinais de que havia opções. 1987 - Verve
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 154
intercaladas por vinhetas nas quais Ed passava também por blues, reggae
e dub.
Ed Motta
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 155
Mas a grande prova de que Marisa Monte queria mais e iria mais longe foi,
em 1994, seu terceiro disco, “Verde, anil, cor de rosa e carvão”, no qual
iniciava a parceria, que prosseguiu pelo novo século/milênio, com o baiano
Carlinhos Brown (o autor de três canções, “Maria de verdade”, “Segue o
seco” e, esta em parceria com a cantora e com Nando Reis, “Na estrada”).
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 157
Seis anos depois, outro baque para o rock brasileiro, que perde Renato
Russo, a voz e o cérebro do grupo Legião Urbana. Entre 1987 e 1996, a
Legião lançou seis discos que a mantiveram em alta – “Que país é este”
(87), “As quatro estações” (1989), “V” (1991), “Música para acampa-
mentos” (1992), “O descobrimento do Brasil” (1993) e “A tempestade”
(1996) – e Renato Russo fez dois trabalhos solos, “The Stonewall cele-
bration concert” (1994) e “Equilíbrio distante” (1995) – o primeiro, uma
coleção de músicas americanas, indo de Madonna a Stephen Sondheim;
o segundo, de canções italianas.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 159
Cassia Eller
Bezerra da Silva
Samba Partido Alto e outras Comidas
1981 - RCA
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 161
O primeiro sinal em disco de que o samba tinha fôlego para muito mais
aconteceu em 1985, em plena vigência do Brock, no pau de sebo (aque-
les álbuns coletivos, nos quais uma gravadora faz como prova de teste
para novos artistas) “Raça brasileira”, editado pela RGE. Nele estavam,
entre outros, Zeca Pagodinho, Jovelina Pérola Negra e Mauro Diniz.
Zeca, que viria se tornar a maior estrela do samba no século XXI, des-
pontou nas rodas do bloco Cacique de Ramos, onde foi ouvido por Beth
Carvalho, que o incluiu em seus discos. O primeiro grande sucesso de
Zeca como solista, escrito em parceria com Arlindo Cruz, foi “SPC”, lan-
çado em 1986. Nos anos 90, ele se tornaria o maior vendedor de discos
no samba. Sucesso que prosseguiu no novo século.
com um bom compositor nessa linha de um samba pop, e que tem Jor-
ge Ben como um dos pioneiros). Mas, independentemente da (falta de)
qualidade do “pagode mauricinho” (como foi pejorativamente chamado
o subgênero), havia ali um sinal de que o samba continuava forte. E, a
partir de meados dos anos 90, o sucesso de gente como Zeca Pagodinho,
Jorge Aragão (que começou a aparecer no Cacique de Ramos e depois
foi um dos fundadores do Fundo de Quintal), Beth Carvalho (desde os
anos 70 apostando no repertório produzido nos morros e nos subúrbios
cariocas) veio provar que o gênero tinha fôlego para muito mais.
metáfora, já que o sucesso de duplas sertanejas como Leandro & Leo-
nardo, Chitãozinho & Chororó e Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano funcionou
quase como a trilha do breve governo Collor – Leandro & Leonardo,
por sinal, eram frequentadores dos churrascos que o então presidente
realizava na Casa da Dinda, a residência particular que preferiu usar
como residência oficial. Mas, ao lado das três duplas citadas, prolifera-
ram muitas outras, além de intérpretes solos como Roberta Miranda e o
ex-jovem-guardista Sérgio Reis.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 163
grande estrela do axé. Mas, em sua carreira, ela iria além do gênero,
também estendendo pontes com a MPB (cantando de Caetano Veloso e
Gilberto Gil a Chico Buarque), o rock brasileiro (Herbert Vianna) e, no
fim da década, os sons eletrônicos das pistas de dança.
A grosso modo, a receita mais diluída da axé music foi a que imperou,
rendendo rios de dinheiro a gravadoras e grupos como Banda Eva, Chi-
clete com Banana, Cheiro de Amor e É o Tchan. Este surgiu como Gera
Samba, conquistando as rádios brasileiras em 1995 com o sucesso “É o
tchan”. A descoberta de um outro grupo com o mesmo nome fez seus
líderes, Compadre Washington e Beto Jamaica, adotarem o título de seu
primeiro grande sucesso. E assim, como É o Tchan mantiveram-se em
alta. Apelando para muitos expedientes extramusicais, enveredando pelo
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 165
Brown, que tinha trabalhado com Luiz Caldas na época do efêmero frico-
Margareth Menezes
te, formou o grupo de percussão Timbalada e fez parte da banda de Cae-
tano Veloso – que gravou com sucesso uma canção sua, “Meia lua inteira”.
A boa execução dessa música e a participação no disco “Cor de rosa e
carvão”, de Marisa Monte, garantiram a estreia solo de Brown em 1996,
com “Alfagamabetizado”. Produção bancada pela sede francesa da grava-
dora Virgin, com esse disco ele também iniciou uma carreira internacional
que até hoje permanece forte. Na verdade, no século XXI, Brown faz mais
sucesso na Espanha, e alguns países da Europa, do que no Brasil.
Algo que anos antes já tinha sido experimentado por Margareth Me-
nezes, que estreou com um disco homônimo em 1988. Nos dois anos
seguintes, ela excursionou pelos Estados Unidos e pela Europa ao lado
de David Byrne, músico que fora o cérebro do grupo new wave Talking
Heads e que em sua carreira solo tornou-se um dos maiores incentiva-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 166
A Nação Zumbi fez uma bem sucedida excursão pela Europa em 1995 e,
no ano seguinte, lançou seu segundo disco, “Afrociberdelia”. A morte de
Science, num acidente de carro em 2 de fevereiro de 1997, na estrada
que liga Recife a Olinda, tirou de cena o artista, mas sua influência e
o impacto que foi a estreia da Nação Zumbi continuaram repercutindo
– assim como o grupo, que prosseguiu sem seu cantor e compositor
principal. Os sons e as ideias do mangue beat (originalmente bit, mas,
por uma falha de comunicação, foi entendido pela imprensa na época
como beat de batida, e assim ficou) marcam também o trabalho de outros
artistas pernambucanos como Mestre Ambrósio, Cascabulho, Querosene
Jacaré, Sheik Tosado. Otto e Devotos do Ódio – este, vindo de uma favela
de Recife, Alto José do Pinho, e mais ligado ao punk rock.
Outro pernambucano que tem rodado o mundo nos últimos anos, Lenine
mudou-se para o Rio no fim dos anos 70. Em 1983, estreou em disco em
dupla com seu conterrâneo Lula Queiroga, mas “Baque solto”, este o tí-
tulo, passou em branco. A carreira de Lenine começaria a ganhar atenção
graças a outro disco em dupla, este com o percussionista carioca Marcos
Suzano, “Olho de peixe”, e decolaria de vez em 1997 em seu primeiro
disco solo, “O dia em que faremos contato”. Neste, também influenciado
pelas idéias do mangue beat, Lenine fazia uma fusão de ritmos pernam-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 167
Lenine
Também de Belo Horizonte, o Skank foi outro que apelou para a pro-
dução independente, estreando em 93, com um disco que apostava
em bem-azeitada mistura de rock, reggae e ritmos brasileiros. Sucesso
regional que logo seria reeditado pela Sony. A multinacinal logo viu o
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 168
nha a sua versão mais politizada, tendo como principal exemplo o grupo
Racionais MC’s, liderado por Mano Brown. Eles estrearam na coletânea
“Consciência black”, em 1988, e dois anos depois lançaram seu primeiro
CD, “Holocausto urbano”. Paralelamente à sua música, o grupo passou
a desenvolver um trabalho de conscientização junto às comunidades po-
bres da periferia de São Paulo, mostrando que não se limitava ao discur-
so que também marcou seus discos seguintes, “Escolha seu caminho”
(1992) e “Raio X do Brasil” (1993).
Da mesma São Paulo que nos deu esse rap político, veio o rock escracha-
do e humorístico da banda Mamonas Assassinas. Seu disco de estréia,
em 1995, vendeu 1 milhão de cópias. Mas a carreira do grupo foi cortada
tragicamente: em 2 de março de 1996, o pequeno avião que os trans-
portava se chocou contra a Serra da Cantareira, a poucos quilômetros do
Aeroporto do Cumbica, em Guarulhos.
Arnaldo Antunes
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 170
Para Guinga estrear em disco, no entanto, foi necessário que Ivan Lins e
À direita seu parceiro Vitor Martins criassem uma gravadora, a Velas – que depois
Leila Pinheiro lançou dezenas de discos importantes para a MPB, de Dominguinhos ao
Catavento e girassol
1996 - EMI próprio Ivan.
Leila Pinheiro
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 171
Elba Ramalho Zizi Pissi
Elba Um Minuto Além
1981 - CBS 1981 - Polygram
Em 1996, a cantora Leila Pinheiro ajudaria a jogar mais luz ainda sobre a
obra de Guinga, focando sua parceria com o letrista Aldir Blanc no disco
“Catavento e girassol”. Certeira sacada de uma cantora e pianista que
tem se reinventado e esteve entre as pioneiras da renovação da bossa
nova, emplacando em 1993 o sucesso “Coisas do Brasil”, feliz parceria
de Guilherme Arantes e Nelson Motta.
Elba Ramalho é outra que corrige a rota em 1996, com “Leão do Norte”
– a faixa-título é precisa parceria de Lenine e Paulo César Pinheiro. Ao
lado dela, o disco promove um passeio por ritmos nordestinos como
coco, frevo, xote, baião, maracatu .
Em 1991, com “Sobre todas as coisas”, Zizi Possi afirmaria sua indepen-
dência, depois de passar a década anterior com uma promessa atolada
num pop sem identidade. A começar pela parceria de Edu Lobo & Chico
Buarque (da trilha de “O Grande Circo Místico”) que dá título ao disco,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 172
Caetano Veloso, que flertou com o rock dos anos 80, sem abandonar as
suas múltiplas referências, avançou musicalmente a partir do fim desta Caetano Veloso
década, como prova “Estrangeiro”, disco, de 1989, que foi produzido Estrangeiro
1989 - Philips
pelo guitarrista americano Arto Lindsay e o tecladista suíço Peter Sche-
rer (que, então, formavam a dupla Ambitious Lovers). Mas é no álbum
seguinte, “Circuladô”, em 1991, que ele mais avança, graças à colabo-
ração do violoncelista e arranjador Jaques Morelenbaum. Uma parceria Caetano Veloso
Estrangeiro
altamente musical que vai se estender por toda a década de 90, e que 1989 - Philips
tem em seus marcos, em 1994, o álbum “Fina estampa”, um sensível
mergulho pelo cancioneiro hispano-americano.
Chico Buarque
“The hips of tradition”, lançado com uma turnê pelos EUA. Desde então,
Tom Zé voltou a gravar e excursionar com frequência, na fase mais pro-
dutiva de sua carreira iniciada em meados dos anos 60.
Aquele que foi o primeiro ídolo entre os que formataram o que ficou
conhecido como MPB, logo se cansou do aparato em torno da música e
do star system. E Edu Lobo resolveu aprender e fazer mais música nos
bastidores. Depois de, em 1981, dividir um disco com seu maestro, Tom
Jobim, Edu passou mais de uma década dedicando-se a trilhas para teatro
e balé, que, com as letras de Chico Buarque, geraram alguns trabalhos
definitivos para a MPB. Em 1993, Edu finalmente voltaria aos estúdios
para um disco solo, de carreira, “Corrupião”. Dois anos depois, com
“Meia-noite”, revisaria algo de sua obra, incluindo sua versão para duas
Edu Lobo
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 176
De uma coisa Lulu Santos não pode ser acusado: falta de ousadia. Consa-
grado na geração 80 do rock brasileiro, na verdade ele começara uma dé-
cada antes, na fase em que rock ainda era um palavrão e seus praticantes
relegados ao underground. Em 1989, quando o rock ainda vivia a ilusão
de ser o (como o próprio Lulu cantara com alguma ironia anos antes)
ritmo do momento, ele fez o que ainda soa como uma das melhores ten-
tativas de simbiose entre pop e MPB: “Popsambalanço e outras levadas”.
No repertório, ele vai de influências de (Jorge) Ben a (Jorge) Mautner. O
primeiro, implicitamente, em canções assinadas por Lulu como “Brumá-
rio” e “Pop coração”; o segundo, na versão bossa-novista para “Samba dos
animais” (de Mautner e Nelson Jacobina). Esse disco, no entanto, foi um
fracasso comercial, do qual Lulu só se recuperaria pra valer em 1993 com
“Assim caminha a Humanidade”, no qual iniciava um namoro com o som
das pistas, disco, dance. Crédito que deve ser dividido com o DJ Memê,
responsável pelo “Tim meddley” que botou Lulu de volta às rádios.
Fernanada Abreu
Marina Lima
Virgem
1987 - PolyGram/Universal
Como “Marina Lima”, em 1991, que trazia sucessos como “Eu não sei
dançar” (este assinado por Alvin L.), “Criança” e “Grávida” (este em
parceria com Arnaldo Antunes), dois anos depois, “O chamado”. A partir
daí, seduzida pelo toque de sereia dos Djs, aumentou a dose de eletrôni-
ca e batidas dançantes em sua música.
Há quem torça o nariz para essas misturas, pedindo por uma suposta
pureza da canção popular brasileira. Mas a história de nossa cultura tam-
bém tem sido marcada por tais fusões. O que não impede que choro,
samba, frevo e demais ritmos continuem batendo forte, mesclados ou
não a outros gêneros. E no fim do século XX, a música brasileira, in-
dependentemente de erros e apostas furadas da indústria e da mídia,
continuou sendo o mais forte produto cultural do Brasil.
É tudo novo de novo
Vamos nos jogar onde já caímos
Tudo novo de novo
Vamos mergulhar do alto
onde subimos
Vamos celebrar
Nossa própria maneira de ser
Essa luz que acabou de nascer
Quando aquela de trás apagou
Paulinho Moska
Foto: Luciano Piva (Acervo Rádio Cultura Brasil – Fundação Padre Anchieta) Luís Antônio Giron
A VIRADA DO IMPASSE
Luís Antônio Giron
1997 - 2007
Chico Science
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 188
Zeca Baleiro
Chico César
trabalhos, como Lenine, Chico César e Zeca Baleiro; o início daquilo que
logo foi denominado o renascimento do samba na Lapa carioca; e, final-
mente, a resistência e a retirada temporária de cena de vários represen-
tantes da MPB dos anos 60. Foi sobretudo dessas quatro forças – Man-
gue Bit, o surgimento de talentos individuais porém interligados vindos
do Nordeste, a restauração do samba poético e culto e a força da MPB
dos anos 60 -, associadas a diversas manifestações de talentos individuais
amadurecidos (roqueiros e praticantes do axé convertidos à música sofis-
ticada), que ocorreu a redefinição da série progressiva da música popular
brasileira na virada do século. Não podem ser esquecidos os músicos que
se lançaram pela Trama, num impulso urbano de hiperatividade nem o
trio Moreno Veloso, Domenico e Kassin, que trouxe inovação no âmbito
do formato de produção da canção popular. Também se destacou nessa
década a banda Pedro Luís e a Parede, com uma proposta de releitura da
música de rua e crítica social. Dessas manifestações, resultou uma nova
combinação de sonoridades, ritmos e padrões artísticos, numa mistura
bem mais heterogênea que as criadas anteriormente com a Tropicália
e a colcha-de-retalhos dos pós-tropicalistas como Alceu Valença, Sérgio
Sampaio e Walter Franco.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 189
Alceu Valença
Melhor seria definir a nova música brasileira como uma instalação re-
pleta de objetos de cores e formas ora combináveis, ora contrastantes
e até mesmo contraditórias. Um “porta-trecos”, bricolagem sonora que
jamais chega a uma síntese ou a uma fusão perfeitas. Nessa ambienta-
ção heterogênea, qualquer miasma de evolução é um pingo na ebulição
constante, em que um ou outro elemento ou traço de estilo vem à tona
de modo mais ou menos caótico.
A linhagem do Mangue
Chico Science e seus companheiros do Recife lançaram em 1991 o mo-
vimento Mangue Bit, ou Mangue Beat (dependendo do momento ou do
humor de seus integrantes), cujo projeto estético era acoplar, sem fun-
dir, o maracatu rural, o rap e o samba ao rock pós-punk, especialmente
o de origem brasileira. Ingredientes tropicalistas entraram também no
receituário de Science e a banda Nação Zumbi e seu amigo Zero Quatro,
jornalista que fundou na mesma época, com o percussionista Otto, a
banda mundo livre s.a.
Ora, essa tendência renovadora lançou sementes experimentalistas e se
prolongou na virada do século, com a continuação dos trabalhos de Zero
Quatro, Otto e Lúcio Maia, que tomou o lugar de Science como líder da
Nação Zumbi. Cada um deles tratou de aperfeiçoar as lições de acopla-
gem do movimento Mangue Bit. Todos eles estabeleceram uma ponte
entre Recife e São Paulo e começaram a exercer influxo sobre outros
grupos, que foram se afastando aos poucos do rock em benefício de
uma elaboração sonora mais elaborada e alicerçada no uso criativo do
folclore.
forma-canção e as letras ficam em segundo plano, ou melhor, integram
como um elemento a malha melódica. As inovações renderam dois álbuns
independentes, Nadadenovo (2004) e Homem-Espuma (2006). Não por
acaso, a banda fez carreira longe das grandes gravadoras, adotando a au-
tonomia e a divulgação de músicas pela internet como profissão de fé.
Migrantes na Pauliceia
Uma conformação bem diferente do Mangue Bit, mais voltada à canção,
se deu em paralelo, no Sudeste. Em meados da década de 90, a memória
afetiva de uma geração que beirava os 30 anos veio à tona, até porque se
verificava um leve declínio da produtividade dos grandes nomes da MPB,
na casa dos 50 anos. Um grupo mais ou menos interligado de músicos
emigrados para São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro começou a consolidar as car-
reiras, colocando-se justamente como herdeiros das sonoridades da MPB
dos anos 60 e 70. A busca foi por uma retomada da “linha evolutiva”
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 192
Fagner
Zé Ramalho
Alternativos à carioca
O Rio de Janeiro honra a tradição de capital musical do Brasil e abrigou
diversos movimentos que se deram simultaneamente, alguns até mesmo
com ramificações em São Paulo.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 197
A cena carioca formou uma ponte aérea alternativa com São Paulo, cen-
trada em dois bairros principais: a Lapa, no Rio, e Vila Madalena, em São
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 199
Filhos de peixe:
Bebel,Trama e o projeto + 2
Os rebentos de grandes nomes da MPB colaboraram decisivamente na
formação do gosto e do mercado da música popular, sobretudo a partir
do ano 2000. Eles não formam um grupo fechado ou movimento, e sim
dialogam com as vertentes já analisadas aqui.
Nascida em 1966, Bebel Gilberto, filha dos cantores João Gilberto e Miú-
cha, foi exposta muito cedo aos palcos e gravações. Estreou com 11 anos
no espetáculo Saltimbancos, cantou com o pai aos 17 e, aos 19, gravava
seu primeiro LP, com sambas de Geraldo Pereira, ao lado do sambista
Pedrinho Rodrigues (Geraldo Pereira. Pedrinho Rodrigues e Bebel Gilber-
to, Funarte, 1983). Em 1986, ela lançou um EP com baladas feitas em
parcerias com Cazuza. Só em 2000, já morando em Nova York, Bebel se
jogou numa aventura que a transformou num fio condutor importante
da música popular brasileira do século XXI. Com orientação do produ-
tor e compositor sérvio Siba (1961-1999), Bebel gravou em São Paulo,
num estúdio da Vila Madalema, o CD Tanto Tempo (Ziriguiboom, 2000).
Neste trabalho, Bebel reambientava a Bossa Nova, estilo lançado por seu
pai em 1958, para o gosto e os padrões da música dançante eletrônica.
A superbossa de Bebel colaborou numa nova onda de sucesso de velhos
clássicos da Bossa Nova, e incentivou a intérprete a se dedicar cada vez
mais à composição. Ela tomou para si a produção e compôs com mais
assiduidade nos seus álbuns seguintes: Bebel Gilberto (Ziriguiboom-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 200
Artistas reunidos-100% Show, com Wilson Simoninha, Pedro Mariano,
Daniel Carlomagno, Luciana Mello e Jairzinho Oliveira (Trama, 2000) e
produção de João Marcello. Ao longo dos sete anos seguintes, cada um
desses músicos seguiu carreira, a maior parte dentro da Trama. Luciana
e Pedro seguiram trajetórias como intérpretes, logo mudando para gra-
vadoras maiores.
Pedro Mariano
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 201
Mesmo sem fixar a sua linguagem própria, a Trama constituiu uma forte
influência sobre as bandas novas, que se lançam no site da gravadora na
internet. O famoso “som” é, na verdade, uma atitude, um logotipo da
gravadora. Se houve inovações estruturais na música pop brasileira, ela
se deu no plano da produção final, envolvendo captação de som, corte e
mixagem. Uma certa despersonalização autoral no que tange aos arranjos
se verificou em trabalhos como os da Trama.
A Lapa renascida
O bairro boêmio da Lapa, no Rio de Janeiro, viveu sua renascença a partir
de 1996, com a reabertura de bares e casas noturnas, que passaram a
abrigar shows de samba e choro. Até então, a região se encontrava degra-
dada, com cortiços, prostíbulos e pequeno comércio. Em poucos anos,
de 1996 a 2007, o bairro se reabilitou, o público acorreu a bares como
o Arco da Velha, Coisa da Antiga e Semente. No início, a renascença da
Lapa foi um movimento espontâneo, que resultou de encontros musicais
em um ou dois bares entre nomes tradicionais da música popular, como
Nelson Sargento, Roberto Silva, Wilson Moreira e Cristina Buarque, além
de mais novatos como os cantores Marcos Sacramento e Teresa Cristina.
Aconteceu um grande encontro ecumênico de gerações, para celebrar o
que a música carioca tinha de mais precioso: o samba, o choro e a des-
contração. Em 2007, já eram cerca de 30 casas noturnas funcionando
com lotação completa e muita música brasileira.
Os “papas” continuam
Não é objeto deste panorama examinar a produção dos músicos cujas
carreiras começaram sob a égide da MPB, nos anos 70 aos 80. No entan-
to, é preciso assinalar que músicos como Caetano Veloso, Djavan, Ivan
Lins, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Guinga e Tom
Zé persistiram e acompanharam o movimento de criatividade das novas
gerações. Em especial, Caetano Veloso, com o show e CD Cê (Universal,
2006) mostrou uma grande capacidade de se renovar, unindo-se a uma
banda de jovens de 20 anos para criar um repertório de rock brasileiro
de qualidade, como havia muito não se ouvia. Em 1997, ele havia lan-
çado Livro, um álbum que refletia sobre a condição sócio-cultural do
Brasil e sua própria carreira. Em Noites do Norte (Universal, 2000), deu
continuidade à meditação sobre o Brasil. Em 2004, Caetano lançou um
CD de interpretações de canções norte-americanas, intitulado A foreing
sound. Em 2007, o show Cê chegou ao disco e confirmou o êxito de
sua rejuvenilização. Curiosamente, Caetano se revelou o grande músico
brasileiro mais fiel às grandes gravadoras, pois se manteve na Universal e
suas antecessoras desde os anos 60.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 205
Ivan Lins Djavan
tre inspirador, Tom Jobim, e Acariocando (EMI, 2006), com seu feixe de
canções elaboradas para soar simples.
Gilberto Gil lançou 16 discos em dez anos, e o fato de ter ocupado o car-
go de ministro da Cultura em 2003 não o afastou dos palcos e do disco.
Em Quanta (WEA, 1997), fez a apologia dos novos tempos tecnológicos,
exaltando a internet e outras novidades. Seu álbum de 2006, Gil lumino-
so, lançado pela Biscoito Fino, marca um retorno às suas criações, agora
cantadas e tocadas com voz e violão.
Apesar de ter surgido no fim dos anos 70, o violonista e compositor Guin-
ga solidificou seu trabalho na virada do século. Seus discos no período
foram vincados de experimentações e renovação da linguagem harmôni-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 207
Milton Nascimento
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 208
A maior parte dos “papas” da MPB não se intimidou com a chegada das
novas gerações. Pelo contrário, houve um estímulo criativo que permi-
tiu a longevidade dessas carreiras já havia muito firmadas no cenário
mundial.
investing resources into the first great dream of the The extraordinary Brazilian ability to incorpo-
independent record in this Country, that of the produ- rate, to swallow, to ruminate the most diverse cultures
cer Marcos Pereira. My friend Marcos Pereira thought – in my view, Brazil’s most original contribution to the
big, acted big, recorded big. Not in the commercial history of the civilizations – will meet, precisely in our
sense of the term, for Marco’s proposals and unquiet- songbook, its more vehement, provoking and stimu-
nesses were always those of registering the greatness lating mirror.
of the Brazilian sounds, the most authentic, the less I must point out that popular music from
welcomed by the conventional record, but the most other countries, like Germany, Portugal, Spain, Russia,
relevant to the preservation of the ancestral collective Italy, the whole of Scandinavia and so many others
memory that had always been walking to the com- (except the United States, where jazz grew with diffe-
mon grave – after all, the disdain and the truculence rentiated vigor) is very much more discrete and – yes
of the “majors” have always condemned any deeper – appraised as a modest cultural platform. Why? Be-
musical survey in a hasty country like ours. cause they lack both the rejuvenating flames coming
I hope this preamble, or, let it go, this intro- from miscegenation and those of a young country.
duction to the four beautiful texts the reader will be It will not be merely by incorporating the po-
given next will be of some use. After all, – as I have pular word that MPB will be able to exhibit, with such
repeated insistently along the last 45 years active in exuberance, its best and noblest configuration: the
MPB’s historiography – no history originates from no- interface of the solidarity it proposes. And – more than
thing. All is interlinked to the time channels, streng- that– that it has been carrying out along the last Century.
thening the roots that make possible the sequences. But, some would object, will there not be some
And sequences. exaggeration on the part of impassioned exegesis-
minded people in assigning a bunch of songs and a
handful of popular artists such a level of socio-cultural
THE MULATTO MUSIC importance? Yes, I would dare say, if that bunch that
today bear the sympathetic nickname of MPB lacked
a revitalizing datum called miscegenation.
In my opinion, the history of Brazilian popu- For it is always useful to remember that our
lar music has its origin in the precise moment when, popular music is the direct– and inseparable – conse-
anywhere in a black slave’s house, the Indians began to quence of the interracial meeting that has culminated
accompany the same handclapping of the black slaves, in the mulatto country we are.
and that white colonizers let themselves to be penetra- One of the greatest Brazilian I new, the
ted by the magic of the singing of the black ladies of folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo, once defined to
curvilineal forms. That amalgam, matured sensuously me, with sharp precision, the risk of syntheses, as
and slowly, along more than four centuries, would well as of summaries of a long history: “It is like the
bring a defined resultant, more than a hundred years photograph of a beautiful woman: there will always
ago, when choro was created in Rio, and maxixe, frevo be missing something that should be shown with
and samba emerged, besides frevo, in Recife. more detail, more indiscretion and more appetite”.
From then on, these last one hundred and a The wise man from Natal (RN) was quite right. That is
few years, beginning both with the abolition of slaves why I want, right now, admonish the reader that this
(1888) and the Proclamation of the Republic (1889) preamble for the Brazilian popular music is, of neces-
have seen the consolidation of a cultural revolution sity, incomplete regarding its details and its shortcuts.
that has redeemed us:the dramatic rise of the mulatto It could not but be that way, taking into account both
civilization in Brazil. And alongside it the consolida- the diversity and the richness of its characters as well
tion of its first-born daughter, the most loved and the as the organic vehemence with which it came to be
most embracing, MPB. what it is today.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 212
If the sideways, however, are, of necessity, It was only in the second half of the 19th
incomplete, the main roads follow the general line of Century that the history of the Brazilian popular music
convenience and coherence of a history told by four would register the first great names of those who
first rank journalists who are familiar with the specific would form the bases of what is today considered the
subject matter of this book, the one that took place Brazilian popular music. It is very important to point
along the last four decades out, from the start, that our popular music constitutes
Also I want to let it clear – in this introduction a creation that is contemporary with the emergence
of mine – that many names of composers, interpreters of the towns. One should let it clear that there can
and musicians– including the ones of may personal only be popular music when there are people. And
esteem and respect – have not been mentioned in this what could one listen to along the period of colonial
text, especially regarding the affluent golden deca- Brazil? Along the first three centuries of Brazil as a
de of the thirties. If I was to list all I wanted to, this colony there were definitive musical forms: songs for
would be a reading of an annoying, endless catalo- the Indian ritual dances and the slaves’ batuques,
gue of names. On this account, I dared abridge each the majority of which also ritual. Both fundamentally
decade that preceded the last four lustra, in order to based on percussion: drums (atabaques, tantares, cla-
keep to only some of the fundamental composers. pping, whistles). In parallel, there were cantigas [des-
The composers have been mentioned in a cants] by the European colonizers, originated in the
preferential way because I bestow on them a decisi- medieval hamlets from the 12th to the 14th century.
ve importance in MPB’s history. I consider them the Outside this musical form, there was the religious
paste of the cake that popular music is, leaving its hymn book of the Catholic priests. Worth mentio-
interpreters (singers and musicians) as the ferment ning, yet, the military beats and brass bands of the
and cover that give it beauty and make it tempting Portuguese armies stationary here. Before one could
to the palate. And then –the recalcitrants forgive me arrive at any piece of music recognizable as Brazilian,
– the choice is obviously a private matter. it would be necessary that the mixture of all elements
hewed out a new resultant. And that took place at
the beginning of the Century, when the populations
FROM MODINHA AND LUNDU in the hamlets got into towns, among which soon
TO SAMBA Salvador, Recife and Rio de Janeiro would standout,
all of them with strong black influence. Those popu-
lations once gathered around towns, called for new
The origin of the first vestiges of Brazilian forms of leisure, or for a cultural product. And that
popular music goes back to more than two-hundred product, as far as popular music is concerned, came
years ago, with artists whose names history has to be represented by lundu and modinha, the original
forgotten. One of the most remote individual record genres. Lundu – basically black in its cadenced rhythm
of a popular singer belongs to the great satiric poet – displayed people’s simplicity in its verses when it
Gregório de Matos Guerra, the “Hell’s mouth”, who, was sung, most of the times commenting everyday
already an oldster, used to conquer female slaves life in the streets. As for modinha – basically white in
from the Recôncavo Baiano, singing licentious verses its form as an European song – exhibited bombastic
to the sound of a viola de arame (wire guitar). Fifty verses, to sing love to marmoreal, almost inaccessible
years later, by the end of the 18th Century, another muses. Within this framework and at those times, the
viola player, the carioca poet Domingos Caldas Bar- first personalities we are going to register here began
bosa, left Rio and went to Portugal, singing in Court to make their entrance.
songs of a Portuguese structure, but already touched One of the earliest must be considered Xisto
by such a tenderness that one presumes to be a Bahia (Bahia, 1841 – Caxambu, 1894), who went
symptom of a Brazilian musical form. back to the tradition of Domingos Caldas Barbosa,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 213
whose ironic modinhas brought to the Portuguese blish Callado, who, notwithstanding, would come to be
Court, in the 18th Century had been transformed into awarded by the Emperor the Ordem da Rosa (1879),
rather heavyish songs, when D. João VI anchored at dying soon afterwards, victimized by one of the many
Rio’s port precisely two hundred years ago, trans- epidemics that raged in Rio de Janeiro a hundred years
ferring his Court to Brazil on account of the political ago, unhealthy and without a sewerage system. But
earthquake caused by Napoleão Bonaparte in Europe. as beautiful and ever, according to the attestations of
Mulatto, son of a veteran officer remnant of the travelers that called its port. And always praised by
the wars of Independence, Xisto appeared at a time chronicle writers and poets born there.
when the romantic poets began to write verses to From Callado on, a whole generation of choro
be put to music, not only by musicians coming from players surfaces: Pedro Galdino, Paulino Sacramen-
music schools, but also by simple guitar players. One to, Pedro Sá Pereira and Candinho are but some
of those who wrote most was the poet Raymundo of dozens of excellent musicians who used to play
Rebello, whose songs soon won the anonymous gui- around in the streets of Rio de Janeiro’s belle époque.
tar of the streets. Xisto, a guitar player, composer and Vaudeville – whose heart lied in Tiradentes square
actor, started his career in Salvador, acting for the rising – was the big consumer centre and also the one that
middle class. In Rio, soon later, he went so far as to be disseminated popular music since the last decades of
co-author to Artur Azevedo, and was acclaimed by the the 19th Century.
Emperor in person. The empire having come to an end, Among all the pioneers, two individual flames
Xisto was out of favour and died poor and neglected. soon standout: Chiquinha Gonzaga and Ernesto
Tragedies, like the ones of poverty and aban- Nazareth. Francisca Edwiges de Lima Neves Gonzaga
donment would fall as a curse upon the great majo- (Rio, 1847 - Rio, 1935), daughter of an illustrious
rity of the figures of popular music ever since. In the family, her father being a marshal of the Emperor,
second half of the 19th Century, the music listened to was betrothed to an officer of the Merchant Marine.
by the elites was, by and large, opera, operetta and The husband forced her to sell the piano and to travel
light ball-room music. Black people and mestizo-like almost as a recluse in a cabin of his ship. It is reported
people from the lower classes would perform and that at the port of Salvador Chiquinha brought on
listen to, as a rule, the refrains, accompanied by the board a guitar. The captain –husband, who she was
sounds of clapping and guitar. The tiny middle class already in bad terms with, ran into the ingenuousness
– that began to form into a body only during the of giving Chiquinha an ultimatum: “Either me or the
Second Empire –, used to cling to the European gen- guitar!”. Between her husband and the guitar, she
res only, i.e., the elite’s light ball-room music: polka, opted, without wincing, for the second. It was the
that arrived in Brazil in 1844, waltz and also shottish, decade of the seventies, 19 h Century, and, already in
square dance, and mazurka. Rio, Chiquinha began to teach guitar and to compose,
Within that scenario, here it is, a beam of light and became a female conductor. Her first composition,
and invention, the mulatto Joaquim da Silva Callado, the polka Atraente (1877), was the start for hundre-
who formed the first instrumental group of a carioca ds of musical compositions in which all genres were
and popular nature in Brazil: choro. The word at first represented. In 1985, our self-reliant Francisca knocked
meant only a gathering of musicians, and only later down one more prejudice: she composed the first score
the name of the musical genre. It was the name of for the popular operetta A corte na roça and imposed
the Brazilian geniality and creativity. The new genre, herself as a female conductor. From 1877 till few days
a stimulating, loose and sprightly music was almost prior to her death, the first great Brazil’s authoress
always performed on the basis of modulations and composed 77 plays whence came jewels like the tango
of melodies so much elaborated that they would Corta jaca and the modinha Lua branca.
demand from their performers competence and talent. A pioneer in all respects, not less in breaking
Up to the point that publishers began to refuse to pu- down the male chauvinistic practices of the time, the
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 214
female conductor Chiquinha Gonzaga was an essen- choros became incorporated to the songbook of the
tial figure to MPB: she wrote almost two thousand choro players/lovers and provided it with a character,
compositions and electrified the carnival of the tur- like Apanhei-te, cavaquinho and Odeon, two classics
ning of the Century (19th) composing O Abre Alas, of the choro repertoire
the first carnival march at the request of the group of Another important pioneer, Anacleto Augusto
carnival revelers Rosa de Ouro. de Medeiros (Ilha de Paquetá, Rio, 1866 - Rio, 1907)
Chiquinha had courage and time yet to embra- would enter the history of the popular culture as the
ce the noble causes of her time, such as the abolition master founder of the Fire Brigade band. Flourishing
of slavery, ad very often she went from door to door at a time when people’s music began to be organi-
to collect donations. The revolutionary Chiquinha zed, he was an innovative musician because he was
also dictated fashion, drew her own dresses, smoked responsible for the definition of the harmonic scale of
cigars, became news and the object of people’s calu- the popular music, previously inexistent.
mny. But she made hers a life of pioneering action not Another one of the great figures in the history
surpassed up to the present. of the pioneers, the composer and flute player Patá-
She was yet the founder, in 1917, of the Socie- pio Silva (ltaocara, RJ, 1881 - Santa Catarina, 1907)
dade Brasileira de Autores Teatrais (SBAT), and died in would startle the first decade of the Century. He rose
Rio, 85 years old, surrounded by an aura of myth, as to become a fantastic virtuoso of the flute. By the way,
an icon both of social transgression and of the conso- he not only was the first Brazilian musician to transpose
lidation of popular music. to flute works previously written for other instruments,
Of as great importance as that of Chiquinha but also one of the first soloists to record music in
Gonzaga – perhaps even greater, on the strictly Brazil. Anacleto would die in the height of success, only
musical point of view – Ernesto Júlio Nazareth (Rio, 28 years old, during a tour to Florianópolis.
18163-1934) was a son of a modest low middle class Within this line of the first popular composers
family. A diligent piano student, he launched the first it is of justice to register yet another name: Catullo
Brazilian tango, Brejeiro, that, after all, was almost a da Paixão Cearense (São Luís, 1866 – Rio, 1946),
choro. Thus he initiated a career that would transform who, when ten years old, would move with his family
him into Brazil’s most original composer, according to to live in the backland of Ceará, where, possibly,
Mário de Andrade: he is popular and erudite at the he would calibrate the basic elements for his future
same time. Nazareth, however, disdained popular back-country work, and whence he would borrow
music, but was forced to play it in plebeian places like and annex his artistic name. Catullo arrived in Rio at
cinema waiting-rooms – by the way, he was listened 17, and, frequenting a students republic in the then
to by people of the stature of Darius Milhaud, who distant Copacabana district (“a secluded place to go
inspired in him to compose some of his plays. Rui Bar- in summer”, according to João do Rio), he comes to
bosa, another extremely famous figure, used to listen get interested in music. His initial work, the modinha
to him at Odeon cinema. Ao luar (written at 18), was the beginning of one of
The incontestable Mário de Andrade was right the most successful careers in MPB, in which a fact
for raising Ernesto Nazareth to the rare podium of an very much common to people’s composers stands
erudite and popular composer at the same time. True, out: his having always been a self-taught person. His
he was invincible with his insistence in never allowing prestige would be consolidated along the earlier years
his art and piano to be adulterated. of the Century, with the advent of the mechanical
Sorrowful, deaf and having to play practically recordings. Through the old records of Casa Edison, in
in the streets to survive, he ended by becoming insa- the voice of singer Mário, the Catullo’s prestige would
ne, and died in Jacarepaguá, after having run away not stop rising. For one to have an idea of the poet’s
from a hospice. Many of his musical creations and influence: it was him the first person to introduce gui-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 215
tar – an instrument then considered cursed – to the Rosa. The latter would be perpetuated once recorded
former Instituto Nacional de Música at an audition by Orlando Silva (1937). He achieved an even greater
(1908) bravely promoted by the conductor Alberto success with Side A of the same Orlando’s 78 RPM:
Nepomuceno. the choro-canção Carinhoso, written almost 20 years
The most famous Catullo’s composition, Luar ealier, under the name Carinhos. Accused of writing
do sertão (1910, recorded by Mário for Casa Edison), jazzlike music by the crítico Cruz Cordeiro – who
is usually considered an almost national anthem of would reveal to me, when I was ahead of the Museu
the Brazilian hearts. The work brought the final glory da Imagem e do Som, in 1967, his regret concerning
to his author, and also a “serious disgust”, as he came that comment –, Pixinguinha locked it up until 1937,
to reveal to piano player Mário Cabral: the angry when, at the request of the actress Heloisas Helena,
quarrel (which ended in a sensational judicial dispute) Braguinha wrote the letter that would raise it to the
with guitar player João Pernambuco, who soon had podium of the ten most loved songs in Brazil.
considered himself as the author of the music, a fact He created yet uncountable music groups,
vehemently contested by Catullo. standing out among them Os Oito Batutas, the first
By the way, , João Pernambuco (Jatobá, PE, one to tour outside Brazil (Paris, 1922) taking within
1883 - Rio, 1947) was not only an extraordinary mu- its luggage choro, samba and maxixe, all flavou-
sician, but also the author of very interesting works, red with the best of the Brazilian soul, mulatto and
among which stands out a classic choro, called Sons mischievous. Maestro Alfredo Viana was also the first
do carrilhão. Brazilian musician, already acclaimed as a flute player,
At the time that Catullo was the great success composer and orchestra leader to provide daring
in the federal capital of the Country, an yet timid Rio orchestral arrangements for carnival marchinhas and
that was taking its first steps towards becoming a sambas right at the beginning of MPB’s golden age
large city (“when Rio was getting rid of the imperial (decade of 30 of the 19th Century).
murrains”, in Carlos Drummond de Andrade’s wor- As from the final years of the 19th Century,
ds), in 1912 a little boy wearing short trousers turned the main Brazilian towns saw the waking up of the
up playing flute better than grown up people. That political conscience in society’s poorest populations.
virtuoso boy would come to be the heir of the musi- Until 1888 (Lei Áurea - Golden Law), the slaves were
cal tradition inaugurated and cultivated by Nazareth, considered as inferior people, and they could not ex-
Chiquinha, Callado, Patápio and Catullo, and he would press their musical vein except in closed groups. But
also be – at least in my view – the one who provided as free workers in the republican era, they began to
structure to and the patriarch of all music that would dispute a place in society, what in the area of leisure
follow him:Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, Pixinguinha meant a growing participation in carnival celebrations.
(Rio, April 23, 1897 - Rio, February 17, 1973). Those celebrations had, up to then, been transformed
Growing up in an environment of music and by the middle class into an imitation of the European
musicians from the low middle class, the boy Alfre- carnival, with the processions, battles and flowers,
do was nicknamed Pizidin (good boy) by his African and earlier the almost always brutal entrudo enter-
grandmother). At 12 he would have exhausted the tainments
musical knowledge that maestro César Leitão had The mestizo population already more integra-
passed on to him. ted to the economic structure of the town, such as
As regards his career as a composer (almost a employees in factories and the small bureaucratic got
thousand works, all impeccable, although many still organized into recreational societies, initially denomi-
unpublished), is important to register that the first nated cordões carnavalescos, then blocos carnavales-
two would be recorded by himself (1917) for Casas cos. In 1893, ranchos were formed in Rio de Janeiro,
Faulhaber: choro Sofres porque queres and the waltz that began to parade during carnival, producing a
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 216
kind of orchestral music that would engender one of almost always performed in streets and surrounding
MPB’s most lovable musical genres: marcha-rancho. squares, became famous the celebrations in the
The founder of the first rancho, the Bahia-born Jovino houses of the up to now celebrated Tias Baianas – Tia
Ferreira, named it Rancho Rei de Ouro. Ciata, the mulatto Hilária Batista de Almeida, was the
The carioca population, particularly the one most celebrated of them all.
that descended from the slavery ghettos, and that By and large, they were fat ladies and great
inhabited the poor black slums of the Cidade Nova dainties makers who used to give feasts to comme-
and Central do Brasil zone – was its heart in the same morate the relevant dates of the candomblé calendar.
vicinities where today stands the Sambódromo Darcy The celebrations used to last very long. Some would
Ribeiro – was going on exercising itself with drums only end one week later. They were pagodes, that
and rodas de pernadas and capoeira. They were – in took place in the tias’ houses, as they were affec-
their majority – the people from Bahia and their des- tionately called. And they used to take place in two
cendents who had come from Bahia at the end of the rounds, according to what I have been informed
Canudos War, a right they had won for having fought at MIS not only by Donga and João da Baiana, but
with the troops against Antônio Conselheiro. Besides also by Pixinguinha and Heitor dos Prazeres, all of
the black people, redeemed for having fought in the them frequenters and – except Pixinga – sons of
Paraguay War. mãe-de-santo. In the backyard, the devotion to the
Well, then, this part of the population was not orixás, caring to preserve the ritual of the candomblé
used to take part in the carnival in an orderly way, but dates. Their duties accomplished, batucada would
in ill-organized blocks, whose parades always ended take place, but in different places, in general in the
in big capoeira fightings and in “horrible bloody sce- front-room of the decaying slum-dwellings or of the
nes”, according to the chronicle writer João do Rio. manshions abandoned by the bourgeoisie, then in
By the way, alert to Rio’s urban evolution, he drew a search of new fashion districts, like Botafogo, Laran-
curious parallel between the ex-slaves’ Praça Onze jeiras and Humaitá
and the Central avenue (now Rio Branco), inaugura- From the houses of the Tias Baianas one
ted in 1902, that he considered a hyphen between registers not only the samba’s birth, but also the first
past and present Brazil: “A avenida chique / Eu sou a names of its history. The eldest among them was the
Central / Da elegância o tique / Dou à Capital”. mestizo José Luiz de Moraes (Rio, 1883-Rio, 1961,
From the music based on percussion and nicknamed Caninha, because still a little boy, he used
clapping, produced by those black people under to sell sugar cane rollers along the railway Central do
the name of batucada, would originate the popular Brazil. Caninha learned black people’s music, batuca-
genre more representative of the Brazilian music, the da, around the redoubts of Praça Onze, in the tias’
Samba, a word of African origin (Angola and Congo), houses and during Penha’s celebrations. By the way,
probably a corruption of the word “semba”, may be many years later, around 1932, when slaves des-
synonymous with umbigada, i.e., the lascivious me- cendants were forced to live in little houses on top
eting between the male and the female navels in the of the morros cariocas, Caninha composed a samba
old batuque dance. Or else, it could mean sadness, that would testify MPB’s origin:”Samba de morro /
melancholy (perhaps of the native African soil, as Não é samba, é batucada / Lá na cidade / A escola é
happens with blues in the United States). diferente”.
By the way, the word “samba” was recorded By the way, the original morros cariocas’ dwel-
for the first time (3/2/1838) by Father Miguel do lers were Bahia-born people coming from Canudos
Sacramento Lopes Gama, in the journal from Pernam- War, who gave the community the name favela, to-
buco called Carapuzeiro: he thus defined one more day a comprehensive substantive , synonymous with
kind of black dance from the senzala (slaves house). destitute communities’ duellings.
Besides those capoeira and batucada rounds, Another pioneer that created samba based don
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 217
batucada was João da Baiana (Rio, 1887 – Rio, 1974). fone. That fact – apparently trivial – would have the
Son of the Bahia-born Prsciliana dos Santos Amaro, most lasting repercussion both concerning samba’s
Aunt Prisciliana, João – the unforgettable and sweet history (despite Pelo telephone being formally a
Tio João, as we used to call him – survived almost in maxixe rather than a samba) and for the definition
extreme poverty, until he died in the seventies (1970). of the beginning of MPB’s professionalization. Why?
João Machado Guedes was the person responsible for Because that happened in January, 1917, and Donga’s
introducing the tambourine in the choro and of the first providence was to register the music and the
kitchen plate as a percussion instrument: a magnifi- letter at the National Library. That was the equivalent
cent creative moment by the people. of patenting the music. Explining futher: it meant that
In this heroic phase of the samba’s birth I have a popular music was reaching the important stage
to mention the name of Heitor dos Prazeres. Born in of a commercial product capable of being sold and
Praça Onze (1989) where he would also die (1966), of making profit. Pelo Telefone, recorded in January
Heitor began his samba career playing cavaquinho. 1917, by Banda Odeon, and soon after by Baiano,
A rhythmist and composer at the Tia Ciata’ and from Casa Edison, gave Donga the glory of posterity,
Prisciliana’s pagodes – he was known by the nickna- as the first samba recorded. It brought him a great
me Mano Lino –, Heitor directed his steps towards deal of disgust, too, later in his life: the controversy
the golden age of the Brazilian popular music, begin- with Almirante, who insisted on the thesis that the
ning in the thirties, with few but astonishing sambas, music had been a collective authorship. As I came
like Vou te abandonar; Mulher de malandro and the to know well both contenders – when at MIS –, and
march Pierrô apaixonado (1936, in partnership with heard from them detailed reports on the subject, I
Noel Rosa). By the way, in that same year he would want to register my personal view on the historical
make his début as a primitive painter, a condition in fact. Donga proved, along his whole life of personal
which he would be acclaimed both nationally and in- probity, and after having created dozens of composi-
ternationally. Up to the point of his pictures, exhibited tions – that he did not need any crutch to enter MPB’s
in London, having raised on the part of the young history. Almirante – in his merciless austerity regarding
Queen Elizabeth II, the consecratory question: “Who history, and I agree that austerity regarding history
is and where does this extraordinary painter come has to be merciless – did not notice that the mere
from?” Heitor, who would be awarded a prize during Donga’s signature, running to the National Library to
the First São Paulo Biennial, spent a lot of time in life register it – rather than a fraud, could only be a decla-
as an attendant at the former Ministry of Education ration of him being in possession of the music, at least
and Culture, a life employment that the poet Carlos of its spirit, of its (let it be) half, of its final arrange-
Drummond de Andrade, his confessed admirer, had ment. And that was already enough in those times of
obtained for him. pioneering activities and of almost no professionalism.
Composer Heitor dos Prazeres was also the Ethics, decency and talent? Donga never lacked those
person responsible, together with Paulo Portela, for qualities, as far as I knew him. And should he (let us
the birth of the Portela School of Samba. concede for a while) have arrogated to himself some
But that was already by the very early thirties. themes of collective inspiration in Tia Ciata’s house,
Samba only came to be registered with that he would have done well. After all, the musical notes
name when the fourth of those pioneers, Ernesto are only seven, and the popular composer’s ear has
Joaquim Maria dos Santos, o Donga (Rio, 1899 - Rio, always been and will ever be alert to whatever goes
1974) , a Tia Amelia’s son, but also a frequent visitor around, in terms of life, and of emotion.
of Tia Ciata’s entertainments, recorded a music adap-
ted by him and by the carnival chronicler from Jornal
do Brasil, Mauro de Almeida, the Peru dos pés frios,
based on a popular theme, both entitled Pelo Tele-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 218
the early golden age, the thirties. Ismael Silva, to whom must be ascribed the
The charming mulatto lady Aracy Cortes historical responsibility for having been one of those
would be the great MPB’s sensation in the twenties, who structured urban carioca samba the way it came
raising passions in the audience of the review thatres to be known and appraised in the subsequent years,
of Praça Tiradentes (Rio), singing Jura (Sinhô) and Ai has also the credit of having been the founder of
ioiô (H. Vogeler, L. Peixoto) with insuperable grace, the first samba school, Deixa Falar (1928), which he
genial falsettos and foxy eyes that, by winking on the organized together with Rubem Barcelos, Bide, Baiaco,
stage, would emblaze the audience. Brancura, Mano Edgar and Nilton Bastos, the one who
If Sinhô was the first composer to make samba introduced the surdo in the school. The school tha
a profession, it would be structured definitively – the would parade only in the 1929, 1930 and 1931 carni-
way it is known today – by a group that inhabited vals, had both in its form and in the shortness of the
in Estácio de Sá, a district of Rio’s low middle class, number of its figurants the structure of carnival block.
in the second half of the twenties (20th Century). The importance of the composer Ismael Silva
That group of composers, vagrants and rogues, who needs be better appraised. Ismael is, thus, a samba
used to hibernate by day and blossom by night in the maker concerned with fundaments, for, I insist, he was
cabarets Café Apoio e Do Compadre, had as a leader the consolidator of the samba rhythm, as well as the
composer lsmael Silva. The group from Estácio would founder of Deixa Falar, the earliest samba school (1928).
enter MPB’s history as the consolidator of the rhythm Samba schools, in fact, expanded in all seriou-
an of the malice of the urban carioca samba, up to sness, only following the creation of the other two:
then very much influenced by maxixe in its formal Cartola’s Mangueira and Heior dos Prazeres’ Portela,
structure, what is testified by Pelo telefone and by when they came to take definite shape and began to
almost every Sinhô’s works. gather relevant samba players around themselves.
lsmael Silva (Niterói, RJ, 1905 - Rio, 1978) at
five was already inhabiting the foots of Morro de São
Carlos, in Estácio de Sá. There he would develop his THE GOLDEN AGE
extraordinary musicality in local samba and rogue
gatherings, among them Alcebíades Barcelos and Ar-
mando Marçal (the authors of Agora é Cinza), Rubem In 1930 – perhaps a little bit earlier – MPB
Barcelos (Bide’s brother), Baiaco, Brancura, Mano Ed- considers inaugurated a whole decade, precisely the
gar do Estácio and Ismael’s first great partner, Nilton one that would go into history as the golden age.
Bastos, who died prematurely later on (1931). Two essential reasons determined it: first of all, the
Composer Ismael awoke for the success change in the recording system, from mechanical to
when Francisco Alves – then already considered the electrical, what allowed phonographic registering of
great sensation of the record and of the radio that short ranged voices, but full of malice that samba
was arising at that time – called on him and made could eventually require.
the proposal for recording with exclusiveness all his The second one was the arising and the
sambas But there would be one condition: his name spreading of the first mass communication vehicle,
[Francisco Alves’] would be evident in the partner- the radio, stimulated in its development, by Getúlio
ship. Ismael accepted, but only after having required Vargas, the new Government, that saw in it a con-
from Chico Viola the insertion in it of his true partner, venient factor of national integration. And also of his
Nilton Bastos. From that trio would come anthologi- administration’s political consolidation.
cal pages, the main one being the first and greatest As from the early years of the decade of
Ismael Silva’s success, Se você jurar, recorded by the 30, the radio would require, every month an ever
duetto Mário Reis and Chico Alves, ravishing in grace increasing consumption of new musical works, of
and originality. composers and interpreters. In that golden age a large
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 220
number composers and great interpreters arose. Figu- dentes, he began as a composer when he wrote
res that built their own national integration through the entire score for the play Brasil do amor (1929),
the myth of their voices, broadcast from end to end where Sívlio Caldas made his début singing the
of Brazil thanks to the miracle of the wireless waves. samba Faceira.
Those figures were the first mythic idols who gathe- By the way, the samba was recorded only in
red the Brazilian people around their voices. Radio 1931, a register that marks the début of the great ca-
singers were the first Brazilian idols forged by mass rioca singer in recordings, indicating the beginning of
communication. one of the most well-succeeded careers in Brazil, not
Among so many, one can not but reverence, in only because Caldas knew how to chose and define
the front line, Carmen Miranda and Mário Reis, the his repertoire like few, but equally for his restraint and
singers that were, in my view, a direct consequence natural elegance in interpreting any musical genre.
of the miracle that was the microphone, since 1930. The Mineiro composer Ary Barroso was also a
Their short-ranged voices, but full of bossa (talent) piano player, a speaker and a strenuous defender of
were able to register all the malice and ingenuousness the Brazilian rhythms. He is the author of Aquarela do
of Brazilian popular music. Brasil, the most recorded Brazilian song in the world.
This long list f radio singers is an entire chapter And that later on would have as a contender only
of pure allurement: Garota de Ipanema.
Serenader Sílvio Caldas; meteoric but genial With Aquarela he would begin a new phase,
samba singer Luís Barbosa; ex-tailor Carlos Galhar- that of the samba-exaltação, that would work as glo-
do, who would become famous as romantic singer, ve for the nationalistic intentions of Getúlio Vargas’
despite having begun by singing Boas festas, by Assis Estado Novo, at the time flirting with the countries of
Valente (1933); the now neglected Patrício Teixei- the Axle.
ra, great succes at the time (mentioned as an MPB By the way, Ary came to work in the Uni-
member in Quatro estações, by Lamartine Babo, ted States and to be appointed to an Oscar from
1933); the luminous Orlando Silva, who as from 1936 Hollywood Academy. Back to Brazil from Disney’s
lighted up the strongest light MPB has ever known, at studios, he would be a handyman: from famous radio
least along the period of the apogee of its song (1936 speaker (football and novices programs) to municipal
- 1945); female singers Marília Batista and Aracy alderman (it was his the project to build Maracanã). Yet:
de Almeida, always disputing Noel’s preference; the piano player, orchestra leader, inveterate vagrant in the
Casal 20, Odete Amaral and Ciro Monteiro (two outs- fifties and strenuous defender of MPB’s authenticity,
tanding stylists from the late thirties, who enjoyed Maestro Ary fought against foreign rhythms
a rather discrete prestige near the public at large); and their rising influence. He died while sleeping,
yet: The Batista sisters (Linda and Dircinha, both very during the 1964 carnival, but his rising fame outlives
much loved, especially in the late thirties and for the through Aquarela’s more than a thousand recordings
next two decades). And many others who ended up all over the world.
by being unjustly forgotten. The second one of the great composers in the
Precisely in the zero year of the golden era, golden age was Noel Rosa.
1830, the first success of a young Mineiro from Ubá, Likewise Ary, he came from the middle class.
showed up, and he would become Brazil’s most What may prove that radio and electric recording
famous composer for, at least, three decades: Ary were vehicles that increasingly had become promi-
Evangelista Barroso (Ubá, MG 1903 - Rio, 1964). Ary ses of profssionalization, of prestige and of popular
arived in Rio (1921) and chose to be a pianist, a pro- recognizance.
fession he took up for love and for survival reasons. Noel de Medeiros Rosa (Rio, 1910 - Rio, 1937)
Engaged to put plays to music in Praça Tira- was born right in the heart of Vila Isabel. By the way,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 221
the day in which we was born marked him with iron dispute with the samba composer Wilson Baptista.
and fire, a trauma that would stigmatize him: the João Máximo and Aluísio Didier –researchres
physical deformity, caused by the sinking of the supe- very much subtle and his biographers – could not fail
rior maxilary at the moment of his birth. to notice that Noel’s life was almost entirely recorded
At the beginning of 1929, the then adolescent through his sambas. Hardly one comes across one
Noel created, together with his colleagues from Teo- composition that does not exhibit a specific story. And
doro da Siva street, in The Vila, the group Bando dos his uncountable songs that speak about love confirm
Tangarás, in which took part Braguinha (another com- that Noel was impassioned for many women. The
poser who would build a long and beautiful history), more famous of them Noel came to know in a Noite
besides the singer Almirante. His first composition, the de São João, in the Apoio cabaret, ancient Lapa: Ceci,
embolada Minha viola (1929) – in the wake of the a sixteen-years old campista lady whom the poet
flow of Northeastern music brought by Catullo, and, loved till his death.
later, by Augussto Caalheiros’ and Luperce Miranda’s For Ceci Noel composed Pra que mentir, O
Turunas da Mauricéia – would go unnoticed. That maior castigo que te dou, Dama de cabaré, Silêncio
did not happen to the samba Com que roupa (1931), de um minuto, Ilustre visita. Or, yet, the posthumous
which, recorded by Noel himself, reflected one page As pastorinhas.
of the composer’s life. What, after all, would happen Nobody was more charming than the carioca
to all his compositions, which always refer to the Noel Rosa, both for the poetical quality of his works
Poet’s fugacious existential experience. and for the fact that he lived intensely as a poet. A
As from his first success in the 1931 carnival, fact of which his death for tuberculosis, at the age of
Noel would compose, in that same year, more than 27, is an eloquent testimony.
twenty songs, some o of them classics, like Três api- The year following Noel’s first appearances
tos, Cordiais saudações and Gago apaixonado. brought the fist successes of another extraordinary
By then his style had been crystalized: Noel composer: Lamartine de Azeredo Babo (Rio, 1904 -
would sing the simplicity of things and of daily life. Rio, 1963), the adorabale Lalá, as he used to be called
He was the poet of the verses that were sound and by the Café Nice generation.
free from excessive refinement, the most precise and Café Nice, the most famous in MPB’s history,
dry epoch chronicler who would bring to the early lied in the former Galeria Cruzeiro – where today
thirties simplicity and good taste so revolutionary for stands the Regina Feigl building, a central spot in
the time, likewise the 1922 Semana de Arte Moderna Rio Branco avenue. There, the vagrants, compo-
(1922 Modern Art Week). sers, musicians and interpreters had their preferred
By the way, if we pay much attention, Noel meeting place in Rio. As unbelievable as it may seem,
brought to his letters much of the 1922 modernist people would have one or two cafezinhos for hours.
canons, especially by commenting daily life and for Alcoholic drinks so much to the liking of the group
the freedom of his verses. concerned with music very rarely were served there.
The following year (1932) he composed A strategy of some astuteness: Lamartine and Alberto
together with two important partners: ten sambas Ribeiro told me that that was the very reason why
with Ismael Silva and at least the same figure with the people attended, i.e. everybody could talk in a very
Paulista connoisseur of music Paulo Oswaldo Goglia- much sober condition: partnerships were engende-
no, the Vadico, with whom he composed masterpie- red, interpreters were chosen and there was business
ces like Feitio de coração, Conversa de botequim, Dama around music before the spree began, the infallible
de cabaré and, especially, Feitiço da Vila: A hymn for the spree that would follow. But in different cabarets
district where he had been born and where he died, and Creator of one of the best carnival marchinhas
that ended up by being involved in the famous musical in the thirties, Lamartine Babo, the adorable Lalá, was
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 222
also the composer of waltzes and ballads. exhibiting a marvelous carnival repertoire, he compo-
To me, perhaps Lamartine was the most sed for the so called middle of the year period many
complete and the most viscerally carioca of all popular a music in which almost every musical genre were
singers who arose in the golden age. represented. Waltzes like Eu sonhei que tu estavas
The fact is that Lalá devoted himself, since his tão linda, Só nós dois no salão e uma valsa and Alma
adolescence, to cultivating and observing the son- das violinos, besides songs like No rancho fundo
gs coming from the people of the town. As a result and Serra da Boa Esperança are well kept inside the
he came to become the greatest composer of the Brazilian hearts and in throats of any serenader who
collective song, which is precisely the one sung during boarsts off.
carnival. Lamartine would have his followers in the next
Lamartine –as paradoxical as it may seem– be- decades, like Haroldo Lobo (Alá-la-ô, in partnership
gan his artistic life writing religious songs and listening with another enormous figure of letter writer , the
to European operettas. He would, though, rediscover cartoonist Antônio Nássara, Emilia, O passarinho do
the soul of the streets producing the most sensational relógio, Pra seu governo and the posthumous Triste-
carnival repertoire along its four decades of apogee. za, with Miltinho) or João Roberto Kelly, the author
His first success was O teu cabelo não nega of very known compositions in the final period of the
(1932 carnival). That gave rise to a controversy with carnival marchinhas (the sixties and seventies) like Ca-
the Valença brothers, frevo writers from Pernambu- beleira do Zezé, Mulata Bossa-Nova, Rancho da Praça
co, who claimed in court, and were given the right Onze, before the advent of the public success of the
of signing The music. After all, the first part of it is samba school music.
wholly theirs. Also heirs to the talent carnival kings like Lalá
Among Lalá’s so many carnival successes and Braguinha (Carlos Alberto Braga, João de Barro,
one may mention jewels like Aeiou, Linda morena, fundamental author of more than 500 compositions,
Marchinha do grande galo, A tua vida é um segredo, among which Touradas em Madri, Gato na tuba,
Moleque indigesto or Ride palhaço. Yes, nós temos bananas, Balancê, Chiquita Bacana,
By the way, Lamartine inovated the entire Vai com jeito, besides Carinhoso and Capacabana),
MPB’s literary framework with a feeling of non-sense expressive figures to be remembered here Jota Júnior,
insuperable as the author of the surreal and of the ab- Braguinha’s partner in 20 compositions, and author
surd, what can be seen as his most important aestheti- of successes like Confeti and Favela amarela, or Luís
cal contribution to the musical culture of the Country. Antônio, a talented composer, almost always concer-
In the marchinha História do Brazil, he comes ned with social problems, the author of Lata d’água
out with six jewels, a true surrealistic panel premoni- and Sapato de pobre (both in partnership with J.
torily tropicalist. Júnior), or Barracão, deserving to be included in any
“Quem foi que inventou o Brasil / Foi seu songbook of the best carnival sambas.
Cabral / No dia 22 de abril / Dois meses depois do The year 1933 brought onto the artistic scene
carnaval”. the first success of the fourth of our five composers
Lamartine finishes this masterpiece of popular that lighted up the golden age with five great musical
poetry of the absurd this way:”Depois Ceci amou Peri luggages, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
/ Peri beijou Ceci / Ao som do Guarani / Do Guarani Ataulfo Alves de Souza (Mirai, Zona da Mata,
ao guaraná I Surgiu a feijoada e depois o parati”. MG, 1909 - Rio, 1968) was a son of very poor
More Ionescolike or Dalilike, impossible. peasants who had little conditions for allowing him
Lamartine, famous radio artist that took part even elementary education. For this reason, the then
in the Trio do Osso in the most famous radio program young boy left for Rio to run his fortune (1927) and
Trem da Alegria, was a complete composer. Despite came to live in the Estácio of the astute samba lovers.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 223
There, Ataulfo would follow modest occupations, verses, what gave way to a quarrel between them,
from office-boy to practicing druggist. But popular soon forgotten, mainly thanks to the success of the
music was stronger then the multiple occupations he samba
was involved in. By the way, there is another curious fact con-
Soon he would begin to take part in the samba cerning Amélia: he showed the music to various sin-
and vagrants’ nights of the already famous group gers at the time, who refused to record it. All of them
samba players from Estácio. Thus he began, as a com- considered it a “minor and uninteresting samba”.
poser, consolidating his prestige along the next three That is why he dared once again as a singer, registe-
decades, as author of one of the many great solitary ring Amélia on a record accompanied by his Academia
works of the Brazilian popular music. de Samba (Samba Academy), the one later on very
Why solitary? Because the entire work keeps much known group Ataulfo Alves e suas Pastoras.
an impeccable and elegant structural unity, not only in Ever since, Ataulfo’s career would remain alive,
the melodic seal (any observer a little bit more attenti- always exhibiting his pastoras in ahows, radios, night
ve is capable of recognizing an Ataulfian melody); but clubs and theatres and composing marvels like Atire a
also, what constitutes a fact equally unique, on the primeira pedra, Fim de comédia, Errei, sim, Vai na paz
poetic-literary side, i.e., Ataulfo put melodies normally de Deus, Entre nós tudo acabado, Pois é ( revitalizing
sad to the service of letters most of the times melan- the samba in 1954, an epoch of crisis, when there
cholic, nostalgic, romantically hurtful. was no chance for samba), Mulata assanhada (a
I would affirm that Ataulfo’s black ances- sunbeam in his sadness that launched singer Miltinho
trality conferred him all the banzo, the “samba” of in 1960) and Na cadência do samba, when, prophe-
his melodies. The mineiro temperament itself, timid tically Ataulfo said: “Quero morrer / Numa batucada
and reserved, the poverty of his parents and of his de bamba / Na cadência bonita do samba / O meu
childhood, and, yet, his first love failures – as he once nome / Ninguém vai jogar na lama / Diz o dito popu-
confided to me –may have conferred on him the sad- lar / Morre o homem / E fica a fama”
ness of the letters, in which most of the times there And his fame outlived him, although today un-
were precious poetical findings justly faded, and maestro Ataulfo died unexpectedly,
Although he has showed up with Tempo per- victimized by an ulceration of the duodenum he used
dido, in 1933, recorded by Carmen Miranda, the year to treat as a favorite one.
1940 was really the decisive landmark in Ataulfo’s life It was only in the last but one year of the gol-
and career. The reason is that he made his debut as a den age that reached the people’s songbook the fifth
singer, too – a condition he would be involved in till his of what I consider, though temporalily, the five great
death – with a samba later on transformed into o one composers from the affluent thirties: Dorival Caymmi.
of the composer’s classics:”Leva meu samba / Meu Caymmi was born in Salvador (1914), and at
mensageiro, este recado / Para o meu amor primeiro”. 24 he decided to run his fortune in Rio. On board the
Soon after registering his voice on a record, Ita do Norte, he arrived in Rio in April, 1938. Having
Ataulfo would compose the masterpiece Ai que as godfather Assis Valente – first successful compo-
saudades da Amélia in partnership with the poet and ser from Bahia in Rio – and by Lamartine Babo, the
letter writer Mário Lago, another great figure, a mix young guitar player and singer made his début as a
of poet, actor and writer for radio and theatre. free-lancer at Rádio Nacional, whence he would leave
The verses were inspired to Mário by an Aracy to be engaged by Rádio Tupi. There he would sing
de Almeida’s housekeeper called Amélia. But accor- a music that would later be widely commented: an
ding to what Ataulfo testified to me in a statement ingenuous samba, stylistically and literarily inspired in
for the Museu da Imagem e do Som (Sound and an earlier composition by Ary Barroso, called O que é
Image Museum), he had to cut down on his parner’s que a baiana tem.
.-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 224
Caymmi’s success began to show when the do Abaeté he insists on the landscape aspects of the
American cinematographer Wallace Downey bet on city of Salvador, taking advantage of them to sing the
him to substitute, unexpectedly, the scene where Ca- myths of the people from Bahia so rich of imagination
men Miranda would act singing Na baixa do sapatei- Among these portraits of Bahia in which
ro, by Ary, who had had an argument with Downey Caymmi recreates different angles of his town – culi-
and had withdrawn his music from the film. nary art could not be neglected. Caymmi himself a
Thence, O que é que a baiana tem entered Ba- curious cook and a connoisseur in the art and secrets
nana da terra (1939), one more of the famous and of the typical Bahia’s culinary, he created the samba
clumsy programs made to be shown in anticipation Vatapá, the only one in the history of popular music
of carnival. to describe with originality and good taste, how to
By the way, the musical programs in the proceed to prepare vatapá, the most important dish
thirties and forties were called abacaxis, the same of the Afro-Bahia’s culinary.
way as the ones in the fifties were called chanchadas This so highly devoted love to his mother town
– because they used a very fragile theme as an excuse is revitalized with precision in the samba Você já foi
to exhibit a large number of musical scenes with the à Bahia, which, in my opinion made much more for
most famous carnival interpreters of each year. Bahia than all the sophisticated and expensive adver-
That way two birds were killed with one stone: tising campaigns put together. That, by the way, have
the songs were disseminated and the owners of the paid him through Dorival Caymmi square and a house.
voices were shown for the whole country to see. Let us admit: it is too little.
From the screen to the phonographic register just This Caymmi so narrowly rooted to Bahia
one jump: in February, 1939, Caymmi would record would reach the apex of his career with the songs
the song and would also make his début at Odeon, called beach-related songs. Based upon the human
playing the guitar and singing in a duetto with Car- and physical landscape of the Bahia’s beaches, they
men Miranda, the uncontested queen of the golden are very much inspired in the people’s songs, folkloric
age. May the Lord of Bonfim protect her… songs transmitted orally from generation to generation.
Curiously there is in Caymmi’s work a trait of Caymmi imbibed himself in them to gather one of
fidelity to his roots, i.e. to the people from Bahia and the most beautiful songbook on the sea this Country,
to the magic of his mother town. Caymmi is, perhaps, or any other has ever known. Songs like Noite de
the greatest minstrel that any Brazilian town has ever temporal, É doce morrer no mar, A jangada voltou só,
had. One may affirm that Bahia’s mysteries and the Quem vem pra beira do mar, O vento, O canoeiro and,
beauties have been popularized through Caymmi’s especially, O mar (the earlier, 1938) constitute a set
songs. Dozens of compositions that have always capable of aggrandizing and honour any music. From
and increasingly been divulging his town. Samba da any country in the world.
minha terra makes classical the expression: “Quem
não gosta de samba / Bom sujeito não é / É ruim da
cabeça / Ou doente do pé.” MUSICAL CONTROVERSY:
In 365 Igrejas, he mentions an important urba- AESTHETICAL DEFINITIONS
nistic aspect f Salvador, the solid colonial churches, one
of the most valuable treasures of Brazilian art. In Dois
de Fevereiro and in Meu Senhor dos Navegantes . I would not like to end this short mention
He refers to another high point of cultural sedi- to the gold age without refer to a famous musical
mentation in Bahia: the popular celebrations in which controversy – perhaps the most famous of all dealt
the religious syncretisms of Afro-Portuguese origin with inside MPB. It is surely a precious synthesis of
are a constant. In Coqueiros de ltapoã and in Lagoa socio-cultural definition of the environment concer-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 225
ning music in the early golden age. Silva’s style and of his O que será de mim (“Se eu
A sociological treaty, accomplished by pure precisar um dia / De ir pr batente / Não sei o que será
chance, in the form of a samba. And with it I detain / Pois vivo na malandragem / E vida melhor na há...”)
myself on a composer called Wilson Baptista. The other Well, Wilson’s music was called Lenço no
part in the controversy was Noel Rosa, already celebra- pescoço whose verses drew a precise portrait of the
ted here as one of the five greats of the thirties. carioca rogue of the decade of 30. He was such a gre-
Wilson started in life very early through the at a success in the recording by Sílvio Caldas (1933)
low vagrants’ groups in Rio, where at 18 he already that Noel Rosa, then much respected and with a large
showed himself as a samba player in the cabarets of number of sambas recorded, decided to contest that
ancient Lapa and in the prostitution zones. exaltation of trickery.
He would retake, not only stylistically but The samba of the rogue Wilson was as follows:
also socially Ismael’s work. It is imperative to register “Meu chapéu de lado / Tamanco arrastando / Lenço
that in the early thirties middle class composers took no pescoço / Navalha no bolso / Eu passo gingando/
almost by assault the physical environment, leaving Provoco desafio / Eu tenho orgulho de ser vadio”.
illiterate samba player – of lesser socio-cultural condi- To what Noel replied with Rapaz folgado: “Deixa de
tions – to a lower plan. arrastar o teu tamanco / Pois tamanco nunca foi san-
Thus I will not be far from the truth by affir- dália / Tira do pescoço o lenço branco / Bota sapato e
ming that Wilson influenced samba composers of his gravata l Joga fora esta navalha que te atrapalha”...
social level, like Geraldo Pereira, Paulo da Portela, The tasty and well defining controversy
Gordurinha, Zé da Zilda, Raul Marques, Bucy Morei- Wilson−Noel would go on inflamed. Wilson came out
ra, Rubem Soares and even composers like Roberto with the replica Mocinho da Vila, where he confirmed
Martins, Marino Pinto, Pedro Caetano, the Claudinor the apology of the rogue, and attacked Noel directly:
Cruz, the latter already a little bit more sophisticated “Você, que é mocinho da Vila / Fala muito em violão,
in the social environment. barracão e outros fricotes mais l E se não quiser per-
The capricious fluminense composer from der o nome / Cuide do seu microfone / E deixa quem
Campos, RJ, Wilson Baptista, frequented the hottest é malandro em paz / Injusto é o seu comentário /
vagrants’ gatherings of the time, from the Morros da Fala de malandro quem é otário”.
Mangueira to Mangue (Rio’s prostitution zone), from To anwser Wilson, Noel launched an imortal
Lapa to Estácio. treplica for MPB: Palpite infeliz, where he affirms
Semi-illiterate and coming from the poorest conclusively: “Quem é você que não sabe o que diz /
social layers of the time, he began to pontificate in Meu Deus do céu que palpite infeliz”. Wilson Baptista
places where lsmael, Nilton Bastos, Baiaco, Bide, by that time little more than a twenty-years old ele-
Brancura or Alvaiade were the kings: vagrants’ life gant rogue, returned to the charge with a caustic and
and trickery of Estácio de Sá and ancient Lapa, both inelegant samba called Frankenstein da Vila. In it he
his habitat and his life and samba school. attacked Noel with rudeness: “Boa impressão nunca
Wilson himself told me, the year in which se tem / Quando se encontra um certo alguém / Que
he died, that very early in his life he lived on music até parece um Frankstein / Mas como diz o refrão /
only and on the devotion of the housekeepers of the Por uma cara feia / Perde-se um bom coração”.
district, who virtually would provide him with lun- When the controversy reached the point
ches and dinners subtracted from the houses of their where Wilson ridiculed Noel’s ugliness, the composer
employers. of The Vila did not want to continue in the terrain of
For all these reasons it is easy to understand the explicit argument. He retorted indirectly with a
why the first Wilson Baptista’s sucesses as a compo- lyric samba, the masterpiece Feitiço da Vila: “Quem
ser made the apology of trickery – in the best Ismael nasce lá na Vila / nem sequer vacila / ao abraçar o
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 226
samba...”Wilson, however, attacked back with one writer, despite him having been born in Bahia, a re-
more music where he spoke as many bad words known author, inside and outside the golden age.
about Vila Isabel as the good ones he had spoken His songs are recorded till today: Brasil pandei-
about the advantages sung in Feitiço da Vila. In ro (1943), Boneca de pano (1953), Boas festas (1933,
Conversa fiada, the irony was vehement and diretc: his first success). Besides the marvelous sambas-crôni-
“É conversa fiada / Dizer que na Vila tem feitiço / Eu cas, the majority of which eternalized between 1936
fui ver pra crer / E não vi nada disso”. Noel silenced and 1940 by his great interpreter, Carmen Miranda:
for ever, but Wilson still insisted with Terra de cego: Uva de caminhão, Recenseamento, E o mundo não
“Perca essa mania de bamba / Todos sabem qual é / se acabou, Camisa listrada. Or else the rare jewel Fez
O teu diploma de samba / És o abafa da Vila, bem sei bobagem, that Aracy de Almeida recorded in one of
/ Mas em terra de cego / Quem tem um olho é rei”. the most inspired registers (1943) of her extraordinary
Despite having attempted to condense the text career as an interpreter. Assis killed himself on a ben-
restraining the composers of the golden age to five, ch in Praça Paris (Rio), already poor and neglected,
whom I call the five great, what is, I admit, temerity, when the talk of the town was bossa nova int hose
I could not but register other names that are equally late years of the fifties.
very important. The first one is Herivelto Martins, Despite having been born in Bahia, nobody
who made his début from 1935 on, with his many was more carioca than Assis Valente concerning the
activities as a composer, singer and founder of musical spirit to make of his music perfect chronicles dealing
groups, the most famous of which was Trio de Ouro, with Rio’s matters.
where he launched Dalva de Oliveira, his wife until Another portrait indispensable at the time of
1949, when the marriage ended noisily, engendering the golden age answered to the name of Custódio
a public and also musical controversy. Mesquita. The charming pianist and maestro Custódio
Herivelto is the author of some of the mas- Mesquita Pinheiro was the author of a small, but so-
terpieces in our songbook, particularly Ave Maria no phisticate work that reckoned with great interpreters
morro and Caminhemos, both of international reper- like the sisters Carmen andAurora Miranda, Orlando
cussion, besides Praça Onze, Que rei sou eu, Isaura, A Silva and Silvio Caldas. Se a lua cantasse marked
Lapa and Minueto, all carnival classics. Aurora’s s début, while songs like Os rios correm pro
The fluminense composer Herivelto Martins mar, Mulher, Mãe Maria or Algodão determine one
even came to be executive producer for Orson Wel- of the highest points of the interpreter Sílvio Caldas’
les, here in Rio, in 1942, when the American star took career concerning recordings. And the classical Saia
the never finished film It’s all true”. do caminho (in partnership with Evaldo Rui, his letter
Another relevant composer in the thirties, writer for the majority of the other songs) has been
though practically forgotten today was Joubert de given dozens of re-recordins, beginning with the
Carvalho, the author of a work modest concerning original record by Aracy de Almeida
size, but of enormous repercussion in respect of the There is no way of not accepting the fact that
songs of the thirties and forties, beginning with the Rio, in its capacity as the Federal Capital, was the
march Taí (that launched Carmen Miranda to the epicenter of the golden age. But other composers,
success in 1830) or the song Maringá (that would despite having acquired national repercussion through
lend its name to a town in Paraná) and finish with Rio, never gave up living in their own home states.
the series of waltzes and ballads recorded by all the Three of them represent these MPB people who have
interpreters of the years 30-40, like Orlando, Sílvio, always kept the feet – i.e. residence – in their home-
Galhardo e Chico Alves. towns: Capiba in Recife, Lupicínio Rodrigues in Porto
It is yet imperative to draw a short portrait of Alegre and Waldemar Henrique in Belém do Pará.
José de Assis Valente, a complete carioca chronicle Capiba (Lourenço da Fonseca Barbosa) is the author
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 227
of dozens of frevos and songs that never left Recife- THE POST-WAR: THE SOLIDARITY
Olinda carnivals. But there are compositions that, via OF BAIAO AND THE LUNARITY
Rio, became eternalized in the people’s book of songs OF SAMBA-CANÇÃO
(Maria Bethania, Valsa verde, Cais do porto). Like his
fellow countryman Nelson Ferreira with the street fre-
vos, Capiba is the official composer of the most beau- From the very early nineties (20th Century),
tiful frevos-canções and of many maracatus, the three Brazil and popular music were suffering the conse-
musical genres better known in Pernambuco, endowed quences of the World War, that was plunging Europe
with great dynamism, beauty and ravishing energy. into the hell. As it could not be different, popular mu-
Very much unique composer of sambas-can- sic resented regarding both quality and quantity. Radio
ção that plunge deep into the “bas-fond” and in the broadcasting companies were more concerned with
cabaret, the gaúcho Lupicínio Roodrigues is the poet transmitting all the moments related to the progress of
of vagrants and of the prostitutes. the War than with introducing new musical creations
Lupe would build a solitary work whose or new interpreters. And due to the climate of conster-
personality concerning authorship seal reminds me nation people were plunged into, composers could not
of Ataulfo Alves. Lupicínio made his début for public find the elements of joy to make them sing.
recognition of the country with the samba Se aca- Precisely in 1945, as if he pretended to greet
so você chegasse (1938; com Felisberto Martins), the end of the conflict, there turns up a figure of rare
responsible for the launching of the samba singer Ciro importance within the people’s songbook. He would
Monteiro (1938), one of the best samba singer of all hold the rhythm and the Brazilian origins for the cri-
times (in my personal opinion, the best), and also Elza tical years for MPB that the end of the War indirectly
Soares, in 1959. would bring: the avalanche of American Music or the
Soon later, however, his work would be given one imported by the United States and poured onto
the registered mark that has distinguished it: sam- the entire world, particularly onto Brazil.
bas-canção reporting life in the cabarets and those of The phenomenon is, by the way, very easy
their tragic women, entangled in poetic tonic of very to understand: the United States got out of the Second
original verses (Maria Rosa, Cadeira vazia, Nervos de World War as a winner and at a stage of worldly ex-
aço, Vingança and many more). pansion, propelled by the international mass exporting
Waldemar Henrique (Belém, 1905 - Belém, of its industrial park, in which wake the entertainment
1996) was the most reserved and sophisticate of industry followed. Leisure industry represented the
the three. Musician, pianist and maestro, the timid North American cultural consolidation in the world:
Waldemar would build the best part of his work with films, records and popular music with all their fashion
chamber oriented songs on the myths of the Ama- tendencies, made even more alluring by the ingenious
zonian Indians (Tambatajá, Curupira, Boi-bumbá, Foi marketing campaigns with which they were promoted,
boto, sinhá). Although – what is at least curious – he almost always referring them to the youth.
had begun in Rio with samba-exaltação Meu Brasil The exceptional figure I refer to, and that
(recorded by Chico Alves), right in the thirties (1930). would play a decisive role in the affirmation of a
Later on, in 1958, he would be the first composer to national culture more related to Brazil’s sources, was
set to music (theme-music) the famous poem Morte Luiz Gonzaga.
e Vida Severina, by João Cabral de Melo Neto, after In 1945, already in Rio, and getting started in
having been re-done by Chico Buarque de Holanda. his artistic life, he became a friend of the young Cea-
A rare and beautiful example of potentiality, rá-born lawyer Humberto Teixeira. Both would come
musical and of the Amazonian people in the thirties, to a very important conclusion regarding a Northe-
Waldemar Henrique was maestro, pianist and poet. astern rhythm practically unknown: baião, that had
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 228
already been experimented by another Ceará-born, had ever existed, since “Ai Ioiô” (“Linda flor”
Lauro Maia, but with almost no repercussion Both by H. Vogeler, Marques Porto and Luiz Peixoto,
agreed upon launching it nationally, for, according another memorable MPB letter writer), as an interme-
to Gonzaga, baião was, among all the Northeastern diary form (but rather undefined) between samba’s
rhythms, the most capable of being urbanized. Brazil fast rhythm and the slowness of the song. In my view
was taken aback by something new, smelling the samba-canção shapes itself definitively in the early
fragrance of the Brazilian roots and soil. fifties. And then, with much more specific charac-
Thanks to the telluric force and to Gonzaga’s teristics, both literary and orchestral. Theses literary
vehemence, baião not only would remain along the characteristics get close – somehow –to the European
fifties – the samba-canção decade –, but would deter- post-war poetical proposals, particularly to those re-
mine the arrival on the scene of dozens of interpreters lated to the philosophy of existentialism put together
and composers; the main one, Jackson do Pandeiro, with the themes of boleros and of Latin-American
would exhibit such rhythm for singing coco (a Nor- cabarets, which used to sing, most of the times,
theastern musical genre of a more accelerated time broken hearts. As for the orchestral and melodic-har-
than that of baião) that he was never equaled, either monic characteristics of samba-canção, typically of
before (like Manezinho Araújo, Jararaca e Ratinho or the fifties, they are more Latin-American – and even
Alvarenga and Ranchinho), or after (like João do Vale, Brazilian – than North-American.
Alceu Valença, Xangai, Jorge do Altinho, Elomar or Like any fashion tendency that boarst off, the
the late Chico César). samba-canção of the fifties was like a heavy shower,
Northeastern rhythms – led by Gozaga and a torrential river that gathered along its course much
baião, off course – made so much success that in the garbage. I want to shorten this river so unequal by
fifties there existed even the sketch of a “court”: the mentioning two figures of the very first front line, the
king, Luiz Gonzaga; the queen, singer Carmélia Alves, best expression of the samba-canção of the fifties:
acclaimed interpreter, active up to now, the one that Antônio Maria e Dolores Duran.
would heap uncountable individual successes; and a Antônio Maria, no doubt one the most
princess, singer Claudete Soares, later on turned into marking figures of the fifties. Vagrant, lover of the
an interpreter associated with bossa nova and roman- night life, of the street and of Rios’s and São Paulo’s
tic music. dawning, he was a very diligent journalist who used
Other vassals would join baião’s royalty: to frequent the best newspaper editorial offices in Rio,
Zé do Norte, Zé Gonzaga (Luiz’s brother) and Vanja where he signed the earlier Brazilian individual columns
Orico, an inernational singer and actress (launched by dealing simultaneously with any subject, particularly
Federico Fellini in “Luzes da cidade”, Italy - 1948), with music and with eating well. Maria, a vagrant and
who harvested a wordly triumph with the sound-track an intellectual, would write memorable chronicles and
of “O cangaceiro” (Lima Barreto, 1953), with one of poems in which the bitter and ironic observation of
the most dense songs of the Northeastern folklore: daily life was the permanent source of inspiration.
“Muié rendeira”. By coincidence, an Antônio Maria’s music
While baião consolidated itself between launched the second among the names of the high
1946 and 1955, some compositions, like “Copaca- level samba-canção of the fifties: Dolores Duran,
bana” (Braguinha-Alberto Ribeiro) and “Marina” who began as a singer and came to be launched na-
(Dorival Caymmi) possessed already all the main tionally (1954) with a music that entered the success
characteristics of a slower and more sophisticated parades: the song “Canção da volta”, by Maria and
samba, particularly regarding its orchestral dressing. Ismael Neto. Born in a poor family, the adolescent
The musical genre, called samba-canção, was begin- Adileia da Silva Rocha directed her steps to singing
ning to crystallize itself. In fact, samba-canção in programs for novices, like the Ary Barroso’s and
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 229
Renato Murce’s ones, that used to proclaim the as charming as those of the thirties: Zezé Gonzaga
discovery of new stars. and Lenita Bruno (the singers preferred by the great
By the way, this dream of becoming a radio maestros from the Nacional, like Radamés, Lírio
star was very common in the fifties. After all, radio Panicalli and Léo Peracchi), Jorge Goulart (who lived
would bring almost instant popularity, fame and a fervent love affair with divorced Nora Ney), Nuno
money for those who entered it with the right foot. Roland, Gilberto Milfon, Paulo Tapajós and Albertino
Examples? Dozens in succession, ahead of which the Fortuna (singers who took part in the best night pro-
two greatest personalities of the moment, super stars grams of PRE-8, the Rádio Nacional do Rio, absolute
Marlene and Emilinha Borba, who disputed admirers audience leader), Isaurinha Garcia and Hebe Camar-
and audiences (São Paulo’s Marlene was the absolute go (São Paulo’s star who also frequently presented
star of the program Manoel Barcelos; Rio’s Emilinha, programs in Rio), Carminha Mascarenhas, Ellen de
Cesar de Alencar’s one) and the Armed Forces (Marle- Lima and Vera Lúcia (the latter came to be Queen of
ne the Aeronautics’ favourite, and Emilinha the Navy’s Radio) – the last three specialized in the sambas-can-
one). The dispute was so incited that I like to thing of ção typical of the fifties. Also specialized in sambas-
a surrealistic musical Tordesilhas Treaty of the fifties, canção was the stylist Carmen Costa, despite having
dividing Brazil between Emilinha’s and Marlene’s fans. had much success in many a carnival.
Other stars would shine and provoke immedia- Very discrete in the fifties, Elizeth Cardoso
te resonances in housekeepers’ heads (as Miguel Gus- would become one of the divas from then on. Elizeth,
tavo testified in Revista do Rádio, a little march that whose career lied in the twilight of impeccable recor-
won the 1958 carnival) or the heads of young ladies dings, but of little popular resonance, had an impulse
from the Brazilian middle class. All used to see them when Vinicius and Tom Jobim invited her to record
as the accomplishment of inaccessible dreams with the duetto’s new songs on the LP ”Canção do amor
success, beauty, glamour and public recognizance. demais”, produced by Ireneu Garcia for the cultural
Those dreams would be transferred to charis- label Festa. Ten years later she would have definitive
matic singers frenetically applauded and shouted at in acclaim with one more record published by another
the auditoriums and public places all over the Coun- cultural label (“Museu da Imagem e do Som”) and of
try. Such was the case, for example, of São Paulo’s which I had the privilege of having been the exclusi-
Dalva de Oliveira (voice’s queen, already parted with ve producer: the doubles LPs Elizeth-Zimbo Trio and
Herivelto and harvesting great successes both with Jacob do Bandolim.
records and with international tours), of Ceará-born From the low spirited samba-canção to bossa
Francisco Carlos (nicknamed El Broto, the singer came nova that would redefine it completely by the end of
to have his clothes torn by fans, likewise Orlando the fifties, there was just a quick step.
Silva in the thirties), of the São Paulo’s sisters Linda
and Dircinha Batista (owners of a most sophisticated
repertoire, stretching from Ary Barroso and Lupicínio THE NOVELTY OF BOSSA
Rodrigues to Antônio Maria, of Angela Maria, from
Rio de Janeiro (State)(one of the most well-succeeded
careers on radio and on record, a meteoric skyrocket Bossa Nova was born as an intuitive reac-
as from 1952, when, within just one year, she became tion, on the part of young people, to the stagnation
an absolute star in the whole country), of the carioca process in which popular music found itself in the
Cauby Peixoto (Angela Maria’s male replica, launched fifties, invaded by foreign rhythms, especially boleros,
in 1954, and like Angela, still active) rumbas and American commercials, besides the cyclic
Other singers – of a more discrete popularity rhythms for consumption by the youth, like chá-
– were part of the great Olympus of the fifties, almost chá-chá, rock, twist and meringue. There was also a
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 230
answered to the bossas-nova’s slanderers reaffirming music “Influência do jazz” (1962) does not spare criti-
ironically: “Eis aqui este sambinha / Feito numa nota cism to the state the jazzified samba of the early years
só / Outras notas vão entrar / Mas a base é uma só”. of the decade of the sixties had come to, when he
E concluíam na segunda parte da música: “Tanta gente proclaims: “Pobre samba meu / Foi-se modernizando
por aí que fala tanto / E não diz nada, ou quase nada” e se perdeu / É um samba torto / Prá cima e prá trás /
Only to summarize: historically, Bossa Bova Influência do jazz”.
would have been created by Jobim, Vinicius, and, Young composers, worried about the Brazilian
particularly, João Gilberto with the provoking and rhythms, like Sérgio Ricardo and Geraldo Vandré,
creative guitar beat. What does not mean that the calling attention to the themes coming from the
new movement was restricted to them. Very much on morros in the best days of Bossa Nova, made many
the contrary: samba players, singers, and, particularly young people turn their eyes to the large and impor-
musicians got together to institutionalize it, providing tant barn of samba players and of samba composers
it with the number security any musical movement that had always existed in the morros cariocas. Past
needs to establish and propagate itself. the initial phase, that stretches itself from 1958 to
Those people were, most of the times, univer- 1962, Bossa Nova began to open its ears to whatever
sity students that were very much concerned about it had denied abruptly. And whatever it had parted
the country’s socio-economic progress and with its with, even if unwittingly, in the early days.
always serious socio-political problems. Musicians In 1962. this process of re-appraisal of samba’s
– fascinated by the new harmonic structure that had traditional values began to gain speed. Initially, direc-
been unleashed by Tom – were listeners to North- ting its batteries towards the samba players from the
American jazz and used to gather in apartments in morros and from the samba schools. In this group of
Copacabana and Ipanema to hold “jam-sessions”, samba players Cartola and Nelson Cavaquinho soon
where they used to listened to, in the high fidelity would standout,, not only for the talent, but also for
North-American musicians and vocalists’ biscuits. the long lapse of time they remained retired, in terms
Thence to the first group “shows” there was of the years and even decades that preceded Bossa
just a quick step. The university centres won the bos- Nova itself.
sa-novistas’ preference, the main one being that of By the way, Cartola’s initial participation in
the Faculty of Architecture at Urca. Then, newcomers MPB’s history happened much earlier, when he
began to show their faces, people like guitar player founded the samba school Estação Primeira de
Roberto Menescal and the poet-journalist Ronaldo Mangueira (1929), in which opportunity he chose its
Bôscoli, authors of a work punctuated by successes colours (green and rose) and its flag. He almost never
in those early sixties (“O barquinho”, “Rio”, “Vaga- would leave Morro da Mangueira, a rare example of
mente”) correctness and of love for his roots and his people.
Or the sweet and charming Nara Leão, the Nelson Cavaquinho, like Cartola, used to create sam-
Movement’s muse who used to sing sitting on a stool, bas in any cabaret and lose them along the nights of
showing off her beautiful legs and a little fringe. Both, vagrant life, selling the majority of them. Very much
little legs and fringe would stir up a “frisson”. original compositions in which the somber theme of
Soon the guitar player and singer Carlos Lyra death was always outlined.
would standout among the bossa-novistas, for his Mário de Andrade, among so many thoughts
exceptional talent as a melodist and a composer. on the Brazilian culture, came to assert that every
The truth – and this may have been Lyra’s condign Brazilian artist that makes Brazilian art is an efficient,
cultural contribution – is that he accepted the jazzistic useful being and full of human value. And that the
harmony only as an enriching element, but he did not one that makes foreign or universal art, if he is not a
admit the transformation of our rhythm into jazz. His genius, his is useless, nul. And, besides, a most reve-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 232
rend mule. Is this concept still in force? Does it tend Another one, with initial characteristics a little
to be eternal? bit similar to Baden’s ones was Edu Lobo, who would
While Bossa Nova began to direct its steps to- win the TV Excelsior’s first MPB festival performing
wards the road of the telluric awareness of the roots of “Arrastão”, also with Vinicius.
the Brazilian music, an isolated phenomenon was be- Defended in the Festival by a twenty-year
ginning: is was Roberto Carlos and the Jovem Guarda. old gaucho lady singer who used to sing making
While the Beatles were bursting in the world, choreographic arm movements rehearsed by the
Roberto was consolidating his prestige near the North-American ballet dancer Lennie Dale, and who
youth, launching his most inciting rebellion music, was called Ellis Regina, “Arrastão” not only won the
“Quero que tudo o mais vá para o inferno”. Festival, but also launched nationally Edu Lobo.
In the meantime, the Jovem Guarda appeared After Edu Lobo, and for the next almost five
– in which he was the king, Erasmo Carlos the jack years, MPB festivals would become a perfect national
and Wanderleia the princess. Jovem Guarda, a name fever and fashion that has already been the object of a
invented to oppose that of Velha Guarda (of Pixingui- beautiful essay by Artur Xexéo (década 1967-1977).
nha, Donga and the traditional samba players) came To conclude: if a festival launches Edu Lobo as
to an end when Roberto Carlos’ acute sensibility to the preferred structuring element of an entire musical
sell records foresaw that it was going to wreck. tendency devoted to research the music drawn from
He would leave in the precise time of initiating the Northeastern folklore, another MPB festival, in
his solo career, that he would pilot masterly for the São Paulo, the Record’s one (1966) launches another
following decades. In the wake of Roberto, a pleiad great name, Chico Buarque de Holanda.
of what today may be considered popular song – a The music that has cast him forth and won
marketing-related terminology of my particular re- the Record’s Festival, “A banda”, was an unheard off
pugnance, after all, all is MPB (god or bad, according phenomenon in the history of the Brazilian popular
to one’s point of view, off course) – comes on in great music: it became a national mania, stayed months
style, disputing the preference of the non- universita- on end in the success parades all over Brazil and was
rian youth: Wanderley Cardoso, Jerry Adriani, Marti- the talk of the town everywhere, from cabarets to
nha, Golden Boys, Antonio Marcos, Vanusa, Agnaldo the salons of the academies of letters. Chico really
Rayol, Agnaldo Thimóteo and others. chrystalized the meeting of bossa nova and the old
Let us come back to the early sixties and urban samba players of the thirties, the same way
to the so called robust composers, i.e., those who that the composers from the morros were levered by
cared more about the work’s quality than about the Lyra, Sérgio Ricardo, Sidney Miller and Nara, and the
ease with which it would come to be sold like any Northeastern folklore by Baden and Edu.
other product in the market. They came about at the By the way, and concluding, I must open here
same time as Bossa Nova, usufructing from only its a short parenthesis to mention another factor that
formal modernity or its melodic-harmonic contem- historically had substantial importance for the process
poraneousness, but preserving the sources and the of re-valorization of those urban players (Ataulpho,
roots of the Brazilian Nation and soil. They are many. Ismael, Caymmi, Heitor dos Prazeres) and the samba
But, finalizing this short summary on pretence of an pioneers (João da Bahiana, Donga, Pixinguinha): their
introduction to the individual texts of the four great declarations to the Museu da Imagem e do Som.
critics, who are following next, I think it makes sense And why? Simply because “the declaration for the
to mention some of them. posterity”was an absolute novelty in 1966 – the time
Baden Powell, an international concert giver when this scribe consolidated it, M.I.S. becoming
and author of an important work, was launched pu- Rio’s number one cultural centre.
blicly by Vinicius de Moraes in 1962. It was brave, small and stimulating. Every
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 233
newspaper and television in Brazil made long covera- personal prestige. All of them went on to be seen
ge of each statement, raising them to the condition of with different yes.
living museum pieces, and consequently of definitive
precisely the ones Erasmo and his partner Roberto cowards’ plane”. Everybody took part in programs
appreciated so much. where music was the key-note, although, as is the
And this one: the surprise and the enthusiasm case of “Esta noite se improvisa”, music did not go
with which Caetano Veloso and the producer Solano beyond being an excuse for bringing together in the
Lopes – having nothing to do either with the revolt same stage the first team of popular music without
of the parade or with the audience index of iê-iê-iê spending large cachets: the artists would compete in a
– listened together, and for the first time, to the new game that consisted in presenter Blota Júnior uttering
Beatles’ “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. a word and the speediest one answering with a song
All that, after all, in that July of 1967. containing the word put forward. There were success,
wide audience, good prizes that came to allure the
great Vinicius de Moraes (his participation, however,
would be ill-fated, for when the presenter announced
“the word is … girl”, more quickly than the others he
Now, let us try to link the facts for better began to sing “Garota de Ipanema”, only to realize,
understanding them. First, and the less music-re- in the last verse, that the key-word appeared on the
lated of all: the death of the Ex-President. With it title, only). Much music, much entertainment, as if
stayed farther and farther behind the less radical (or television programs could be the escape valve fort the
less disguised) phase of the military dictatorship that artist and the public, in those times about to become
had imposed itself upon Brazil on March 31, 1964. even heavier.
Seventeen days later, during President Costa e Silva’s It was in an atmosphere of booming music
Government, the Ato Institucional No 5 would be that television festivals, inaugurated in the early
decreed, the somber AI-5. Its four considerandums sixties, saw their hay-day. There were many of them.
and twelve articles guaranteed absolute power to the Besides those of Record and FIC, there was also one
President, enlarged power limits to abrogate political at Excelsior. Festivals in Juiz de Fora, in Niterói, in
rights, gagged the press, and suppressed individual Petrópolis, and in Porto Alegre. There were the uni-
freedom. The National Congress, the legislative cham- versitarian ones, those of carnival music, the samba
bers (provincial) and assemblies (local) closed their biennials. But nothing like the 1967 Record’s one, that
doors for a long period. As we will see, from the AI-5 opens the decade studied here. In a way, it was the
on, the recrudescence of what has been stipulated to most important of the many held up to now by any
call “hard line”, the institutionalization of censorship television in any place. It is really difficult to thing of
and persecution of artists and other intellectuals, an event that put together so many talents at a time
opponents to the Government or mere non-sympa- of so profound aesthetical unquietness. With so many
thizers, would affect popular music in many ways. consequences. Brazilian popular music would never
It is true that music was booming by the middle of again be the same.
1967. In fact, the paulistano musical movement was The winner “Ponteio”, by Edu Lobo and
intense, inside and outside Record’s studios. The Capinam, is rarely remembered as an example of the
shows of the Paramount Theatre were full houses. novelty it contained. Notwithstanding, its checked
There were cabarets, bars, night clubs and music clubs construction, much valued by the Novo Quarteto’s
everywhere. Radio broadcasting companies were, as instrumentation and by Moreno 4’s voice, caused
ever, opening for the most diverse genres and styles, at the time impact enough for the jury to reward it.
and interpreters from Rio and other states (provin- Marília Medalha and Edu himself, were the singers,
ces) would transfer their bases to São Paulo. Or, at reaffirming (Edu) there the preoccupation with taking
least, they would travel once a week on the night long steps forward regarding Bosssa Nova, with a
train that Ciro Monteiro cariocally nicknamed “the melodic, harmonic and particularly rhythmic proposal
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 235
anticipated two years earlier, when “Arrastão” got Gil with Mutantes, and Caetano with Beat
the first place in the Excelsior Festival. Time and other Boys faced the intolerance. of the public and even
novelties, then “overcome” by “Ponteio”, took char- of some critics, with their new and surprising songs.
ge of abating the effects of that impact. Edu Lobo’s friend went to literally break off relations
The other novelties, in this case, are mainly with them. As people used to say, they had not been
two: Gilberto Gil’s“Domingo no Parque”, and Ca- understood at first. There have even been people
etano Veloso’s “Alegria, alegria”. They were in fact like television journalist and presenter Flávio Caval-
the songs that provided the 1967 Record’s Festival canti, who claimed a veto to “Alegria, alegria”, for
with an almost revolutionary feature. Sure, there was seeing in the verse “sem lenço, Sem Documento” an
Chico Buarque with a “Roda viva” very much diffe- apology of LSD, the same that had happened, before
rent from the plain “Banda”, co-winner at the 1966 Caetano’s case, to John Lennon’s “Lucy in the Sky
Festival; there was the Sérgio Ricardo’s “Beto bom with Diamonds”. Not by chance , from the same Bea-
de bola” trying to transform into music Garrincha’s tles LP that the tropicalists would reproduce, including
tragedy; there was the modern Johny Alf betting on the cover.
the old-time romanticism in “Eu e a brisa”; and there The festival went on, among cheering, derision
was the ex-sargeant daring to include a partido-alto and noisy support, shared by the competitors. As
in a festival where the traditional samba seemed to be it almost always happens, the novelties were being
a trespasser. Each one, and also “Ponteio” had some- received with amazement, if not with violent reaction
thing new, but Gil’s and Caetano’s songs casting the on the par of the public (it was on that occasion that
fundaments of what would come to be Tropicalism, Sérgio Ricardo threw his guitar at the audience, when,
were more than a mere novelty. For their quality and silenced by hoots, he could not sing his “Beto bom
and for the novelty they were proposing. de bola”, the one inspired in Garrincha). Despite this,
Few people noticed that, at the initial moment. “Domingo no paraque” was awarded the second
Many people from the jury, including Sérgio Cabral, place, and “Alegria, alegria”, the fourth.
would one day regret having awarded “Ponteio” the To the second Brazilian phase of the second
first place, that, according to them, “Domingo no FIC, held almost simultaneously, nothing of the kind
parquet” deserved. They took exception, perhaps to happened. It was a musically well-behaved festival,
an electrified Gil, accompanied by the rock sound and without great formal transgressions, and even with
visual of Mutantes, with ultra-modern orchestral arran- an outcome that spoke well for the jury’s conservati-
gement by Rogério Duprat, doomed to be the George veness: the prize was given to a song that conquered
Martin of Tropicalism. Gil of all people, the one who the audience only thanks to a refrain borrowed from
three months earlier had marched through the streets an old cantiga de roda. The victory by Gutenberg
against the guitars! It is possible to think that “Serge- Guarabira’s “Margarida” was even more arguable
ant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, by which Ca- than that of “Ponteio” over “Domingo no parque”.
etano had been charmed right at the first hearing, had After all, the cantiga de roda had sent to the second
changed Gil’s mind, too, judging from his justifications place the great sensation of that FIC: Milton Naas-
to the press: “In today’s pop music the Beatles have cimento, alone on the stage, guitar over the chest,
moved on to using all sorts of erudite music and instru- wearing rented smoking, singing “Travessia”, music
ment that had nothing do with what used to be called of his own, letter by Brant. Milton was making his
(sic) iê-iê-iê. They are always evolving, while in Brazil début there more than with his right foot: with his
the music called young itself becomes conservative (he whole body, beginning to guarantee a place for Mi-
was surely referring to composers of his generation), nas on the next decade’s musical scene. Other good
like Edu Lobo, for whom there was no room for guitars songs competed with “Margarida” at the initial stage,
in Brazilian music)”. one of them “Morro velho”, with letter by Hermínio
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 236
Bello for melody by Pixinguinha; “Carolina”, with. rows of Maracanãzinho’seats had any influence on
Chico more romantic than at the time of Record; the the jury. Perhaps not.
ambitious “Fuga and antifuga”, by Edino Krieger and The third FIC’s festival took place in two elimi-
Vinicius de Moraes; and “Oferenda”, by Luís e Lenita natory stages, one in São Paulo and the other one in
Eça, bearing such qualities as to deserve to appear in Rio, plus a final one, also in Rio, in Maracanãzinho, as
a better position than the tenth place it was given. in the previous year. During the Paulista eliminating
In the following year, the two festivals went stage, though taking into account the political nature
back to compete, but this time with FIC beating widely of some of the entrants (or precisely because of that)
that of Record, less for the merit of the songs enrolled nothing sounded higher than Caetano Veloso’s “É
than for the repercussion in the audience’s reaction, the proibido proibir”, the exacerbated tropicalism, as
jury’s attitude and the angry and endless arguments. one critic pointed out. After having been qualified
There will never be another festival like that. in the first of two eliminatory stages, under hoots
It needs to be said here, without risk of overs- and tomatoes, Caetano arrived at TUCA determined
tatement, that there is no music in the world more to “discredit things”. In other words, to transform
discussed, more contested, more open to tendencies his presentation into a happening that would agi-
and movements, more subject to crack (like the one tate, once and for all, that festival, and, if possible,
that put on one side Caetano and the tropicalistas, all others eventually to come. With this aim, with
and on the other, Edu Lobo, and, unwittingly, Chico Mutantes, wearing magistrate’s gown, and Rita Lee
Buarque and the MPB people) than Brazilian popular wearing brides dress, he threw at those who were
music. But it has never been as conspicuous as in the hooting and offending him a speech in which, resor-
era of the festivals (or ever since). The public has ne- ting to a rehearsed mental disorder, he did not spare
ver been so involved in the debates on what is good the audience (“Is this the youth that proclaims to be
or bad concerning music, right or wrong, legitimate willing to take over power?”), the jury (“The jury is
or spurious. So much so that soon that music would very sympathetic, but incompetent”) and the other
be exhaustively studied, not by the public, but by the contenders (“If regarding politics you are the way you
intelligentsia. Less from the point of view essentially are regarding aesthetics, we are lost!”). He was, as he
musical, and more from the one of sociology, psycho- required, disqualified for the national final.
logy, anthropology and other sciences and knowledge Another song that provoked reaction, and that
acquirements, the interest of the Academy for samba, certainly would not be confined to that, was Geraldo
carnival and other bossas increased as it had never Vandré’s “Caminhando”, or “Para não dizer que não
happened, almost always serving as subject for erudi- falei de flores”. For a few moments, what one could
te theses and dissertations. witness in TUCA’s auditorium, among punches and
Held on the eve of AI-5 – FIC’s two months kicks, was a confrontation between the two wicks, as
earlier and the finals of Record’s one only four days if composers and songs were political opponents. On
earlier –, the 1968 festivals were , also, the most one side one could see posters saying “Tropicalism
politics-oriented ones, with some of the composers is freedom”, and “Folklore is reaction” supporting
still believing to exist room for songs that somehow Caetano and attacking Vandré (differently from the
criticized or even provoked the military regime, while psychodelic scenery created for “É proibido proibir”,
others did not view the song as politically effective, the one for “Caminhando” was very plain: Vandré
were not against the regime or simply wanted only to himself, alone on the stage, accompanying himself
make music. At the 1968 FIC there were examples of with the guitar). On the other side, more tomatoes
each of those postures. It is difficult to say whether and more offenses from Vandré’s wick to Caetano.
the wicks – “right” and “left” – as one could presu- History would repeat itself, with different
me, based on the stripes and posters exhibited on the tones in the day of the grand finale, when the same
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 237
“Caminhando”, with its letter less anti-dictatorship song” that many people composed aiming to conquer
than it appeared to be, and “Sabiá” with its letter audience and jury, died with the festivals themselves.
more politics-oriented than it looked like at the first Tropicalism, however, left its imprints. It is unques-
reading, disputed the preference of the wicks, as well tionable that it brought forth substantial changes
as that of the jury. Vandré repeated, in Rio, the show to Brazilian music. It may not have lasted long as a
presented in São Paulo, while Antônio Carlos Jobim movement (less than two years). It may have been, as
and Chico Buarque gave their song to Cynara & Cy- some claim, “fabricado” (“manufactured”) by music
bele to defend. Having the authors by their side, the producers, who, sustained by Caetano’s and Gil’s
two faced bravely the hoot with which the audience, talents, foresaw attractive commercial opportunities in
supporting “Caminhando”, received “Sabiá”s victory, the opposition to Chico Buarque’s refinement, for the
without anybody noticing in the title a new “Canção building of a political awareness, for protest songs,
do exílio”. for the innocuous emulation of the festival goers and
At the Record Festival, despite the producers even for the sons of Bossa Nova (Caetano and Gil
having endeavoured to abate the reaction of the included themselves among them). Tropicalism may
wicks (there would be two champions, one appointed also have had an iconoclastic nature, attempting to
by the jury and the other one by popular vote), there destroy good taste by praising bad taste, and that
were hoots too. Not the way it had happened at FIC’s explains the transformation into icons of personalities
follies, however. previously considered kitsch, overshot, behind the
Televisions went on investing in festivals, with times, or, least, bizarre (the cases, in Brazil, of Carmen
some solution of continuity. In fact, with some musi- Miranda, Vicente Celestino, Chacrinha and others,
cal importance, launching talents and songs, only up and abroad, the cases of the most extravagant pop
to the end of the sixties. Even if we take into account idols). Carlos Calado, a historian of the movement,
the presence there of great names of the Brazilian po- points out: “Differently from Bossa Nova, of which
pular music, no more Caetano and Gil; no more Chico they were confessedly disciples, tropicalists had little
and Edu, but Baden Powell, Francis Hime, Hermeto to do with the creation of new musical forms. Adop-
Pascoal, Ivan Lins, Jorge Ben, Luís Eça, Paulinho da ting pre-existing shapes and forms in the repertoire of
Viola and others, including veterans like the Herivelto the Brazilian music, the movement was more inte-
Martins of “Canto livre” and experimentalists of short rested in presenting and implanting a new attitude.
careers, like the Walter Queiroz of “Cabeça”. Above all, their intervention was critical”.
What is, then, the balance of festivals? At least Critical, and, some times, contradictory. Like
one is positive, no doubt the most relevant: that of that of having contributed to the deterioration and
they having revealed the first generation of outs- subsequent death of the Jovem Guarda of Roberto,
tanding composers arisen after Bossa Nova (the last Erasmo and their group, the same for whose gui-
one, according to the more exigent). Another positive tars Maria Bethânia had called the attention of the
point: to mobilize the public around popular music, tropicalist Caetano, who soon would have by his side
following everything attentively, getting interested in a Gil regretful for having taken part in the anti-gui-
discussing whatever was happening, buying records. tar parade. For one of the basic ingredients of the
There are people who affirm that the hoots and the tropicalist instrumentation would be precisely rock
inelegant behaviour of the organized wicks were a guitars. It is true that there were people who imputed
symptom of the times: the Brazilian people deprived the decline of the Jovem Guarda to the fact that the
of any opportunity to manifest themselves about boys were still growing up (there was much juvenile
whatever subject. entertainement in their records, shows and TV pro-
Regarding musical innovation, the appraisal grams). Others, rather preferred to envisage iê-iê-iê
is rather more complicated. The so called “festival as not more than another fashion. And all fashions,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 238
as everybody knows, go by. A third opinion claims The historian of the movement says: “Even Chico
that the movement, instead of disappearing, has Buarque, whose sambas and songs were taken by the
transformed itself. Roberto began to direct his records late sixties as antitheses of the tropicalist “universal
towards a more romantic repertoire, composing in sound”, ended up by adhering to certain aesthetic
partnership with Erasmo songs that little had to do licenses disseminated by the movement, like fusing
with the Jovem Guarda. But it is Erasmo himself who rock, or even getting close to blues”. Who agrees
has an established opinion on that transformation. to this? Are those fusions and the afore-mentioned
Tropicalism, according to him, “was Jovem Guar- approximation to blues tropicalist inventions?
da with more awareness …it left our minds in total As to the use of guitar, yes, since Jovem
blank”. Anolther contradiction, this one, apparently Guarda’s attempt had restrained itself to it. Tropi-
intentional: at the same time that they proposed to calists got hold of the instrument, but not exactly
rehabilitate the excessively pop tropicality – from through Roberto and Erasmo. The Beatles and other
the bad poetry of “Coração matron” to Carmen’s rock stars were then models. Likewise, they had been
bananas and Velho Guerreiro’s codfish –, tropicalists Rita Lee’s models, the most flaring representative of
went so intellectualized that Gil wrote for the second the tupiniquim [Brazilian] rock, and, in years to come,
Caetano’s solo LP a letter whose hermetic feature the most complete translator of what had been left of
was a clear homage to Paulicéia’s (Paulista) concrete Tropicalism.
poets: “O analfomegabetismo/ somatopsicopneumá- It matters little that guitar has been incorpo-
tico/ que também significa que eu não sei nada sobre rated to the sound of young people from Clube da
a morte/ que também significa tanto faz no sul como Esquina, Milton Nascimento, Wagner Tiso, Toninho
no norte/ que também significa Deus é quem decide Horta, Beto Guedes, creating a music that certainly
a minha sorte”. would establish itself as one of the newest and most
The most relevant changes were of a diffe- interesting in the seventies. It does not matter much
rent kind. While Chico Buarque would go on being because the Mineiros in that group had nothing to
Chico Buarque – refined, without fearing good taste, do with tropicalism. More indebted to the tropicalists
conscious of being building up one of the richest were the new groups from the Northeast, like Alceu
works of Brazilian popular music –, thus immune to Valença, Djavan, Novos Baianos, who added rock
the some times mocking criticism of the tropicalists, elements to their songs. Or the the cariocas from
the festivals that Caetano and Gil had tried to turn Secos e Molhados. Or the early followers of soul. Tim
upside down (“Gil has melted your brains”, Caetano Maia ahead of all. Or Luís Melodia’s samba flawoured
had shouted to the jury amidst hoots to “É proibido with rock.
proibir”), would fall into disgrace. Soon, no great There is no way of knowing how long would
song would emerge from those contentions insti- have lasted that influence, or to which heights it
gated by organized wicks. The protest songs, partly would have got, for soon after its happening in “É
due to the harshness of the official censorship, were proibido proibir”, Caetano and Gil were imprisoned,
becoming rarer and rarer. And the curse that for some without explanation, by order of the military com-
time impended over the guitar, had vanished. Instead, mand. Outside, the supposition was that the impri-
general blessings to the amplified sounds of the pop sonment could only be assigned to marijuana, since
world would grow in number. none of the two was among those who were openly
It is yet Calado who assigns to Tropicalism against the regime. They only left prison to meet a
influence on almost everything about to happen to one and a half year exile in London. Government’s
Brazilian popular music along the ten years focused heavy hand, empowered by The AI-5, stroke on po-
here, while, in fact, the only vestige of Tropicalism in pular music. Chico Buarque, too would exile himself,
those manifestations seems to be the use of guitar. but in Rome. Geraldo Vandré – who had paid with
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 239
torture the boldness of having created “Caminhan- Nobody would sell more records than him, one of the
do” –, was also sent away. elements that made him deserve the title of “king”.
He wondered through several countries, and Another generation risen both from the festivals and
one could not hear from him for a long time, differen- from the universities, came to strengthen popular
tly from Chico and the tropicalists who, though a long music. They were Aldir Blanc, Luís Gonzaga Jr. Mau-
way from home, managed to record their LPs. rício Tapajós, César Costa Filho, constituents of the
Movimento Artístico Universitário (MAU). In short,
music was treading on. And samba, off course, was
also getting along.
of its commercial capabilities. Of its quality, at least, recording stage, would help in keeping alive samba’s
Odeon was more than convinced. By the way, since flame, at the same time that they transformed it into a
1968, when Paulinho da Viola recorded the first of product as marketable as any fashion music.
a series of LPs in the studio of the São Borja Building Many samba interpreters emerged in the wake
(the same where João Gilberto had registered the first of Martinho’s success. Singers, groups, “partidei-
Bossa Nova accords). ros”, people who in previous times had not had their
A renaissance, though, in terms of records chance near the phonographic industry. Enticed by
only, for in the samba schools, in the morros, in the the financial temptation from the record companies,
suburbs, samba had never lost its vitality. It still was even artists strange to the scene adhered. And with
the same of the times of Zicartola, a mix of restaurant tremendous success. Clara Nunes gave up boleros to
and samba cabaret, closed in 1965. Giants of the Old become the most popular, the most well-paid, the
Guard, like Cartola himself, Nélson Cavaquinho, and most admired samba singer of her generation. And
Ismael Silva, remained active, despite the record com- Beth Carvalho, who would become a rival to Clara,
panies not taking notice of them (only by the middle would turn back to the festival songs and to other
of the decade Nélson and Cartola would record their modern whims to become the launcher of memorable
first LPs). To join these and other vets from Mangueira, Cartola’s and Nélson Cavaquinho’s sambas.
Portela, and Salgueiro were arriving younger compo- Thus, those were ten years of much agitation
sers, like Paulinho, Martinho, Zé Kéti Candeia, Élton for popular music, and all began in that historical July
Medeiros, and, later on, Wilson Moreira, Nei Lopes, of 1967.
João Nogueira, João Bosco; these, on reaching the
For the Brazilian music, the decade that stretches from 1977 to 1986 be-
gan with a show. On the night of January 13, 1977, a Thursday, Maria Bethânia
stepped onto the stage in the Teatro da Praia, Rio de Janeiro, to show, for the
first time her “Passaro da manhã”, the show that Bethânia herself defined as “a
good show, that contains a subtext of hope and of freedom”, according to an
interview at the time. The audience approved, and Bethânia went on perfor-
ming for six uninterrupted months.
On a scenery by Flávio Império, the singer, as it was already usual in her
presentations in those times, would mix recited texts and songs. The songs were
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 241
Chico’s, Caetano’s and Gonzaguinha’s, the composers in Gonzaguinha’s repertoire, a singer and composer
that provided her most with the repertoire. Among identified with what was called protest music. Luiz
the texts there was one by Bethânia herself. Two Gonzaga Jr belongs to the generation that was born
more taken from theatrical shows: “Ponto de luz”, at the time of the festivals of the sixties. With “O
by Fauzi Arap, who was also the director of the show, trem”, in 1969, he was the winner of the Second Uni-
and “Os convalescentes”, by José Vicente. Another versity Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, organized
one by Clarice Lispector, one by Fernando Pessoa by TV Tupi. He used to exhibit an aggressive posture
and a passage from the book “Flores do jardim de on the stage, and his compositions were bitter, what
Morya”, written fifty years earlier, but only recently won him the nickname “Rage singer”. Gonzagui-
launched in Brazil. nha was one of those that since long were singing
In his many incarnations, Morya, a master of to scare the wolves. He would always be in trouble
the Himalaias, had already been Matusalém, Nabuco- with Censorship, and he is the author of one of the
donosor, King Arthur and Thomas Morus, when, by strongest libels set to music against the dictatorship:
the end of last Century’s decade of the twenties he got “Comportamento geral” (“Você deve notar que não
in touch, in New York, with Helena Roerich, a noble tem mais tutu/ e dizer que não está preocupado/
Russian lady that transferred to paper his ideas. It was Você deve lutar pela xepa da feira/ e dizer que está
that way that “Flores do jardim de Morya”arose in that recompensado”)
early 1977 as a success among yoga practitioners in For this reason it is far from an exaggeration to
Brazil. In Bethânia’s show it was Morya’s the text the say that at 31, the Luiz Gonzaga Jr that appears in 1976
singer liked more. “The heaviness is inside us”, he said. is another Gonzaguinha, a more suave artist. “I would
“Sing. A song scares the wolves”. begin all again”, The Gonzaguinha of “Pássaro da ma-
For the audience it was not difficult to listen to nhã” would become the composer’s first great success.
Morya’s text and relate it to the repression that ruled
over politics at the time.The country was about to “A chama no meu peito ainda queima / Saiba,
complete thirteen years of military dictatorship. The nada foi em vão.”
times were somber. Bethânia, thirty years old, wanted
to scare the wolves, for her could already smell in the The audience could discover some sub-text
air the first tokens of openness. And the idea was that in the letter, but Bethânia could only see “a little bit
“Pássaro da manhã” should reproduce that climate. of Sun”. “I would do it all again” was a bolero. And,
“A show that transpired freedom, for a man’s cage like the good boleros, shamelessly romantic. Even
can only be open by himself”, said Fauzi Arap before more romanticism the singer found in Chico Buarque’s
the opening session. Regarding Bethânia’s role in the unpublished song” “Teresinha”.
production, he was also very clear: “A star, stars exist
to lighten the way (…). Summer is around. And the “Foi chegando sorrateiro / E antes que eu
Sun already rises sooner. Enough of darkness”. dissesse não / Se instalou feito um posseiro / Dentro
Maria Bethânia found in the repertoire of her do meu coração”.
favourite composers the means to announce the end
of darkness. “I am a singer and I live on what compo- In that 1977, Chico would not launch any
sers do. And the folk is composing with …the word record. But “Teresinha” was a good sample of the
is not hope. With guts”, she reported in a statement sequence of songs he was composing for the most
in that January. “A thing made that way, a little bit of ambitious of his theatrical projects, the music show
Summer, a little bit of Sun, air, getting out a little from “Ópera do malandro”, whose début would happen
the closed thing. And the show is also reflecting this”. the following year. The record together with the
Bethânia saw “a little bit of Summer” even play’s music would only be launched in 1979. But
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 242
the pieces of music were distributed to singers who que eu não roubei / A jura secreta que eu não fiz / A
used to call him on looking for repertoire. Besides briga de amor que eu não causei”.
Bethânia’s “Teresinha”, “Folhetim” is part of Gal
Costa’s record of 1978. Abel Silva’s poetry showed the country of
Caetano Veloso’s “Pássaro da manhã” won the impossibility. Kisses not stolen, oaths not made,
two unpublished songs. One, “Tigresa”, was recorded unreal quarrels … this was the story of someone who
in the same year by Caetano himself and Gal, with faced censorship, and, as a consequence, military
whom he had more success. It was an ode to Sônia dictatorship. Everything suggests that Sueli’s and Abel
Braga, an actress that was at her apogee. “Dona Flor Silva’s desperation was more real than the Susmmer’s
e seus dois maridos” had been produced in 1976 − Sun Bethânia had anticipated in that beginning of
and unveiled a love affaire between her and Caetano. 1977. Three months after the début of “Pássaros da
manhã”, general Ernesto Geisel, the on duty dictator,
“Mas ela ao mesmo tempo diz que tudo vai decreed the closure of the National Congress. Two
mudar / Porque ela vai ser o que quis inventando weeks without the Legislative Power, but time enough
um lugar / Onde a gente e a natureza feliz vivam for the dictatorship to enact measures that guaranteed
sempre em comunhão E a tigresa possa mais do que majority of votes for the Government in the oncoming
um leão”. parliamentary elections (the following year). Master
Morya had cheated Bethânia and her followers: our
The other one was “Gente” that Caetano also wolves seemed not to be afraid of songs.
recorded in “Bicho”, his LP for that year. Maiakovski “Jura secreta” was not on the repertoire for
(1893-1930) and one of his poems (“Brilhar para sem- Berhânia’s show, but it would not take long for it to
pre / Brilhar como um farol / Brilhar com brilho eterno show up. It was the band wagon of the LP of the gre-
/ Gente é pra brilhar / Que tudo mais vai pro inferno / atest novelty in the Brazilian music in 1977: Simone
Este é o meu slogan / E o do sol”) inspired Caetano. Bittencourt de Oliveira, or Simone, for short.
Simone was not exactly a novice. Born in
“Rodrigo, Roberto / Caetano, Moreno / Fran- Bahia, she was an ex-basketball player, engaged in a
cisco, Gilberto, João / Gente é pra brilhar / Não pra four-year contract with the record company Odeon.
morrer de fome”. At 27, she had already registered four records, gone
on a tour to Europe with the samba player Roberto
The four new songs seemed adequate to an- Ribeiro, participated in shows in the United States
nounce the new times that Bethânia glimpsed. It was, and in Canada, but she was still away from success.
perhaps, on that account that the singer rejected the She was about to give up. Critics insisted in classifying
music that would certainly have been the most beau- her as an elitist singer. She wanted to prove that she
tiful of the show (and that was the most beautiful of could be a popular singer. The record programmed for
MPB launched in that year). 1977 would be her last attempt. With production by
Sueli Costa offered Bethânia her first partner- Renato Correa, the repertoire sought the best in MPB.
ship with Abel Silva, “Jura secreta”. Bethânis rejected Among others, there it was, again, Gonzaguina’s
it. The melancholy of “Jura secreta” was in disagre- “Começaria tudo outra vez”, one of the songs of the
ement with the repertoire of “Pássaro da manhã”. It year. There were three bands with Chico Buarque’s
had more to do with the music that used to be made songs: “Valsa-rancho”, in partnership with Francis
before 1976. A music that portrayed dictatorship’s Hime; “O que será”, that she had recorded for the
evils. The music that fought against Censorship. sound-track of “Dona Flor e seus dois maridos”; and
“Primeiro de maio”, composed with Milton Nasci-
“Só uma coisa me entristece / O beijo de amor mento. And two songs by Sueli Costa. The first one,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 243
in partnership with Cacaso, gave name to the LP, in that 1977. But the formula showed itself worn out.
“Face a face”. The second one was the partnership Likewise in her previous works, recorded live,
with Abel Silva, rejected by Bethânia. Bethânia reproduced in LP the success show. Althou-
Simone hit the target and went on to the front gh produced in a studio, it gave the impression that
line of MPB’s female voices she repeated the same record every year.
In a recent survey made by the singer herself One Chico’s song here, one Clarice Lispector’s
in her site, in the Internet, with the intention of listing text there, one Caetano’s song, one Fernando
the twenty best songs in her repertoire, “Jura secreta” Pessoa’s poem …The overturn came the following
came first, ahead of other great successes of hers, like year, when she launched “Alibi”, an LP that sold one
“Começar de novo”, “Sangrando”, “Tô voltando”, million copies and put Maria Bethânia into history.
“O amanhã” and “Pequenino cão”. Along the next In Brazil, only Roberto Carlos had sold more records
ten years following the launching of “Face a face”, than Bethânia. And no singer had ever sold as many
Simone always had at least one song by Sueli Costa records as Bethânia. What did “Álibi” have to make
and Abel Silva on her records. It was “Vento Nordes- so much success?
te”, in 1979; “Música, música”, in 1980; “Naquela Produced by Bethânia herself and by Perinho
noite with Yoko”, and “Mundo delirante”, in 1981; Albuquerque, with Rosina de de Valença playing the
“Corpo” e “Alma”, in 1982; “Coração aprendiz”, guitar in all the bands (well, in two of them Rosinha
in 1983; “Íntimo”, in 1984; “Lábios vermelhos”, in played cavaquinho), “Álibi” had, for a start, a new
1985; and “Bálsamo”, in 1986. composer, one of those who reached first MPB’s
Besides her faithfulness to the duetto of com- first team after the incomparable generations of the
posers, her trajectory impresses when one notices that sixties. From Alagoas, Djavan was in Rio since 1973,
she has launched one record a year. trying to go into a career in the world of the arts. As
It was not uncommon. Between 1977 and a singer, he used to record for the sound-tracks of
1986 she built a career similar to that of almost all the Globo’s television plays and to perform in cabarets.
great stars of MPB that determined the launching of one But he could only show the peculiar composer he was
record a year and the strategy of at every record reach when he took part, in 1975, in “Abertura”, an ex-
selling figures higher than those of the previous year. temporaneous festival organized by Globo. His “Fato
Simone sold 140 000 copies of “Cigarra”, her consumado” came second, what led Djavan to his
1978 record; 250 000 of “Pedaços”, the 1979 record; first record in the following year. It was in this work
400 000 in 1981 with “Amar”; and the enviable mark that he showed “Flor de lis”. He had two almost
of 700 000, in 1982, with “Corpo e alma”. However, successes already, when, at 29, Bethânia discovered
she did not hit the target everybody longed for, at “Álibi”, and she recoded it on the Band 1, Side A of
that time of breaking the barrier of the million copies her Record 78, besides using the title to baptize the
sold, a number that belonged to Roberto Carlos’ LP. A large audience, at last, got in touch with an
accounts only. original melodist and a surprising letter writer:
The first woman to get there was Maria Bethâ-
nia. The star of “Pássaro da manhã” was, no doubt, “No amor, a tortura está por um triz / Mas a
along those ten years, the most brilliant star in MPB’s gente atura e até se mostra feliz / Quando se tem o
constellation. She was the most popular, the one that álibi / De ter nascido ávido / E convivido inválido /
sold more records, the one that filled more theatres, Mesmo sem ter havido”
particularly in the first half of the decennium. But
the mythic one million records was not conquered Nobody could understand well what Djavan’s
with the repertoire of hope and freedom she sang in letters meant, but, somehow, it made sense, and when
“Pássaro da manhã”. The show, too, became record coupled with the melody, it was also much beautiful.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 244
Bethânia’s “Álibi” contained yet three bands “Sonho meu, sonho meu / Vai buscar quem
with songs by Chico Buarque (“O meu amor, recor- mora longe / Sonho meu / Vai mostrar essa saudade
ded in a duetto with Alcione, plus one song from / Sonho meu / Com a sua liberdade”
the inexhaustible “Ópera do malando”; “De todas
as maneiras”; and “Cálice”, in partnership with That Brazilian song became the sound-track
Gilberto Gil, forbidden five years earlier, but now, at for those who dreamt with the coming back of the
last, authorized by the Censorship), two by Caetano exiles and with the arrival of milder times. That was the
(“Diamante verdadeiro” and “A voz de uma pessoa MPB’s subject that prevailed in the following year. In
vitoriosa”, this one in a duetto with Wally Salomão); her 1979 record, “Pedaços”, Simone Simone organized
“Negue”, by Adelino Moreira and Enzo de Almeida the comeback celebration by singing “Tô voltando”,
Passos; “Interiores”, by Rosinha de Valença; “Ron- by Maurício Tapajós and Paulo César Pinheiro.
da”, by Paulo Vanzolini.
But the record contained a cabin boy that “Pode ir armando o coreto e preparando
surely pushed that one million copies sold: “Explode aquele feijão preto / Eu tô voltando / Põe meia dúzia
coração”, by Gonzaguinha. Dictatorship seemed a de Brahma pra gelar, muda a roupa de cama / Eu tô
little more enfeebled than in that Summer sung by voltando / Leva o chinelo pra sala de jantar / Que é
Bethânia in “Pássaro da manhã”. And the people’s lá mesmo que a mala eu vou largar”
pressure for more democratic times was showing up.
Gonzaguinha captured that climate in a song that Hope and freedom, anticipated by Bethânia
apparently talked of love, but that served as an ease in “Pássaro da amanhã” seemed to have arrived for
in the Brazilian soul. I can not hold anymore, everybo- real. Zezé Motta was yet one of their heralds. With
dy singed with Betânia. Without hate: a beautiful career as an actress in the theatre, in the
cinema and on television, coming from the spectacu-
“Chega de tentar dissimular / E disfarçar e lar success that was “Xica da Silva” in the cinemas,
esconder / O que não dá mais pra ocultar / E eu she was attempting to shine also as a singer. She had
não posso mais calar (...) Não dá mais pra segurar / already made a record with Gerson Conrad, an ex-
Explode coração” member of the group Secos e Molhados, and another
one in which she sang, solo, all the bands, when, at
“Explode coração” is the synthesis-song from 35, she launched “Negritude”, an LP that contained
“Álibi”. But, now, retrieving that impeccable repertoi- the majestic “Senhora Liberdade”, by Wilson Moreira
re, one notices that there was another song that also and Nei Lopes.
captured the longing within society in that emblema-
tic 1978. At last, the wolves appeared to be scared. “Amar foi meu delito / Mas foi um sonho tão
The labour movement was coming out of its lethargy, bonito / Hoje estou no fim / Senhora Liberdade /
and in May, a strike was deflagrated in São Bernardo Abre as asas sobre mim”
do Campo, the first one by metallurgy workers since
1964. The struggle for the amnesty of people conde- The “Such a beautiful dream” of an appeased
mned for political crimes began to rise. And Bethânia, country would appear yet in another Bethânia’s show.
accompanied by Gal Costa, singed “Sonho meu”, In that 1979, she brought on the scene
by Yvonne Lara and Délcio Carvalho. It could even “Álibi”s repertoire, and, off course, half a do-
be that the composers were not thinking about the zen of poetical texts. Among these there was one by
political exiles when they created the samba. It could Carlos Drummond de Andrade that Bethânia had read
be that the singers were not aware of the hidden me- in the newspapers:
aning of those words. But the sub-text was clear: “Anistia, teu nome é perdão”, it said in a part.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 245
“Mas como perdoar a quem não cometeu falta ou ty Law. “O bebado e o equilibrista”became the first
delito, e, não os cometendo, foi castigado? Se teu song to be listened to by the exiles in their comeback.
nome é perdão, deve este ser pedido às vítimas da The same choir would welcome them all in every
injustiça e o arbítrio? Em vez de compaixão, neste airport lounge.
caso, a anistia precisava ser um ato de arrependimen-
to seguido de reconhecimento público e proclamação “Meu Brasil, que sonha com a volta do irmão
da justiça. O perdão cabe ao ofendido. E há muitos do Henfil / Com tanta gente que partiu num rabo de
ofendidos e humilhados que, sem culpa, tiveram de foguete / Chora a nossa pátria-mãe gentil / Choram
pagar pelo crime que não perpretaram.” Marias e Clarisses no solo do Brasil”
But no song, no poem was more marking
than the song that came to be known as the amnesty The opening was going on. In 1980, the Con-
hymn: “O bebado e o equilibrista”, by João Bosco gress retrieves the direct elections for State Gover-
and Aldir Blanc, that constituted a part of the record nors. But the Brazilian music had nothing to comme-
that Elis Regina was launching in that 1979, “Essa morate. In that year Vinicius de Moraes and Cartola
mulher”. Bosco and Blanc became the first Brazilian died. Music production gave the impression of being
composers, since the middle of the sixties, to play an a reaction to the loss of two of the greatest poets of
outstanding role in MPB without having taken part in the national song. MPB was in mourning. Caetano
festivals. Including the out of time ones. They belong Veloso and Gilberto Gil did not launch any record.
to a time when either you made an enormous success Caetano, who had recorded “Cinema transcendental”
in a festival, or you were discovered by Elis Regina. in 1979, which among other jewels was launching
They belong to the second alternative. The duetto “Oração ao tempo”, would only come back to recor-
was already, with “Bala com bala”, in the repertoi- dings in 1981 (“Outras palavras”, that brought the
re of the record that Elis launched in 1972. On the superhit “Lua e estrela”, by Vinicius Cantuária). Gil
record that the singer recorded in 1973, they were also faced a hiatus between “Realce”, from 1979 (the
the authors of four bands:(“Comadre”, “Cabaré”, record that brought “Rebento”), and “Luar”, from
“Agnus sei” and “O caçador de esmeralda”)! They 1981 (the one of “Se eu quiser falar com Deus”).
became as a creative duetto in Brazilian music as Chico Buarque had a new record, “Vida”. But the
Noel and Vadico, or Tom and Vinicius. And it was in majority of the bands on it consisted of songs already
that period of the seventies that they were producing known, created for films or for other singers, such as
more. Bosco was already making his own records, “Bye Bye Brasil”, theme-song of Cacá Diegues’ film
but it was in Regina’s records that the public came “Morena de Angola”. composed by Clara Nunes; and
to know the duetto’s production: three songs in he “Bastidores”, a success in Cauby Peixoto’s voice.
1974 LP, plus four in 1976 and one for the year 1977. Milton Nascimento , another fertile compo-
Along that period, Elis only did not record Bosco and ser, launched, in that 1980, “Sentinela”, a record in
Blanc on the record that she devoted wholly to Tom which the eminence was “Canção da América”, a
Jobim’s compositions. song previously recorded by himself in an American
In 1979, “O bebado e o equilibrista” also was launching, and re-recorded in the Portuguese version
included in the LP “Linha de passé” that João Bosco by the group Roupa Nova. The female singers that
was launching. But it was in the Elis’ record that it had become the spokespersons for that generation of
was discovered and represented all the feeling of a composers, also did present novelties in their works.
country. The song will remain for ever as a landmark Gal Costa launched a beautiful record −
in the singer’s career and in Brazil’s history. In that “Aquarela do Brasil” −, but with all the bands taken
same 1979 the AI-5 was extinct, and general João by music by Ary Barroso (1903-1964).
Figueiredo, the new dictator, sanctioned the Amnes- Maria Bethânia interrupted a sequence of
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 246
had already been a token. The eighties were begin- standout in the following years. “Adivinha o quê”,
ning with rock being its own master. The year 1982 by Lulu, and “Um certo alguém”, in partnership with
would end by adding two more idols of the genre: Ronaldo Bastos, are songs that up to now partake
Eduardo Dusek and the group Barão Vermelho. of the singer’s repertoire. But the prominence of the
Dusek was the most improbable of the idols record was in fact the bolero “Como uma onda”, in
of Brazilian rock. Having studied piano at the Escola partnership with Nelson Motta:
Nacional de Música, he came to have some of his
compositions, in partnership with Luiz Carlos Góes, “Nada do que foi será / e novo do jeito que já
recorded by popular singers (Ney Matogrosso registe- foi um dia / Tudo passa / Tudo sempre passará”
red successfully “Seu tipo”) and called Rede Globo’s
attention to his strange style, in the 1980 MPB But Lulu did not shine alone in an 1983 that
festival, with “Nostradamus”. It did not look like the had stood out also for the début of Ritchie, a Lulu’s
curriculum of a rock singer. But there was something colleague in the short-lived band Vímina, that prece-
in the partnership with Góes that had to do with Rita ded the solo career of its members (Lobão would also
Lee’s music and Blitz: good humour. With the guitar take part in the group). Ritchie became the greatest
and good humour he made success in that 1982 with selling phenomenon that year. Born in England, he
“Barrados no baile”, by himself and Góes and with was, in the seventies, an English teacher for music-
the protest rock’s “Rock da cachorra”, by Léo Jaime. related people, like Egberto Gismonti and Gal Costa.
His début record as a singer, “Vôo do coração”, sold
“Troque seu cachorro por uma criança pobre more than one million copies and launched a national
/ Sem parente, sem carinho, sem ramo, sem cobre / success, “Menina veneno”.
Deixe na história de sua vida uma notícia nobre”
“Menina veneno, / O mundo é pequeno de-
Barão had been formed the previous year with mais pra nós dois / Em toda cama que eu durmo / Só
Roberto Frejat, Guto Goffi, Dé Palmeira and Maurício dá você, só dá você”
Barros. But it was only in 1982 that it met its voca-
list and its personality: Cazuza. Barão did not have It looked like as if there was no room for ano-
the good humour of the earlier rock groups of the ther genre in Brazilian music. Rock groups, baptized
decade, but Cazuza’s talent − who gave up the band with funny names, were born everyday, and became
in 1986, to follow his solo career − gave the Brazilian instant success. Kid Abelha and Abóboras Selvagens,
rock an MPB’s tradition: that of the good letter writer. Ultraje a Rigor, Paralamas do Sucesso, Titãs do Iê Iê
“Todo amor que houver nessa vida”, by Frejat and Iê... At least two of of the basket stood out: Legião
Cazuza, was the first success of the Group. Urbana, that had as vocalist someone who would
share with Cazuza the merit of keeping Brazilian music
“Eu quero a sorte de um amor tranqüilo / Com whet for the years to come, and R.P.M., the first mass
sabor de fruta mordida / Nós na batida, no embalo da phenomenon of the Brazilian rock of the eighties.
rede / Matando a sede na saliva”
“Desde pequenos, nós comemos lixo / Co-
Everything fit in with Brazilian rock. Even mercial e industrial / Mas agora chegou nossa vez /
bolero. It was a bolero with rock appearance that Vamos cuspir de volta o lixo em cima de vocês”
kept RockBrasil in the success parades in 1983. Lulu
Santos was thirty-years old when he launched, with It was that way that Renato Russo used to
production by Limina, his second LP “O ritmo do introduce himself in “Geração Coca-Cola”, the first
momento”. There it was the “hitmaker” that would Legião Urbana’s success. R.P.M. did not exhibit such
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 248
a caustic letter, but it came with a vocalist that, in the may be compared to Ritchie. The difference is that
best sex-symbol style, made the female hearts in the the group expanded the phenomenon to reach the
audience beat faster. shows, performing in large stadiums, always full-hou-
ses, and becoming a true phenomenon.
“Agora eu sei, passei por cada papel / E raste- The strength of that new generation gave the
jei tentando entrar no céu / Agora eu sei, sei, sei, sei / impression that rock had come to stay and rule over
Passei por cada papel / Me embriaguei e acordei no the Brazilian music. But true success Blitz only enjoyed
bordel” with its first record. Dusek gave up the genre before
the decade was over. Ritchie became the author of just
It was that way that Paulo Ricardo used to rai- one hit. Can it be that Cazuza, Renato Russo, Kid Abe-
se the audience in “louras geladas”, the first success lha, Paulo Ricardo, Titãs, Paralamas will resist? Well,
of the group. R.P.M. also overtook the one million this is another story to be told in the next ten years
copies sold from just one record. In this respect he
The stave is music, of course, but at that time, the late eighties, eco-
nomy, commerce and marketing had begun to guide cultural production.
Concerning musical record, marketing departments had started to take over, to
the disadvantage of the artistic ones. In 1987, the year when we took over in
this retrospect that covers the last forty years of the Brazilian popular music, the
Country was still enjoying the apogee of the generation labeled Brock (a term
coined by the journalist Dapieve). One year earlier, the euphoria – fallacious,
as we would soon find out – of the Plano Cruzado had helped the astrono-
mical selling figures of 2.2 million copies of the record “Rádio Pirata – Ao
vivo”record’s, a deed of the then latest phenomenon of the kind, RPM group.
Brazilian rock, that since the eighties had remained strong in terms of
market, enjoying some eventual sales success (Skank, Titãs, Mamonas Assassi-
nas –are among those that have overtaken the barrier of the one million), had,
however, lost its hegemony in respect of other genres in the market. We have
seen, ever since, a succession of booms, stimulated both by the record industry
and by the media, what would engender an overall impoverishment. But, in
parallel with the assembly lines of big companies in the record industry, some
artists, both the novices and the ones having their careers already consolida-
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ted, had the opportunity of expressing themselves. ecological messages (title band), romantic (from “Be-
Meanwhile, keeping themselves away from the big bel” to “Anos dourados”, this one with text by and
industry was the way out for many others. And after partnership with Chico Buarque) and musical homage
the booms of rock, lambada, pagode, sertanejo, axé, to one of his idols, George Gershwin (by re-creating
university forró, carioca funk, etc. …almost always the standard “Fascinatin’ rhythm” and quoting one
the records of those who did not belong to that choir sentence from “An American in Paris” in the witty
were the ones that counted in the period, since little “Chansong”). Like much of what Jobim has created,
has remained from that plethora poured into the “Passarim” enjoyed a rather timid commercial success
market by that fashion fever. at the time, but it will enjoy a lasting, an everlasting
But such culturally predatory policy came to life, for there will always exist an audience for it.
reveal itself pernicious in the commercial sense too. In the same year in which he produced “Pas-
The big companies of the area – multinationals in their sarim”, Jobim and Banda Nova recorded another
majority – saw their business shrink drastically along album, this time a double, with 24 bands, that would
the 21st Century, partly due to strategic mistakes made become a classic. Initially launched as a gift from a
by the end of the eighties. The mono-cultural cycles commercial company, it was only in 1985, one year
that have taken place ever since have led to excessive after Jobim’s death, that it was awarded a commercial
concentration, to what we call the game of the million edition, under the title “Inédito”. Tom himself used to
(of records sold), what, for over a decade, has brought consider this his best record ever, and it introduced,
much money to some of the gamblers: artists, entre- in commercial versions, 23 of his classics – “Chega de
preneurs and producers; recorders and their executives; saudade”, “Samba do avião”, “Desafinado”, “Águas
sellers, department and supermarket shops. de março”, “Retrato em branco e preto”, “Garota de
However, like in a game of chance, luck Ipanema”… –, besides “Modinha (Seresta nº 5)”, by
has changed its sides. So much so that in the 21st Heitor Villa-Lobos and Manuel Bandeira.
Century the record has lost much of its worth – to Before the commercial version of this “Iné-
some extent due to physical and virtual piracy. Music, dito”, that was not, exactly, unpublished, Tom had
however, goes on striking strongly. Despite its having launched, in November 1994, “Antonio Brasileiro”,
been left aside the success parades from radio and what means that the record reached the shops one
television broadcasting companies. And it will persist month prior to his death (on December 8, in New
for as long as humankind exists. York). With the comfortable Banda Nova – that for
This is something that by 1987 Antonio about a decade has accompanied him in his tours
Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim already knew around the world –, he produced new songs: “Piano
well. Although his compositions have gone on being na Mangueira” (a samba for the Green-Yellow, in
recorded, some of them successfully, the market here partnership with Chico Buarque), “Pato Preto”, “Fo-
used to ignore him, so much so that his records have rever green” and “Samba de Maria Luiza”; re-recor-
almost always been produced on request by the Ame- ded classics like “Só danço samba” and “Chora cora-
rican companies. Marketing issues aside, in 1987 his ção”; and he went to “Clube da Esquina”to produce
music was flying high with “Passarim”that he record an English version of “Trem azul”, by Lô Borges and
accompanied by his family group Banda Nova: his son Ronaldo Bastos, “Blue train”; he met again his for
Paulo Jobim (guitar), daughter Beth (one of the voca- ever friend Dorival Caymmi, who showed him his still
lists), wife Ana Lontra (another vocalist), cello player unpublished “Maricotinha”; and he met the English
Jaques Morelenbaum (and his wife, vocalist Paula), rock player Sting in a duetto in “Insensitive”.
flute player Danilo Caymmi (with his wife, the vocalist It was not among Jobim’s plans to die at 67,
Simone), vocalist Maúcha Adnet, battery player Paulo but “Antonio Brasileiro” ended up by being the be-
Braga and the bass player Tião Neto. In the répertoire, autiful farewell of the author of a work that remains
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 250
alive and keeps being recorded again and again the of the record company, Warner, then) of the almost
world over. However, in his time there was no want jazzlike “Entre e ouça” (1992). According to mar-
of people who made a mistaken appraisal of him. keting parameters and comparing to the figures of
To give but one example: the critic from one weekly Conexão Japeri, few got in and even fewer listened to
journal managed to make two mistakes in a sentence it. But this record, today considered a classic, announ-
that went: “and regarding what has been the compo- ced much of what Tim Maia’s nephew would do in
ser’ Achilles shield, since Vinicius de Moraes’ death, the years to come, till “7 – O musical”, his flight in
Jobim’s poor letters …” Well, taste is a controversial the skies of a Broadway brought to Praça Tiradentes
matter, but 1) Tom and Vinicius had stopped compo- (Tiradentes square), together with Claudio Botelho
sing, in partnership, by the early the sixties; thus, very and Charles Möeller.
much prior to his death, in 1980; 2) Jobim praised At the time, due to general misunderstanding,
partnerships, but before, during and after Vinicius, he Ed kept his contract with Warner, launching one
always wrote letters on his own, and very good ones, record, live, and together with his wife, Edna Lopes, a
as “Fotografia”, “Samba do avião”, “Corcovado”, graphic artist, author of the beautiful cover of “Entre
“Águas de março” (including the English version, in e ouça”, he left for Manhattan as a one-year volun-
which he resorted to the over-refinement of em- tary exile. There he would begin working in a record
ploying Anglo-Saxon words only, without resorting to in the studio of his idol, Donald Fagen, together with
the Latin language), “Lígia”, “Passarim”, and “Chan- some big names of the New York jaz-funk scene .
song, among others, testify it. Also, he planned to study music with the keyboard
Even in his partnership with Newton Men- player Paul Griffin, and dive into what was at the time
donça, that produced classics such as “Desafinado”, the main source of inspiration for his work: funk, soul,
“Samba de uma nota só” , “Meditação” and “Foi a jazz, pop, and rock. But what happened was for him
noite”, they both used to write letter and music toge- to discover Brazilian music that, up to then, had not
ther. Critical arguments aside, Jobim’s work remains, interested him. Back in Brazil, he engaged himself in
and is increasingly influential. partnerships that comprised Aldir Blanc and Ronaldo
Yet in the decade that had belonged to rock, Bastos (both top, and, in a way, antagonistic text
young artists who were then making their début, writers of Brazilian songs). In 1997, the sound- track
opened the fan of what would become the Pop of the for the “Pequeno dicionário amoroso” and the record
nineties. Also, bets from big companies used to signal “Manual prático para festas, bailes e afins, vol.1”
that options were available. would attest that Ed Motta had changed, that he had
In 1988, young Ed Motta, 16 years old only, returned Brazilianized.
is the outstanding figure, the big voice of Conexão Marisa Monte had her début in 1989, through
Japeri reaching the radio stations with “Manuel”. Tim a show produced and directed by Nelson Motta, that
Maia’s nephew, as the media used to acclaim tiressly provoked a clamour in Rio and would become her fist
and try to imprison, had much greater dreams, that record, alternating live recordings and studio sessions
he soon sought to make real. Inspired by the Ameri- in the Teatro Villa Lobos. That would become the
can popular verses of the American writer Will Eisner, formula, soon worn out, copied by many others: from
he recorded, in 1990, “Um contrato com Deus” the eclectic singer she would travel from samba-enredo
(1990). In the studio, playing, alone, almost every (“Lendas das sereias”) to Titans’ rock (“Comida”),
instrument, there were he and his partner Bom Bom from Weill & Brecht (“Speak low”) to Luiz Gonzaga
only. The record introduced new songs, still marked (“Xote das meninas”), from Marvin Gaye (“I heard it
by soul and funk, with the intercalation of vignettes in throught the grapevine”) to Tim Maia (“Chocolate”).
which he dealt with blues, reggae and dub, too. Talented, beautiful, instantly adored by the
Two years later was the turn (to the horror public and by the media, Marisa could have registe-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 251
red dozens of records following that band; however, start “Senhas” would show her the way out.
two years later she came back with “Mais”. The title But it was from her third record, “A fábrica do
itself proclaimed her intention of going farther in an poema”, in 1994, that Adriana would really find her
album where she would also be in pursuit of her group course. She had links with the poets Waly Salomão
to create, solo.(“Eu sei”, hers letter and melody) or in (the author of he letter of the title-song in memory of
partnership with Nando Reis, Arnaldo Antunes and the Italian architect living in Brazil, Lina Bo Bardi) and
Arto Lindsay (the American guitar player who would Antonio Cícero (the latter, Mrina Lima’s both partner
begin to produce her records). In “Ainda lembro” and brother) is the author of the letter of “Invernos”,
(with Nando), she would play a duetto with Ed Motta; one of Adriana’s great successes. In those and in son-
meanwhile, “Rosa”, a classic of the Brazilian song, by gs like “Cariocas”, “Metade” and “Minha música”,
Pixinghinha and Otávio de Souza, would be recorded she cleverly used playing with references that stre-
with the Japanese Ryuichi Sakamoto at the piano. tched from vanguard to the apparent banality of pop.
But the great indication that Marisa Monte It bonded, it worked very well, as the works produced
wanted more, and that she would go farther, was her in the new Century would testify.
third record. “Verde, anil, cor de rosa e carvão”, in On July 7, 1990, Brazil lost Cazuza, then 32
1994, in which she began the partnership that would years old. Discovered by Barão Vermelho, one of the
continue in the new Century/Millennium, with the pioneers of Brazilian rock in the eighties as a writer
musician from Bahia Carlinhos Brown (the author of of texts and a singer, he also used to incorporate into
three songs: “Maria de verdade”, “Segue o seco” the fashion tendency influences from people who
and, now in partnership with the singer herself and since long had been living together with the Brazi-
with Nando Reis, “Na estrada”). lian musical diversity, on a list that includes Maysa,
In her records, feeling at ease, and shameles- Dolores Duran, Novos Baianos, Luiz Melodia, Cartola,
sly, she has traveled from pop to samba. The latter Caetano…. Something that she could pour out in her
has as its address Portela, the samba school of which solo records, particularly , in “Ideologia” (from 1988,
Marina’s father was once director. “Cor de rosa and that stretches from the rock-samba “Brasil”, in par-
carvão” included two sambas by people from Portela: nership with two colleagues in terms of generations,
“Dança da solidão”, by Paulinho da Viola, and “Esta Leoni and George Israel, to pop bossa “Faz parte de
melodia”, by Bubú da Portela, but it included also one meu show”, in partnership with Renato Ladeira), and
by Jorge Bem, “Balança pema”, and one classic of the live “O tempo não pára”.(also from 1988, which
rock, “Pale blue eyes”, by Lou Reed. besides introducing the title-song, in partnership with
Ever since, besides going on recording classi- Arnaldo Brandão, brought back, and in their best ver-
cal sambas from her samba school, Marina has been sions, “Codinome beija-flor” and “Exagerado”, both
producing records containing works by some of her launched with her solo début record in 1986).
historical samba players, beginning with Portela’s Old Six years later, another shock to Brazilian rock:
Guard who now, 2008, has been awarded a film co- it lost Renato Russo, Legião Urbana’s voice and brain.
produced under her musical label, Phonomotor. Between 1987 and 1996, it lunched six records that
Still in the domain of young music, 1990 was kept it on the rise – “Que país é este” (87), “As
the turn of Adriana Calcanhotto (at the time spelled quatro estações” (1989), “V” (1991), “Música para
with a ‘t’ missing), who made her début with “En- acampamentos” (1992), “O descobrimento do Brasil”
guiço”. She sounded a little bit out of touch with the (1993) and “A tempestade” (1996) –and Renato
pop music of that moment, but it was there, none- Russo produced two solo workds: “The Stonewall
theless, that she parked that record. Soon the gaucho celebration concert” (1994) and “Equilíbrio distante”
singer and composer would have proved that her (1995) – , the former, a collection of American songs,
career would be repaired, and in 1992, right from the stretching from Madonna to Stephen Sondheim; the
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latter, a collection of Italian songs. favela” (Noca da Portela and Sérgio Mosca.
Cassia Eller made her debut in 1990, with The first indication on record that samba had
a record that mixed São Paulo MPB’s vanguard and breath for much more happened in 1985, right in the
rock. Thanks to her attitude, to the ingredient that force of Brock, in the greasy pole (those collective
contributed so much to rock (for good or evil), she albums that the record companies make as a test for
was appointed the heiress of Exagerado – celebrated novel artists) “Raça brasileira”, published by RGE. In
in the record “Veneno antimonotonia”, that also was it there were, among others, Zeca Pagodinho, Joveli-
awarded a show and a live record. Unfortunately, na Pérola Negra and Mauro Diniz.
she exaggerated so much with her attitude, that she Zeca, who would become the greatest samba
also had a premature end, on December 29, 2001, star in the 21st Century, appeared for the first time
betrayed by her heart, as a consequence of medical in Cacique de Ramos’ samba circle, where he was
mistake or of overdose of something else. Until that listened to by Beth Carvalho, who included him in
premature departure, Cássia had produced big shows her records. The first great Zeca’s success as a soloist,
and irregular records. written in partnership with Arlindo Cruz, was “SPC”,
The title Paulinho da Viola chose for the album launched in 1986. In the nineties, he would become
he launched in 1989, breaking a six-year-old disco- the greatest seller of samba records. A success that
graphic silence, tells much: “Eu canto samba”. The persists into the new Century.
title-band that opened and closed the record worked In a different environment, pagode would be
as a declaration of principles, for, at the time, the provided with a pop appearance, with many electro-
musical genre that better represented Brazil had been nic keyboards and romantic letters. The most outstan-
put aside. Put aside, left to people from Rio’s morros ding phenomenon of this new environment would be
and suburbs, where it preserved its origins. Eating wi- the Só Pra Contrariar, a group from Minas that later
thout competitor as the following years would testify. would shorten its name to the acronym SPC. Critics
In 1989, that Paulinho’s precious record confirmed it, were very much wicked on them, and it is true that
by introducing eight new sambas of his, including the the level of the group that revealed singer Alexandre
melancholic and beautiful “Quando bate uima sau- Pires was very low – the same as that of dozens of
dade” and “Um caso perdido”, and jewels like “Com other bands, the majority of which coming from São
lealdade” (by the Portelense Alberto Lonato, who Paulo, like Negritude Júnior, Soweto, Exaltasamba,
took part in the recording as a tambourine player, and Katinguelê, Art Popular (the latter exhibiting a good
the classic “Não tenho lágrimas” (Max Bulhões and composer, follower of the pop samba line, that has
Milton de Oliveira) Jorge Ben as one of the pioneers). But independently
But Paulinho was not alone. At the time, from the (lack of) quality of pagode ‘mauricinho’ (as
Bezerra da Silva, Jovelina Pérola Negra, Fundo de has pejoratively been called the sub-genre), there was
Quintal, Dicró, Almir Guineto and Zeca Pagodinho an indication that samba remained strong. And from
were also beginning to break barriers as the first the middle of the nineties on, the success of people
representatives of the pagode generation. like Zeca Pagodinho, Jorge Aragão (who began to
Bezerra, due to the theme of his repertoire show himself in Cacique de Ramos, and later beca-
centred on the chronicle of marginality, was adopted me one of the founders o Fundo de Quintal), Beth
by rock people who used to consider him as a sort of Carvalho (since the seventies betting on the repertoire
Robin Hood. Hence his taking part in records by RPM, produced on Rio’s morros and in its suburbs) would
Marcelo D2 and Barão Vermelho (who re-recorded confirm that the genre had breath for much more.
“Malandragem dá um tempo”. But Bezerra, himself Before all this, a provincial Brazil had showed
a man from the North-East (of Brazil) living in Rio, its face on a national network. Artist who had always
cared to affirm in a Noca da Portela’s samba: “Eu sou had this strong audience far from the media, spread
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all over the outskirts of big centers, over hundreds would stand out, singer Daniela Mercury would come
of little and medium-size towns and over hinterlands to be axé’s great star. But, along her career she would
and the open country, people from the heart of the go beyond the genre by building bridges towards
Country took over power in the late eighties. The MPB (singing from Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil to
political connotation of the previous sentence goes Chico Buarque), Brazilian rock (Herbert Vianna) and,
beyond the metaphor, since the success of back- later in the decade, the dance-track electronic sounds.
country duettos, like Leandro & Leonardo, Chitão- Until Daniela’s arrival, and before the tendency
zinho & Chororó and Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano inaugurated by Caldas, axé drank from the electric
worked almost as the sound-track of Collor’s short trios (created in the fifties, when Dodô and Osmar
Government – Leandro a& Leonardo, by the way, started playing Pernmbuco’s frevos with their Bahia’s
were assiduous frequenters of the barbecues the then electric guitars and from the sound of Afro blocks
President used to offer at Casa da Dinda, the private (Filhos de Gandhi, Ilê Ayê, Olodum and Araketu). The
residence he dad chosen as the official residence. beat of the reggae-samba, created by Olodum and
But alongside the three duettos mentioned, developed by composers like Gerônimo, Lazzo and
many others proliferated, besides solo interpreters, Tonho Matéria, was another fundamental component
like Roberta Miranda and the ex-young-guardist of what came to be known as axé music. A label
Sérgio Reis. that had originally a pejorative meaning, coined by
A different hinterland, however, also was gi- the journalist and musical critic from Salvador Haga-
ven evidence at the time. The violists Almir Sater and menon Brito, but that ended up by being adopted
Helena Meirelles showed the sounds of the Pantanal, by many of those artists, like singer Netinho’s Banda
Pena Branca & Xavantinho, another kind of hinter- Beijo, who in 1992 baptized a record as “Axé music”.
land, or the caipira music before the open country Generally speaking, the most diluted recipe for
became “country”. axé music was the one that ruled and earned rivers of
After the boom of the back-country music, money for the record companies and groups like Ban-
the Brazilian rich and different musical and folkloric da Eva, Chiclete com Banana, Cheiro de Amor and É
traditions went on popping. From time to time, they o Tchan. The latter began as Gera Samba, conquering
leave their grottos and reach the axle Rio-SP, where, Brazil’s radio stations in 1995 with the success “É o
sometimes, they go on board of the big media and tchan”. The discovery of another group with the same
travel all over the Coutry. name made its leaders Compadre Washington and
Also in the late eighties Brazil and the world, Beto Jamaica, adopt the title of their first big success.
beginning with France, were dancing lambada. This This way, together with É o Tchan, they went on with
rather Caribbean version of Pará’s carimbó, enjoyed the rising tide. Resorting to many extra-music expe-
then ephemeral, disposable successes like Beto Bar- diencies, adopting continuous change of dancers, blon-
bosa, Márcia Ferreira. Manezinho do Sax and Kaoma ds and brunettes, with their mini and provoking shorts,
– the latter, in fact, a multinational group, formed by which soon would be transferred from CD covers to
French entrepreneurs who had come to know the those of male journals: Carla Perez, Sheila Mello, Dé-
dancing rhythm during Porto Seguro’s Summer and bora Brasil, and Scheila Carvalho, among others.
had bought the copyright of 300 songs. Despite ha- Regrettable, but a real portrait of a country
ving the North as its craddle, lambada had ingredients where Xuxa was being hailed as the most popular
that few years earlier had been present in Luíz Calds’ “singer”.
fricote, one of the predecessors of what in the early If, as far as music is concerned, axé did not
nineties would come to be known s axé music. have substance, it is, nonetheless, a phenomenon
A success very much beyond the tides of of cultural affirmation. After all, at the beginning it
Bahia’s carnival with “Swing da cor”, that in 1991 rose fighting against the record industry, that having
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as centers Rio and São Paulo, was trying to impo- And that three years later would be put into practice
se its products and standards. Having as a starting in two important début records: “Da lama ao caos”,
point street carnival, Salvador began to produce by Chico Science and Nação Zumbi, and “Samba
and consume its own swinging music. Back to their esquema noise”, by mundo livre s/a (the latter from
places, tourists used to help spreading all over Brazil Fred 04’s composer, singer and small guitar player.
(and also throughout the world) the new tide, whose Nação Zumbi made a -successful tour throu-
commercial appeal ended up by being arisen to a ghout Europe in 1995, and the year next launched
power by the cultural industry. In this sense, the new its second record, “Afrociberdelia”. Science’s death,
Bahia’s rhythms are one more sign of the Brazilian following a car accident, on February 2, 1997, on the
music’s vigour. And some artists, initially considered as road linking Recife to Olinda, removed the artist from
belonging to this genre, like Margareth Menezes and the stage, but his influence and the impact that the
Carlinhos Brown, soon showed that they were getting début of Nação Zumbi represented went on rever-
along well with larger universes. berating – just like the group, that went on without
Brown, who had worked with Luiz Carlos its main singer and composer. Mangue Beat’s sounds
Caldas at the time of the ephemeral fricote, created and ideas (originally BIT, but due to some sort of
the percussion group Timbalada and took part in Ca- miscommunication, mistaken by the press of the time
etano Veloso’s band that recorded successfully one of for BEAT, strike, and BEAT it remained) marked the
his songs, “Meia lua inteira”. The good performance work of artists from Pernambuc, like Mestre Ambró-
of that music and his participation in the record “Cor sio, Cascabulho, Querosene Jacaré, Sheik Tosado.
de rosa e carvão”, by Marisa Monte, ensured Brown’s Otto and Devotos do Ódio – the latter coming from
solo début in 1996, with “Alfagamabetizado”. A pro- a slum in Recife, Alto José do Pinho, with strong ties
duction supported by the French headquarter of the with punk rock.
record company Virgin, through this record he gave Lenine, another artist, from Pernambuco, that
birth to an international career that remains strong up of late has been traveling throughout the world,
to now. In fact, in the 21st Century Brown get more moved to Rio in the late seventies. In 1993 he made
success in Spain and in some other European coun- his début record in partnership with his fellow-coun-
tries than in Brazil. tryman Lula Queiroga, but “Baque solto”, this is the
Something that some years erlier Margare- title, went unnoticed. Lenine’s career would begin to
th Menezes had experienced. In the two years that call attention thanks to another duetto record, this
followed, she traveled through the United States and time in partnership with the carioca percussionist
Europe in the company of David Byrne, a musician Marcos Suzano, “Olho de peixe” and he would take
that had been the brain of the new-wave group off definitely in 1997 with his first solo record “O dia
Talking Heads, who in his solo career became one em que faremos contato”. In this one, also influenced
of the greatest stimulators of world music. Back in by the ideas of Mangue Beat, Lenine made an amal-
Brazil, Margareth remained divided between reggae- gam of rhythms from Recife, but Belo Horizonte also
samba, the pop and MPB, launching records like contributed towards some oxygenation of the area.
“Gente da festa”. Something the group Pato Fu shwoed in their début
The straight link to the external world, wi- record in 1992, “Rotomusic de liquidificapum”. An
thout necessarily having to get Rio’s or São Paulo’s independent production that, despite its little com-
approval, marked the trajectory of many young artists mercial return, was listened to by the right people,
revealed in Recife, in the nineties. Something that opening the doors of the industrial sector to the band
began in a planned way in 1991, with the launching led by the guitar player and composer John Ulhoa
of the 1st Manifest of the movement Manguje Bit, and by the lady singer Fernanda Takai. Two years
written down by Fred 04 and the journalist Renato L. later, their second record “Gol de quem” maintained
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 255
the invention and managed to obtain a success in the music, the group begun to develop a work of promo-
radio stations: the ballad “Sobre o tempo”. Likewi- ting political awareness within poor communities in
se, the next CD “Tem mas acabou”, in 1996, which the outskirts of São Paulo, showing that they did not
included the good-humoured mix of rock and caipira limit themselves to the discourse, what marked also
music “Pinga”. Those who thought of Mutantes their next records “Escolha seu caminho” (1992) and
Tropicalistas hit it, but Pato Fu went beyond the good “Raio X do Brasil” (1993).
influence, as it has gone on testifying well into the From the same São Paulo that gave us this
21st Century. political rap came the shattering and funny rock of
Also from Belo Horizonte, Shank was another the band Mamonas Assassinas. Their début record, in
one that resorted to an independent production, 1995, sold one million copies. But the group’s career
making his début with a record that bet on the well- was tragically interrupted: on March 2, 1996, the little
lubricated mix of rock, reggae and Brazilian rhythms: airplane that was taking them home tumbled against
a regional success that would soon be repeated by Serra da Cantareira, few kilometers away from Cum-
Sony. The multinational soon realized its good thinkig bica Airport, in Guarulhos, SP.
by betting on the quartet led by the singer, composer He was not exactly a stranger in the rock’s
and guitar player Samuel Rosa. After the good perfor- nest, since he was an outstanding vocalist and com-
mance of the second record, “Calango” (1994), the poser among Titãs, but Arnaldo Antunes, related to
group approached the two-million copies selling of Tropicália, to Novos Baianos, and to concrete poetry,
its third album, “O samba poconé (1996), led by the could express entirely his healthy strangeness only
ravishing “É uma partida de futebol”. through his solo career. It is what we notice right from
In Rio, a mix of reggae, rock, rap, electronics his solo début “Nome”, in 1995, a conceptual project
and African rhythms together with letters of a strange that, besides the record, included a video. A van-
social content, by Marcelo Yuka, would constitute the guard man in his début, Arnaldo used to work with
main ingredients of O Rappa, which made its début elements of pop, and he was a fundamental piece for
in 1994 with its homonymous record. The Success, Trio Tribalistas’ success that he created in 2003, toge-
however, arrived two years later, with the CD “Rappa ther with Marisa Monte and Carlinhos Brown.
mundi”, that included a turbo version of “Vapor bara- If rock managed to reinvent itself, the appa-
to” (Jards Macalé and Waly Salomão). rently dormant MPB won or, at last, recognized an
A rap with carioca accent ensured Gabriel O extraordinary composer and guitar player: Guinga.
Pensador his space. He made his début on radio by the A modern composer, both related to the tradition
end of 1992, through the music “Tô feliz, matei o pre- of sambas, waltzes and baiões, on one hand, and
sidente”, a chronicle about Fernando Collor de Mello to classical music and jazz, on the other hand. As a
who had just resigned the presidency. The following guitar player he had already been taking part in some
year, Gabriel made his début with his homonymous classical records since the beginning of the previous
record, repeating the success he had had on radio with decade – in 1976, for instance, he played in Cartola’s
“Lôraburra” and “Retrato de um playboy”. recording of his “As rosas não falam”. As a composer,
In Brazil, however, hap would have as the main he even came to take part in a festival, in 1967, and
production centre São Paulo. It is in this biggest Bra- in the seventies, he had songs of his recorded by Elis
zilian and South American city that the genre exhibits Regina and Clara Nunes. But this talented man spent
its more politicized version, having as main example the major part of his life and his entire adulthood
the group Racionais MC’s led by Mano Brown. They hidden under the short jacket of dentist Carlos Althier
made their début in the collection “Consciência de Souza Lemos Escobar. A noble’s name, a subur-
black”, in 1988, and two years later, they launched ban heart that never accepted to commercialize his
their first CD, “Holocausto urbano”. Alongside their art – hence the decades hidden inside other people’s
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 256
dental arcades. If “Simples absurdo”, the solo début artistic independence. But without great surprises.
record, in 1991, is a beautiful visiting card, it is in the Her cat’s jump would be “As canções que você fez
next two . “Delírio carioca” (1993) and “Cheio de para mim”, that she launched in 1994, a beautiful
dedos” (1996) that he leaves no chance for doubts tour through the work of Roberto and Erasmo Carlos.
regarding his geniality. A colossal success: 1.5 million copies sold. Two years
For Guinga to achieve his début record, ho- later, despite the little repercussion, “Âmbar” is ano-
wever, it was necessary that Ivan Lins and his partner, ther hit, including Calcanhotto’s title-song, and also,
Vitor Martins, created a record company, Velas –that, among the unpublished, “Lua vermelha” (Carlinhos
later on, would launch dozens of records relevant to Brown and Arnaldo Antunes), “O circo” (Orlando
MPB, from Dominguinhos to Ivan himself. Morais and Antonio Cícero) and “Onde estará o meu
In 1966, the lady singer Leila Pinheiro would amor” (Chico César).
help bring more light into Guinga’s work, focusing In recent years, João Donato’s records over-
his partnership with the letter writer Aldir Blanc in abound, deservedly respected by dozens of young
the record “Catavento e girasol”. A good shot from musicians. And much of this recognition has as a first
a singer and pianist that has been reinventing herself homage “Minha saudade”, that the Nippo-Brazilian
among Bossa Nova’s pioneers launching, in 1993, the Lisa Ono dedicated, in 1995, to the international
success “Coisas do Brasil”, a happy partnership with acreano-carioca composer and pianist. Thanks to this
Guilherme Arantes and Nelson Motta. CD (that had contributions from Donato as a pianist
In a country where there is no want of and as an arranger), in the following year , also on a
singers, many others reinvented themselves along the request from Japan and from Kazuo Yoshida’s pro-
period. After flirting with the pop of the eighties, that duction, as in that of Lisa, he could come back to the
we do not miss, Gal Costa went from the aesthetic studios in order to record “Coisas tão simples”.,
jump of “O sorriso do gato de Alice”(1994) to the After almost a dull decade, regarding musical
tribute to Chico & Caetano of “Mina d’água do meu activity, the record “Benjor”, brought, in 1989, some
canto ” in the following year. spasms of Jorge Ben’s brilliancy in songs like “Cowboy
Elba Ramalho is another one that rectifies her Jorge”, “Homem do espaço” and “Mama Africa”. As
route, in 1996, with “Leão do Norte” –. the title- from that record, he would adopt the surname Ben-
band that is a right partnership with Lenine and Paulo jor, that later would be spelt Ben Jor, to avoid fiscal
César Pinheiro. Through the record, she promotes a troubles with the American guitar player and singer
tour thorough Northeastern rhythms, such as coco, George Benson. In 1993, “23” was another record up
frevo, xote, baião and maracatu. to his talent, but, ever since, Ben Jor’s standard has
In 1991, with “Sobre todas as coisas”, Zizi been repetition, unable to meet again his course.
Possi would affirm her independence, after having Caetano Veloso, who flirted with rock in the
spent the previous decade as a promise stucked in a eighties, without renouncing to his multiple referen-
pop without identity. Beginning with the partnership ces, advanced musically from the end of that decade,
with Chico Buarque (from the band of “O Grande as “Estrangeiro” testifies, a 1989 record produced by
Circo Místico”) who entitles the record, she invests the American guitar player Arto Lindsay and the Suiss
on a repertoire and on acoustic arrangements that keyboard player Peter Scherer (who then constituted
increase the value of the Brazilian popular music, the duetto (Ambitious Lovers). But it is in the next
what would guide her next record, two years later, album, “Circuladô”, in 1991, that he advances far-
right from the title, repeating another of the duetto’s ther, thanks to the contribution from the cello player
compositions, “Valsa brasileira”. and arranger Jaques Morelenbaum. A highly musical
The recodrs that Maria Bethânia launched partnership that would last along the nineties, and
along the period were coherent to her trajectory and that had as one of its marks, in 1994, the album “Fina
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 257
estampa”, a sensitive plunge into the Hispano-Ameri- opening song draws his musical genealogy, quoting
can songbook. from Noel to Caymmi, from Jackson do Pandeiro to
One year earlier, together with Gilberto Gil, the supreme maestro Antonio Brasileiro. Jobim, by the
Caetano had celebrated, through “Tropicália 2”, the way, is his partner in the samba-exaltação “Piano na
25th anniversary of the movement that broke rela- Mangueira”. Another instant classic is “Cidade sub-
tions with a festival-minded MPB. mersa”, in which he quotes another classic, “Cidade
With that record the duetto began a reapprai- submersa”, by Paulinho da Viola. From then on, Chico
sal of the movement that, somehow, had gone as far alternates between music and literature.
as to reach the Power in the early 21st Century with The one that was the first idol among those
Gil accepting to be appointed Minister of Culture in who formated what came to be known as MPB,
Lula’s Administration. Their work and that of their soon got tired with the pomp around music and the
contemporaries, like Tom Zé and Mutantes also began system. And decided to learn and to make music on
to be recognized outside Brazil, and quoted as a refe- the back stages. In 1981, after sharing a record with
rence by rock artists like Kurt Cobain, Beck and David his master, Tom Jobim, Edu spent more than a decade
Byrne. In fact, thanks to Byrne, Tom Zé, practically devoting himself to writing tracks for theatre and
neglected in Brazil (even by Cetano and Gil), was the ballet that, bringing letter by Chico Buarque, would
first one whom this recognizance has been assigned originate some definitive works for MPB. In 1993, at
to. Byrne launched with his label Luaka Bob, in 1990, last, Edu would come back to the studios for a solo
the series “The best of…”, and two years later took record, “Corrupião”. Two years later, with “Meia
up the record “The hips of tradition”, launching it in noite”, he would review his work, including his ver-
a tour throughout the USA. Ever since Tom Zé has sion for two of the string of collars that the songs “O
come back to recording and frequent traveling, right Grande Circo Místico”, “Beatriz” and “Sobre todas as
in the most productive phase of his career, initiated in coisas”is.
the middle of the sixties. Along the period we have approached here,
Back to Gilberto Gil, he was Caetano’s most Djavan kept at high performance his ravishing recipe
assiduous partner – regarding ideas and trajectory, for melody, rhythm and harmony. Records like “Coisa
from Tropicália to the imprisonment by the Milita- de acender” (1992), “Novena” (1995) and “Malásia”
ry Dictatorship, from the exile in London to Doces (1996) testify to that.
Bárbaros. A quartette formed for a record, a tour and One thing Lulu Santos can not be charged
a film in the seventies, together with Bethânia and of: lack of boldness. Acclaimed along the generation
Gal –, but musically the decade of the eighties was of the Brazilian rock, in fact he had begun a decade
wasted by Gil in superficial flirtation with pop sonority earlier, when rock was still considered as bad langua-
–while he was beginning his parallel career as a poli- ge, and its practitioners were left to the underground.
tician, being elected as the best balloted alderman in In 1989, while rock was still living the illusion of being
Salvador. In the following decade he showed some ar- (as Lulu himself had sung, with some irony, a couple
tistic recovery, flirting with the new technologies, too, of years earlier) the rhythm of the moment, he produ-
synthetized, in 1992, in the record “Parabolicamará”, ced what still appears to be one of the best attempts
that in its title-song philosophizes about the world of symbiosis between pop and MPB: “Popsambalanço
interconnected by communication via the satellite: “In e outras levadas”. In the repertoire he has gone from
earlier times the world was small / because the Earth (Jorge) Ben’s influences to (Jorge) Mautner’s. The
was large / Today, the world is large / because the former implicitly in songs signed by Lulu, like “Brumá-
Earth is small / The size of the parabólicamará”. rio” and “Pop coração”; the latter in the rather bossa
Discographically Chico Buaarque steped on the novavish version for “Samba dos animais” (by Maun-
nineties in 1993 with “Paratodos”. The title and also ter and Nelson Jacobina). That record, however, was a
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 258
commercial failure, of which Lulu would recover only interesting records in the early nineties. Like “Marina
in 1993, through “Assim caminha a Humanidade”, in Lima”, in 1991, that introduced successes like “Eu
which he startes flirting with the sound coming from não sei dançar”(signed by Alvin L.), “Criança”, “Grá-
dance-tracks, discos and ballrooms. The credit whould vida” (this one in partnership with Arnaldo Antunes),
be shared with DJ Memê, responsible for.”Tim medd- and, two years later, “O chamado”.
ley” who brought Lulu back to radio. From then on, seduced by the DJs’ (mermaid?)
That invitation to dance with black, funk tones touch, she increased the dose of electronics and of
was supposedly present in most pop at the time. It dance beats in her music.
was one of the ingredients in Fernanda Abreu’s care- There are people who snub these mixtures,
er, alert to Rio 400, beyond the Zona Sul circuit. After alleging an arguable purity of the Brazilian pop song.
leaving Bliz, in 1986, she invested in a solo career, But the history of our culture has also been marked
establishing partnership with the writer and performer by such fusions. What does not prevent choro, sam-
Fausto Fawcett. Her first record “SLA Radical Dance ba, frevo and other rhythms to go on beating hard,
Disco Club”, in 1990, was an accurate portrait of mingled, or not, with the other genres. By the turning
contemporary Rio. A portrait improved, five years of the 20th Century Brazilian music, despite mistakes
later, in “Data lata”. and wrong bets, by the industry and the media, re-
Marina Lima, who had been one of the most mained as the strongest Brazilian cultural product.
important composers in the eighties, produced
sub-genres will be examined, not because other tion. Brazilian music went on enjoying some success
sound versants adapted in Brazil do not have their abroad, though its market does not have established
importance or do not exert any influence on the main itself with the same strength as was the case of
stream. But the criterion here is to draw the course other national or regional settings, like the Latin, the
(evolutionary, for many, which I shall call progressi- Cuban and the North-American, that have conque-
ve, because I refuse the thesis of a darwinistic war, red the success parades and achieved big selling.
where the statistically stronger wins) of the artistic In the international arena, Brazil held the prestige it
products that defines and re-defines the statute had been given, thanks to Bossa Nova, without the
of the Brazilian pop music, and distinguish it from same influential effect. The innovative exception was
parallel traditions. Composers, in this respect, cons- the work with electronic influence by the singer and
titute the driving force of musical activity, although composer Bebel Gilberto, from the 2000 album Tanto
interpreters – vocalist and instrumental – have played, Tempo, that, in fact inaugurated a tendency followed
as usual, their transforming role concerning genres the world over. There was also a proliferation of sty-
and styles. It is necessary to point out, before hand, les, genres and sonorities unseen or heard of before.
that the “evolution line” – as Augusto de Campos Both events allowed greater freedom of action and
defined it in “O fino da Bossa”, a work published in the creation, on the part of musicians, now freed from
1966 – or “progressive series”, as I begin to call it, as the ties of the univocal and homogenizing phonogra-
synonymous with main stream, has an identity, a sort phic industry that dominated the decades between
of DNA that links a series of composers, instrument 1950 and 1990 in the entire world, including Brazil.
players, interpreters and poets both in respect of The practice of the “jabaculê (propine in exchange for
localized movements in certain space of time and in the broadcasting of one’s production on radio and/or
the sphere of the production dichotomy. There exists on television) went on, but in a less ostensible way
a genuine but not exclusive or xenophobe core of than it used to be in earlier times. The proliferation
Brazilian music. This core is interlinked by unconscious of diffusion channels, like video and radio sites in the
or elective affinities, by influences or rejections. From Internet, gave birth to new frontiers for exchanges
this movement of endeavours towards the conso- among musicians, audiences and critics. The so called
lidation of a national product – Brazilian song and virtual world was never so decisive for the launching
compositions – derives the story that interests me to or the improvement of real artistic reputations.
tell at this advanced moment of the Century. A story With the falling down of record selling to
that had as receiving centre and first emitting centre around 50%, between the years 1999 and 2002, and
the city of Rio de Janeiro, with samba, march and the with the withdrawal of Brazilian rock from the stage
choro and regional groups, and that spread all over (responsible for expressive selling along the eighties,
the Country in different “islands” or regions more or and in the early nineties), the creative forces of Bra-
less interlinked, having as centres the cities of Recife, zilian popular music found themselves, for the first
Fortaleza and Salvador. time, left to their own fate. The solution was to adopt
Along the period analyzed here – 1997 to independent production and creative autonomy.
2007 –, globalization imposed itself in a concrete way. Many re-known musicians created their own labels
There was a change in the market of music, due to pi- and enterprises in the show business area to go ahead
racy and to the emergence of the distribution of digi- with consistent author-oriented projects. One of the
tal archives through the Internet, and the consequent most remarkable facts of the period was the founda-
adaptation of the musicians to the new conditions of tion, in March 2001, of the record company Trama,
music production and distribution. Enterprises in the in São Paulo, and of Biscoito, in 2002, in Rio de
business of promoting shows, and public and private Janeiro; Trama and Biscoito practically created distinct
institutions provided space for all kind of manifesta- production styles, free from the univocal exigencies
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 260
of the multinationals, providing opportunity for the – together with a number of manifestations from ma-
emergence of composers like Max de Castro, Daniel ture individual talents (rock an axé practitioners con-
Carlomagno, Fernanda Porto and Jair Oliveira (in the verted to sophisticated music) that the redefinition of
case of Trama), Yamandú Costa, Chico Pinheiro and the progressive series of the Brazilian popular music at
Caio Marcio, regarding Biscoito Fino. the turning of the Century occurred. We can not for-
The reorganization of the market corresponded get the musicians that were launched by Trama, in an
to an aesthetical and formal consolidation of Brazilian urban impulse of hyperactivity, or the Moreno Veloso
music concerning its main stream: a sort of union trio Domenico and Kassin, who brought innovation to
of the carioca samba – on its turn adapted from the the sphere of production format of the popular song.
samba-de-roda originated in the Recôncavo Baiano Bands Pedro Luís and Parede were also outstanding
– with São Paulo’s and Minas’ traditions and the along that decade, with a proposal for a re-reading of
music coming from the Northeastern back-country the street music and of social criticism. As a result of
and the coastal line in rare combinations with extra- these manifestations, there was a new combination
communitarian series, such as rock and pop. Artistic of sonorities, rhythms and artistic standards derived in
productivity saw itself compelled to become larger, a more heterogeneous mix than those created earlier
and this affected also the genres parallel to Brazilian with Tropicália and the patchwork quilt of the post-
popular music (viewed here as the dominant line of tropicalists, like Alceu Valença, Sérgio Sampaio and
the popular music produced in Brazil, derived from Walter Franco.
Bossa Nova, from the festival-oriented generation It would be better to define the new Brazilian
– historical MPB of the sixties – and from Tropicália, music as a plant full of objects of colours and forms
like hip-hop, dance-oriented electronics, rock, forró, sometimes comparable, some times contrasting, and
pagoda, axé music, pop, romantic and back-country even contradictory. A “trash-carrier”, a sonorous “bri-
music, funk-morro and the one coming from the colage” that never accomplishes a perfect synthesis
learned vanguard. or a fusion.
To draw a production series for a certain In this environment any evolution miasma is a
period of time is an arbitrary procedure. Even though, drop in the permanent ebullience where any element
a retrospective view can illuminate the ways went or touch of style emerges in a more or less chaotic way.
through up to now and collaborate in the understan-
ding of the courses to come. For this reason, we start
from the initial point of the decade envisaged, the MANGUE’S LINEAGE
year 1997. Five facts marked that year: the death, in
January, of the composer from Pernambuco, Chi-
co Science, at the age of 30, a reformer of musical Chico Science and his colleagues from Reci-
language with the Mangue-Bit; the affirmation of the fe launched, in 1991, the Mangue Bit Movement,
success of a generation of musicians that took much or Mangue Beat (depending on the moment or the
time to show their work, like Lenine, Chico César and humour of its components), whose aesthetical project
Zeca Baleiro; the beginning of what came to be called was to couple, without fusing, rural maractu, rap and
the renaissance of samba in carioca Lapa; and, finally, samba to post-punk rock, especially that of Brazilian
the resistance and the temporary withdrawal from the origin. Tropicalist ingredients also got into Science’s
stage of many representatives of MPB in the sixties. recipe, together with Nação Zumbi band and his
It was in virtue of the four forces – Mangue Bit, the friend Zero Quatro, a journalist that founded at the
emergence of individual, but interrelated talents co- same time, together with the percussionist Otto, the
ming from the Northeast, the restoration of the poetic band mundo livre s.a.
samba and the cultural vigor of the MPB of the sixties Well, the reforming tendency sew experi-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 261
menting seeds and prolonged itself by the turning be true, the instrumental improvisation. Such is the
of the Century, with the sequence of works by Zero case of the septet Mombojó from Pernambuco. The
Quatro,Otto and Lúcio Maia, who took over from group emerged in 2001 with a proposal for using
Science as the leader of Nação zumbi. Each one cared instruments such as cavaquinho (small guitar), flute,
to improve the coupling lessons from the Mangue Bit guitar, keyboard, bass and battery – to mix styles like
movement. Everyone established a bridge between rock, bosssa nova, lounge, jazz, classical and samba.
Recife and São Paulo, and began to exert influence In improvisations that lead to indetermination, the
on other groups, that began to get away, little by song form and the letter are left to the background,
little, from rock, to the advantage of a better sound or, better saying, they constitute, as an element, the
elaboration based on a creative use of folklore. melodic net. The innovations produced two indepen-
The most fundamentalist facet of the tendency dent albums: Nadadenovo (2004) and Homem-Espu-
can be listened to in the works of the quintet Cordel ma (2006). It was not by chance that the band made
do Fogo Encantado, that emerged in 2001, and in a career far from the big record companies, adopting
improvisator instrument players, like the instrument autonomy and the diffusion of music through the
player, singer and composer Siba, egress fom Mestre Internet as a profession of faith.
Ambrósio’ band. The Cordel do Fogo Encantado, Mangue Bit languages were re-elaborated and
leaving Arco Verde in the backland of Pernambuco, developed by the founders and the followers of the
settled down in São Paulo and launched three CDs movement – should this heterogeneous group with
that show the formal unquietness and the desire for different goals and aesthetics be given that name.
rehabilitation of the song and of the protest theatre The initial eclectic basis, however, remains as the
in the sixties. The verses by Lirinha, Cordel’s vocalist, coupling of Pernambuco’s folkloristic richness to the
are full of references to the Northeastern caatinga, to emerging fashions.
famine and to the cultural resistance of what he calls
“back-country man wearing tennis”.
If Cordel’s turbulent and rhythmic music relates MIGRANTS IN SÃO PAULO
to anti-civilization libels within the urban jungle, the
work of Siba, Mestre Ambrósio’s fiddler player, laun-
ched, in 2002, a CD that marks the epoch, entitled A rather different configuration from that
Fuloresta do Samba (independent, supported by the of Mangue Bit, more directed to song happened,
Government of Pernambuco). It is a kind of “Buena in parallel, in the Southeast. Around the middle of
Vista Social Club” of the agreste. On the record Siba the nineties, the affective memory of a generation
tried to revive the free-tumble maracatu, putting approaching the age of 30 emerged, also due to the
together earlier generations of the genre. fact that one could notice a slight decline in the pro-
The archaic substratum of rural culture remai- duction of illustrious MPB musicians, already in their
ned, along the ten years, as a legitimate source. In fifties. A more or less integrated group of musicians,
2007, the improviser and composer from Pernambuco, migrants to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, began
Maciel Salú reaffirmed the popular expression adapted to consolidate their careers establishing themselves
to pop with the CD Pisada é Assim (independent). Ex- precisely as heirs of MPB’s sonorities in the sixties and
member of the group Chão e Chinelo, Salú developed seventies. The quest was for a retaking of the “evo-
an aesthetics for recycling the traditional epic Nor- lution line” (assumed as a myth) and the recycling of
theastern way of singing, through arrangements that the models launched by Bossa Nova, by Tropicália and
included electro-acoustic and electronic instruments. by the protest songs. Being a younger generation,
Within ten years, the Mangue Bit’s lineage it was influenced by the vanguard from São Paulo
disseminated into several languages, touching, to in the seventies and eighties, and by pop and rock,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 262
but it received from the latter a productive influence, mundi (MZA-PolyGram). Despite the reference to the
transforming international music’s “stylems” into new success “Mama África”, he did not enjoy success with
imaginative languages, without losing the DNA of the any music that year. Next, he launched the following
national syncope, rhythm and poetry. Musicians like albums: Respeitem meus cabelos brancos (Abril Mu-
Chico César, Zeca Baleiro, Rita Ribeiro and Vanessa sic, 2002), Um barzinho e um violão (Universal Music,
da Mata were risen to the top of their creativity in 2002), Drop the debt (Paris, 2003) e De uns tempos
the span of a decade. They became the providers of para cá (Biscoito Fino, 2005).
unpublished compositions for the interpreters, parti- In the latter work he sought the fusion of po-
cularly for the ladies singers. pular and learned music, in a collection of songs that
The case of the Paraíba-born Chico César place him among the greatest talents by the turning
(1964-) was outstanding, owing to his accessible of the 20th Century. Chico César showed a talent for
musical style, derived especially from the tropicalists universality and synthesis: he spoke about revolt, love
Caetano Veloso and Gil, with touches of the São and politics, to the sound of Northeastern folkloric
Paulo’s vanguard.. Chico got involved, from 1985 rhythms metamorphosed by the pop and the erudite.
onwards, with São Paulo’s universitarian musical The aesthetics inaugurated by Chico was called neo-
scene, which was enjoying a rich ebullience, since tropicalist by the critics.
the emergence, by the late seventies, of groups like Artists that had provided a new impetus got
Premeditando o Breque, Rumo, Itamar Assumpção together around Chico César’s ideas, encouragement
& Isca de Polícia and Arrigo Barnabé, among others. and friendship. Maranhão-born Zeca Baleiro and Rita
Through his less experimental and more melodious Ribeiro, he a composer, she a singer, both born in
songs, Chico became one of the stars of what came 1966, introduced themselves in the wake of Chico’s
to be called “cult paulistano”, i.e., the post-vanguard success. Zeca Baleiro had his first record launched in
generation that used to meet around Vila Madalena, 1997. Bearing the title Por onde andará Stephen Fry?
the universitarian district par excellence. His success (Universal), the album introduced an original com-
was slow and tenacious. He began by performing in bination of Maranhão’s folklore and pop balad. His
cabarets and in alternative theatres, until his engage- second CD, Vou imbolá, from 1999, stressed pop mix,
ment to a big record company. His first album, Aos including electronic music. Used to Northeastern com-
Vivos, from 1995, was an independent production, posers of the seventies, like Fagner and Zé Ramalho,
recorded live at the FUNARTE’s Guiomar Novaes theatre. zeca Baleiro recorded and composed together with his
In 1996, he emerged successfully on the national idols. His album Líricas, in 2000, shows unquietness in
scene through his second CD, Cuscuz Clã, launched search of new poetic forms. Together with Raimundo
by MZA Music Universal. Singer Daniela Mercury Fagner, he recorded the CD Raimundo Fagner & Zeca
launched the song “À primeira vista”. Through Baleiro (Indie Records, 2003), bringing Northeastern
the voice of the composer himself, reggae “Mama pop retro to the surface. In 2005, he produced a han-
Áfica” reached the parades in 1997, raising Chico dful of ballads in the CD Baladas do asfalto & outros
César to the stardom. In 1997, he was launching his blues (Universal, 2005). In 2004 he created a label
third CD, Beleza Mano (MZA PolyGram). Strangely, for himself, Saravá Discos, for which he produced the
instead of his popular and accessible capacities, Chico posthumous album Cruel, by the Capixaba singer and
César sought a kind of artistic deepening, a kind of composer Sérgio Sampaio, and created the sound-tra-
profound thinking that took him away from success ck for Hilda Hilst’s poems in the experimental album
from record to record. At the same time, he showed Ode descontínua e remota para flauta e oboé - De
a surprising maturity as an artist. For three years he Ariana para Dionísio (Saravá, 2005). This fusion of
kept himself away from studio recordings. It was contradictories, cult and pop, is a distinctive charac-
only in 2000 that he launched his fourth CD Mama teristic that Zeca Baleiro shared with Chico César.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 263
With a repertoire based on those two composers and records like Um som (BMG, 1998), O corpo (Inde-
on authors from Maranhão, Rita Ribeiro launched, pendente, 2000), Paradeiro (BMG, 2001), Eu e meu
in 1997 her first CD, Rita Ribeiro (Velas). In 2006, guarda-chuva (Som Livre, 2002), Saiba (Rosa-Celes-
she was launching her fourth album, with a title well te-BMG, 2004) and Qualquer (Rosa-Celeste-Biscoito
in line with her generation: Tecnomacumba (Biscoito Fino 2006).
Fino), mixing Afro-Brazilian rhythms and electronic Arnaldo’s compositions are mobiles designed
music. to puzzle the genre-oriented audience. At a higher le-
In this migratory wave took part the singer vel of refinement, his music has surprised, and, along
and composer Vanessa da Mata. Born in Alto Garças the decade concerned here, did not meet with the
(Mato Grosso), in 1975, she migrated to São Paulo in success it deserved for its originality and the boldness
1992, soon becoming Chico César’s partner. In 2000, it contains. His creativity forces the limits of popular
in the CD Mama mundi, he launched the song “A music, resulting in a shady zone that is still waiting for
força que nunca seca”, as result of his partnership the followers. Aware of the radicalism of his work, Ar-
with Vanessa. Maria Bethânia recorded the song and naldo embarked, in 2002, on the project Os tribalistas
popularized nationally the name Vanessa. Her first CD (EMI, 20202), alongside carioca singer and composer
came out in 2000, by Sony Music, and bore her name Marisa Monte and the o composer and rhythmist
in the title. Among the songs from the record, “Não from Bahia, Carlinhos Brown. In his denial of any tie
me deixe só” enjoyed success and was adapted to with whatever aesthetics or tendency, tribalists met
dance-floors through remixes by DJs Ramilson Maia with national and international success through a
and Deep Lick. The success on the dance-floors led well-administered dose of Brazilian music.
her to London and made her change her style. From a
back-country singer, she ended up by recording elec-
tronic grooves, diluting her original talent on behalf ALTERNATIVES THE CARIOCA WAY
of market requirements. Her second and third albums
- Essa boneca tem manual (SonyBMG, 2004) and
Sim (SonyBMG, 2007) –are the consequence of that Rio de Janeiro has honoured the tradition of
dilution, that resulted, by the way, in great succes- capital of the Brazilian music, and has welcomed se-
ses. They are well succeeded consequences of Bebel veral movements that were happening simultaneously,
Gilberto’s work in –e-music. some of them with ramifications in São Paulo.
Away from samba and rock, and very close to
Chico César’s
YET SÃO PAULO group was the generation of composers active
in Rio de Janeiro, and that made a trajectory parallel
to that of the group from São Paulo. Singer and com-
With similar upbringing, but coming from Pau- poser Lenine (1959-), from Pernambuco, but settled
listana high middle class, composer Arnaldo Antunes, down in Rio de Janeiro, launched his first work, Baque
born in 1960, held firm to Brazilian music, expanding Solto, in 1982, in partnership with Lula Queiroga. In
his sound horizons, previously restricted to vanguard 1993, together with percussionist Marcos Suzano, he
rock, as a spiritual leader of Titãs’ band and as a launched the CD Olho de Peixe (Velas). The record
disciple of the concrete poets. His solo records drifted became a sonorous poetical model for the generation
towards poetical and musical experimentation. Nome, that exploded by the turning of the Century: evoca-
his first solo CD, from 1993, lined off a new horizon. tion of the Northeast, critical observation and open-
Little by little he began to centre his inspiration upon ness towards rhythmical experimentation. His first
the Brazilian rhythmic and poetical sources through solo CD was launched precisely in 1997, O dia em
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 264
que faremos contato (SonyBMG) Alvin (battery and percussion), the group researched
Lenine used to couple his Northeastern the speech and the sound coming from Rio de Janeiro
evocations to a nerd standard with electronic mixes streets. Their first work, Astronauta Tupy (Dubas-
and doses of samba. In 1999, his second album Na WEA, 1997) is a result of this investigation around the
pressão (SonyBMG) kedt the same standard. In Falan- new forces of urban popular culture. Mixing samba,
ge canibal, de 2002 he sought the roots of his personal maracatu and rap, Pedro Luís forged a peculiar genre
pop within a group of musicians that used to meet in and inspired musicians and composers to follow him.
Lapa, in the early nineties, among them Lula Queiro- The début record had the contribution from singer
ga and Paulino Moska. Lenine’s music imposed itself Ney Matogrosso (in the bands “Fazê o quê” and
especially in France. In 2004, he recorded twice in the “Miséria no Japão”) who became a godfather for the
theatre Cité de Paris with a repertoire made of songs group and ended up by taking part in the album (Som
full of nostalgic poetry. The CD AcústicoMTV (2006) Livre) and in the national tour with the show Vaga-
crowned his career, with characteristic arrangements bundo, a rare moment of integration of generations
and a parade of important songs launched along the of the Brazilian music and of the Country’s sociall and
last ten years. Unquiet artist, Lenine marked an epoch political situation. The Parede sound has its origin ba-
with his intelligent recycling of Alceu Valença’s and sically in percussion. And it has become the founder
Geraldo Azevedo’s post-tropicalist aesthetics. of Monobloco, one of the street groups that revita-
His partner, Paulinho Moska, born in Rio de lized desfiles de bloco (block parades) during Rio’s
Jsaneiro, in 1967, was also confirmed as a re-definer carnival with a repertoire that tried to transcend the
of the Brazilian popular music. Moska began as a dichotomy samba-march, that has always domina-
vocalist of the group Garganta Profunda, in the early ted over the event. The music and style practised by
eighties. In 1987, Moska found, together with frien- Pedro Luís does not know similar in Brazil. It is a rude
ds, the comic band Inimigos do Rei and made success sound at the service of the criticism sung and spoken.,
with the rock “Uma barata chmada Kafka”. In 1994, creating a kind of ethical-musical wall that aimed to
his solo CD Vontade (EMI, 2001) already brought an bar the Brazilian culture from barbarity.
impressive amount of modern and innovative songs. The carioca scenario constituted an alternative
The third and forth CDs, Através do espelho and air-bridge with São Paulo, centred upon two main
Contrasenso, launched in the same year of 1997, by districts: Lapa, in Rio de Janeiro, and Vila Madalena,
EMI, confirmed the musician’s maturity. Then came in São Paulo. Along the decade, the interchanges
Mobile (EMI, 1991), Eu falso da minha vida o que gave birth to joint creations and strengthened a free,
eu quiser (EMI, 2001) and Tudo novo de novo (EMI, autonomous and eclectic style of making music. As a
2003. Moska’s eclectism is different from Lenin’s and result, the work of composers and interpreters of gre-
Chico César’s ones. Based on the suburban sound, at talent de-territorialized and alert, as far as sources
it has his roots in the soul music. Moska’s greatest are concerned, to the world tides has risen.
achievement was to put together so distinct versants
in a work of original song and full of moments of
melodic and poetical transcendence. The rhythmic LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: BEBEL, TRAMA
plan, so important for the creation, is of secondary AND PROJECT + 2
importance in Moska’s work.
Rhythm is the dominant element of the inven-
tions of the quintet Pedro Luís and Parede. Created in The offspring of MPB’s great names have
1996 by Pedro Luís (voice and guitar), Mário Moura contributed decisively to the creation of the taste and
(bass), Carlos Alexandre Ferrari (battery and percus- of the market for popular music, particularly from
sion), Sidon Silva (battery and percussion) and Celso the year 2000 on. They do not form a closed group
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 265
or movement; on the contrary, they dialogue with Mello and Jarzinho Oliveira (Trama, 2000), and with
tendencies already mentioned here. production by João Marcelo. Along the next seven
Born in 1966, Bebel Gilberto, daughter of the years, each one followed his/her solo career, the
singers João Gilberto and Miúch, soon was exposed majority inside Trama itsel. Luciana and Pedro went
to the stages and recordings. She made her début at on in their trajectories as interpreters, soon moving to
11 in the show Saltimbancos; she sung together with bigger record companies.
her father at 17, and at 19 she was recording her LP The so called “Trama sound” is a combination
containing sambas by Geraldo Pereira, together with of contemporary arrangement with mix and electro-
samba players Pedrinho Rodrigues (Geraldo Pereira. nic edition, besides songs based on the tradition of
Pedrinho Rodrigues and Bebel Gilberto, Funarte, Brazilian black music, on its turn tributary to North-
1983). In 1986, she launched an EP with ballads American rhythm’n’blues. It does not come into being
written in partnership with Cazuza. It was only in a language, but it is a modus operandi for producing
2000, when she was already in New York, that Bebel albums that link those musicians to others that joined
threw herself onto an adventure that would transform the team, like Roberta Porto, a Paulista singer and
her into an important conducting wire of the Brazilian composer with erudite upbringing tackling electro-
popular music of the 21st Century. Guided by the Ser- acoustic arrangements. Much of this “style” is owed
bian producer and composer Siba (1961-1999), Bebel to João Marcello Bôscoli as a producer and arranger –.
recorded, in São Paulo, in a studio in Vila Madalena, To the detriment of his own creative career that had
the CD Tanto Tempo (Ziriguiboom), 2000). In that to be kept in the background, due to the growing res-
work Bebel readjusted Bossa Nova, a style launched ponsibilities towards Trama. He became the architect
by her father, to the taste and standards of the elec- of the “Trama sound”. Regarding the musical con-
tronic dance music. Bebel’s super bossa contributed to tent, almost every musician departed from the same
a new tide of success of Bossa Nova’s old classics, en- upspring with similar tastes: Jorge Ben’s sambalanço,
couraging the interpreter to devote herself more and Wilson Simonal and pop music.
more to composing. She took upon herself production Max de Castro went the way of bricolage and
and composed more frequently for her next albums: the invention of languages since his first record Sam-
Bebel Gilberto (Ziriguiboom-Crammed-Universal, ba raro (Trama, 2000). He would radicalize creativity
2004) and Momento (Ziriguiboom-Crammed-Univer- in his next record, also launched by Trama, Orquestra
sal, 2007). The latter synthesizes a trilogy of electronic Klaxon (2002) and Max de Castro (2005). In both he
bossa. In Bebel’s wake other singers explored lounge- takes on production and arrangements. His poetry
bossa, or e-bossa, like Kátia and Cibele. A style was has an ear for vanguard and the other for soul music,
born from João Gilberto’s daughter. having samba as the mediatrix of the other two genres.
One can affirm that another style was born With enigmatic letters and ambitious, and, sometimes,
from the offspring of three other MPB vocals of the complex songs, Max has transformed himself into a
sixties: Elis Regina, Wilson Simonal and Jair Rodrigues. creative force in the new-born Century.
Battery player and producer João Marcello Bôscoli and In an introspective way, Jair Oliveira explored
singer Pedro Mariano (1968-), Elis’sons; composers soul-samba in his four CDs, recorded by Trauma:
Max de Castro (1972-) and Wilson Simoninha, Wilson Dis’Ritmia (2000), Outro (2002), 3.1 (2003) and 3.2
Simonal’s sons, and Luciana Mello Jair Oliveira (1975- (2004). The letters are simple and intimate, and the
), Jair Rodrigues’ daughter got together, in 2000 to melodic inventiveness is moderate. It has become a
found the record company Trama, in São Paulo. The source of songs for singers of the new generation.
first product of the association was the Project CD He is the author of songs like “Amor e Saudade”, in
artistas reunidos-100% Show, with Wilson Simoni- partnership with Ed Motta (he also associated with
nha, Pedro Mariano, Daniel Carlomagno, Luciana Trama) and “Papo de psicólogo”.
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 266
Singer and composer Ed Motta (1971) was a electronic music. In each album prevailed the author-
kind of patron saint and model for the group Trama. ship of one of them, revealing not only the sufficiently
He would launch through that record company, in known richness of local music, but also the many possi-
2003, the CD Poptical, an adventure in the universe bilities of combination of three elements – each brin-
of jazzistic expressions. Rather, he invented true con- ging its contribution, playing not only his instrument,
cept records that served as inspiration for Jair Oliveira but combining others in a kind of pop polyphony.
and Max de Castro. They are the following, launched
by Universal:.Manual prático para festas, bailes e afins
(1997), Remixes e aperitivos (1998), As segundas in- LAPA REBORN
tenções do manual prático (2000), and the extraordi-
nary Dwitza (2002), object-record for instrument that
marked the beginning of the 21st Century, owing to The vagrant’s district of Lapa, in Rio de
the boldness of the arrangements. Ed Motta consoli- Janeiro, saw its renaissance as from the year 1966,
dated, alone, a language for record production. with the reopening of bars and cabarets that star-
Even without fixing his own language, Trama ted to offer samba and choro shows. Until then, it
constituted a strong influence on the new bands had become and remained a derelict area, with slum
that are launched through the site of the company.If dwells, brothels, and some commerce. In a decade,
there was ever any structural innovation in Brazilian from 1996 to 2007, the district became regenerate,
pop music, it has happened in the final production the public sought its bars, such as Arco da Velha, Coi-
phase, involving sound capture, cutting and mixing. A sa da Antiga and Semente. At the beginning Lapa’s
certain author de-personalization regarding arrange- renaissance was a spontaneous movement, resulting
ments has happened in works like those of Trama. in musical meetings, in one of two bars, gathering
A third tendency in the re-refining music’s traditional names of the popular music, like Nelson
final product happened in year 2000, with the son Sargento, Roberto Silva, Wilson Moreira and Cristina
of composer Caetano Veloso, Moreno Veloso, singer Buarque. besides some novices, like singers Marcos
and multi-instrument player, active since the nineties Sacramento and Teresa Cristina. A big ecumenic
on the alternative scene. He and his two partners, the meeting of generations took place to celebrate what
percussionist Domenico Lancelotti, from the group Carioca music had more precious: samba, choro and
Mulheres Q Dizem Sim, plus the bass player Kassin, relaxation. In 2007 there were almost 30 cabarets
from the band Acabou La Tequila, got together for functioning, and they were all full houses, with plenty
the +2. The idea was to alternate the trio format, of Brazilian music.
everyone having the opportunity of showing his But the most interesting consequence of
work, with the support from the others. From the the proliferation of bars and cabarets was the one
project derived the Moreno +2’s records Máquina regarding the renaissance of the art. And one of the
de escrever música (Rock It, 2000), centred upon performers responsible for it was singer and compo-
Moreno’s voice and guitar, and on the use of synthe- se Teresa Cristina (1968-). She began to appear in
tizers; then came on Domenico+2, with Sincerely hot the Semente singing a repertoire from Portela’s Old
(2003), a combination of electronic experimentation Guard, her school. Little by little, samba composer
and quotations from MPB; and Kassin+2 with Futu- began to compose especially for the occasion, and
rismo (2006). +Projetc is one of the greatest demons- also to recollect old backyard sambas. Teresa Cristina
trations of inventiveness on the Brazilian sound scene and the Grupo Semente recorded the double album A
in the first decade of the year 2000. The trio poposed música de Paulinho da Viola (Deck Disc, 2002) with
an oniric coupling of several tendencies, from samba, repertoire from the Portela’s composer – who, by the
bossa nova and tropicalism to vanguard rock and way, kept himself away from recoding activities be-
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 267
tween 1997 and 2007. Soon Teresa would standout for he persevered with Universal and its predecessors
as an important singer for theretrieval of samba. as from the sixties.
Lapa’s renaissance can be called an archaeolo- In 2004, Djavan created his own record
gical and fundamentalist movement aiming to restore company, Luanda Records, and launched three author
old musical standards. But it is also an affirmation of albums that provide continuity to his talent as an
the Brazilian popular music’s vitality. The comeback of improviser of verses and songs: Vaidade (2004), Na
samba and choro represents the comeback of someo- pista (2005) and Matizes (2007) The 2005 record is
ne who never left. In fact, pagode and choro groups a collection of mixes to be played on dance-floors. An
have always been active, though not in fashion. impetus for searching the new in the past has domina-
Lapa’s renaissance brought life into the groups and ted Ivan Lins’ productive activity. In 1997 he launched,
brought to the core of creation musicians that had through Velas, the double album . Tributo a Noel Rosa
been scattered, like the pagode stars Almir Guineto, (1997), where he interpreted, with new harmonization
Zeca Pagodinho and Arlindo Cruz, among others. A the sambas by the Poeta da Vila. Two remarkable re-
new thrust towards instrumental improvisation also cords from that moment were Jobiniando (Abril Music,
took place. It is not useless to turn the ears towar- 2001), where he bends himself over his inspiring mas-
ds tradition to recreate the new. As occurred to the ter, Tom Jobim, and Acariocando (EMI, 2006), with his
musicians that now sing and play in old Lapa to the bundle of songs created to look simple.
delight of all the youths. Gilberto Gil launched 16 records in ten years,
and the fact that he was once in office as Minister for
Culture, in 2003, did not make him stay away from
THE “POPES” HOLD ON the stage and the recording activity. In Quanta (WEA,
1977) he made the apology of the new technological
times praising the Internet and other novelties. His
It is not the aim of this panorama to examine 2006 album, Gil luminoso, launched by Biscoito Fino,
the production of musicians that began their career makes a comeback to his creations, now sung and
under the aegis of MPB, in the seventies and eighties. played with voice and guitar.
Hoewer, it is necessary to point out that musicians like Milton Nascimento kept the usual quality. In
Caetano Veloso, Djavan, Ivan Lins, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento (Warner, 1997) he introduces new songs,
Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Guinga and Tom Zé as well as in the show and album Tambores de Minas
persisted and went along with the creative movement ao vivo (1998), calling the attention to the kinship be-
of the new generations. Caetano Veloso, especially, tween his music and Minas’ Barroque. In Gil e Milton
with the show and CD Cê (Universal, 2006) demons- (WEA, 2000), he launched together with Gilberto Gil,
trated a great ability for renewal, joining a band the success “Sebastião”, an homage to Saint Sebas-
made up of twenty-year old young people to create tian, Rio de Janeiro’s patron saint.
a repertoire of Brazilian rock with quality. In 1997 he In the album Crooner (WEA, 1999) he went
had launched Livro, album that reflected upon Brazil’s back to the times when he used to sing at ball-rooms.
socio-cultural conditions and on his own career. In Chico Buarque has devoted himself to litera-
Noites do Norte (Universal, 2000), he followed on his ture and has launched sparse records: in 1998, As
meditation on Brazil. In 2000, Caetano launched a CD cidades (BMG, and in 2006, Carioca (Biscoito Fino,
with interpretations of North-American songs, called 2006). Even so, he has showed all his importance and
A foreign sound. In 2007 the Cê show reached the strength to allure audiences to his shows.
record and confirmed the success of his rejuvenation. Despite having made his appearance in the
Curiously, Caetano revealed himself the great Brazi- late seventies, guitar player and composer Guinga
lian musician more faithful to big record companies, solidified his work by the turning of the Century. His
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 268
records along the period were wrinkled with experi- FROM NOW ON...
mentations and the renewal of the harmonic langua-
ges of choro and samba. The instrumental trilogy
formed by Suíte Leopoldina (1999), Cine Baronesa There is a possible, though simplifying
(2001) and Noturno Copacabana (2003), launched by definition for what took place by the turning of the
Velas, brought to the surface thirty years of compo- Century: Brazilian established itself upon internatio-
sitions. In Casa de Villa (Biscoito Fino, 2007), Guin- nal influences and showed that it constitutes one of
ga applied his revolutionary grammar to his voice, the driving forces of the world music. Not even the
interpreting semi-classical compositions of his own. invasion of rock and pop was capable of eclipsing the
Nobody went as far as Guinga in the transformation many national tendencies, a great deal of them not
of Brazilian typical musical forms. even mentioned in this essay.
Tom Zé re-invented himself and kept the song On the contrary, Brazilian musicians have
in check in works like defeito de fabricação (Luaka achieved the deed of devouring pop and rock, assi-
Bop, 1998), Jogos de armar (Trama, Faça você milating them to the progressive series of Brazilian
mesmo), Estudando o Pagode-Segregamulher e Amor popular music and to their struggle for affirmation.
(2005) and Danç-Êh-Sá - Pós-Canção/Dança dos MPB killed rock. God save the Brazilian rock! It did
Herdeiros do Sacrifício/7 Caymianas para o Fim da the same to pop, and engendered Brazilian pop. Des-
Canção (Tratore, 2006). Tom Zé knew how to bring pite not having conquered a market comparable to
himself up-to-date and to transform himself into an that of the American and Latin music, Brazilian music
idol of the new generations of DJs and sonorous bri- had conjugated by the turning of the Millennium, the
coleurs. After all, if there is a musician of the past that pre-requisites for exerting its supremacy.
is more in fashion than ever, this musician is Tom Zé. With works that marked an epoch, Brazilian
He launched the bases of fragmentation and of the musicians have overcome the impasse of technology,
random combinatory of electronic music. economy and imagination; they have overcome the
The majority of the MPB’s “papas” did not value crisis and the fall of the ideologies. They gave
intimidate with the arrival of the new generation. On managed to keep intact the spirit that has moved
the contrary, there has been a creative stimulus that them. More than ever, through its entanglements and
has afforded the longevity of the careers, long establi- super-positions of tendencies, lineages, styles and
shed on the world scene. genres, Brazilian popular music has rendered itself
vigorous, inventive and surprising.
Agradecimentos
A Partir de 2002
FAPERJ (Fundação Carlos Chagas de auxílio à pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro)
MinC – MINISTÉRIO DA CULTURA
A partir de 2003/2004
UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTA CATARINA
EL PASO
INSIGHT ENGENHARIA DE COMUNICAÇÃO – Através da REVISTA CARIOQUICE
MINISTÉRIO DAS RELAÇÕES EXTERIORES – Departamento Cultural
A partir de 2005/2007
UNIRIO – Universidade
CENTRO CULTURAL DA JUSTIÇA FEDERAL
SESC – RIO
BISCOITO FINO DISCOS
INSTITUTO ANTÔNIO HOUAISS
DOMINGOS BRAUNE
ASSOCIAÇÃO DE PREFEITOS DOS MUNICÍPIOS DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO
PREFEITURA MUNICIPAL DE PIRAÍ
FUNDAÇÃO ALEXANDRE DE GUSMÃO
A partir de 2008/2009
IMPRINTA EXPRESS
FINEP – Financiadora Especial de Projetos
SECRETARIA DE ESTADO DE EDUCAÇÃO DO RIO DE JANEIRO
BNDES
PREFEITURA MUNICIPAL DE MARICÁ
UFRJ – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
UERJ – Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
SGAE – Sociedad General de Autores de España (Madri)
SOCINPRO – Sociedade Brasileira de Administração e Proteção dos Direitos Intelectuais
INSTITUTO MARTINHO DA VILA
O SOM DA MPB
NESSES 40 ANOS
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 277
CD 1
Dos anos 60 a 70
Paulinho da Viola, Foi um rio que passou em minha vida, (faixa 02),
1970, aqui está na gravação original feita por seu autor. Martinho é aqui
representado por Samba da Cabrocha Bamba, (faixa 06), uma rarida-
de quase desconhecida, na voz da reluzente Elizeth Cardoso.
Os anos 70, como de resto, todos os demais, realçam aquilo que costumo
chamar de “filho únicos”, ou seja, sucessos musicais individualizados,
mas tão fortes que só aparecem uma única vez na vida do compositor,
como Você abusou (faixa 04), 1971, da dupla Antonio Carlos e Jocafi,
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 279
CD 2
Já ouvi alguém dizer que a MPB acabou a partir dos anos 80. Exagero,
trevas, burrice ou pouca informação?
De uma certa maneira, tudo isso. Mas também não posso deixar de lem-
brar que – especialmente nos últimos quinze anos – a gloriosa história
de um século de MPB pode contar em raros dedos das mãos as músicas
definitivas que recheiam as demais décadas. Ou será que fomos nós, di-
nossauros com mais (ou muito mais) de quarenta anos que envelhecemos
de modo irreversível?
Nem tanto a Deus, nem tanto ao diabo. Porque este disco que você tem
em mãos realça, testemunho que tudo isso é verdade, somado ainda à
vertigem da era do computador e da internet, que torna tudo – e também
as músicas - muito descartável e fugaz. Aí estão os modismos dos rocks,
pagodes e outras musiquinhas que entram por um ouvido e saem pelo
outro, durando menos que uma flor. Existe, porém, um consolo – e reco-
nheço, um belo consolo : o fato de quase todos os artistas que vêm dos
anos 60 e 70 estarem em franca produção, lépidos, fagueiros e criativos
como sempre. Por isso fugi dos riscos de rastrear os sucessos ano a ano
MPB | A ALMA DO BRASIL 282
por dois motivos: para poder concentrar neste disco músicas de qualidade
mais amável que se acumulam em alguns anos-chave, como o de 1980. E,
é claro, para não ter o dissabor de incluir muitas musiquinhas que fizeram
sucesso, sim, mas que foram levadas pelo vento e logo descartadas.
Os anos 80 abrem-se com dois dos maiores dentre todos os êxitos do ano
que dá a década por iniciada: Começar de Novo (faixa 01), de Gonzagui-
nha, na voz firme de Simane e Dona Ivone Lara em Sonho meu, (faixa
04), 1980, de autoria dela e Délcio Carvalho, com a participação especial
da radiosa Clementina de Jesus. Ainda de 1980 é outro hino um tanto por,
o delicioso Sol da Primavera (faixa 05) de e com seu autor, Beto Guedes.
O comecinho dos anos 80 registra também a consolidação de um bamba
suingante do morro do Estácio. Luis Melodia, aqui com a celebração de
seu berço, Estácio Holly Estácio (faixa 02). Já o ano de 1982 abriga dois
êxitos que fizeram o Brasil inteiro cantar. O primeiro registra a chegada
do niteroiense Dalto com Muito estranho (faixa 06), 1982, na gravação
de seu próprio autor e o segundo consolida de uma vez por todas a anistia
pessoal ampla, geral e irrestrita que um torturado Gonzaguinha se permi-
tiu conceder, o sempre comovente grito pela vida que é O que é, o que é
(faixa 07), 1982, na voz do seu próprio autor.
raiz, Amanhã (faixa 09), 1983, de João Sergio, na voz de Quinho, então
puxador da Gres. União da Ilha.
CD 1
1. ANDANÇA (68) | Beth e Golden Boys
Danilo Caymmi / E. Souto / Paulinho Tapajos (Flecha de Prata / Addaf)
Dos anos 80 a 2000
CD 2
1. COMEÇAR DE NOVO (79) | Simone
Ivan Lins / Vitor Martins (OiLua - Copyrights / Miramar)
ISBN
978-85-98706-09-2
ORGANIZAÇÃO E PREFÁCIO
Ricardo Cravo Albin
TEXTOS
Antônio Carlos Miguel
Artur Xexéo
João Máximo
Luiz Antônio Giron
Ricardo Cravo Albin
FOTOS | CANTORES
Mário Luiz Thompson
Cantores páginas 88, 90, 98, 99, 106, 110 a 112, 120,
125, 128, 130 (Gal Costa), 131, 132, 139, 142, 150,
154, 155, 159, 162 a 165, 167 a 170, 172, 174 a 176,
185, 187 a 189, 192, 194, 195, 197, 200, 202 e 205)
FOTOS | INSTRUMENTOS
www.sxc.hu
CDS
PRODUÇÃO GERAL
Ricardo Cravo Albin
MONTAGEM, PESQUISA E PRODUÇÃO
Carlos Savalla
APOIO TÉCNICO
Conceição Cova
REVISÃO
Profa. Eneida Gomes Barreto
TRADUÇÃO
Fundação Alexandre de Gusmão - MRE
IMPRESSÃO
Imprinta Express
SITES DO INSTITUTO
www.dicionariompb.com.br
www.iccacultural.com.br
www.carioquice.com.br