Dança dos quatro ventos

Description

Zé do Norte is supposed to have created the “Mulher rendeira” theme, one of the most popular ones of the Brazilian singing repertoire. It consists of two rhythmic patterns typical of the North-East of Brazil, namely the baião and the galope. The theme appears here in two movements. The first one (lento, ad libitum), after a brief introduction, is lyrical and contemplative whereas in the second virtuoso one (presto), this theme underlies the different variations. “Pixula”, one of the ten chôros for guitar, is an excerpt of the “O chôro de Juliana” album. The combination of the traditional chôro and jazz makes it very special. “Pixula” is a two-part chôro; the percussion instruments appear one after the other in order to emphasize each of their respective function. “Planaltina” is a small town in the central plateau of Brazil and the pagode is a meeting during which people sing and dance, mainly samba variants. “Num pagode em Planaltina” is a tribute to the genius of the singer and composer João Bosco, which accounts for stylistic similitudes. “Pixaim” is a frevo written in the tradition of the frevos to be heard during the carnival celebrations at Olinda and Recife. During carnival, the frevo is being danced most energetically in the streets. The difficulty of “Pixaim” resides in maintaining the balance between the frevo as it appears in arpeggios and chords, and the repeated notes of the guitar basses. “Nostálgica” is the second one of a cycle of five waltzes for guitar. They exemplify Brazilian popular guitar music, including João Pernambuco, Garoto, Dilermando Reis, Canhoto da Parahiba and Baden Powell. The harmony and melody of Guinga’s music, especially in the chôro-canção “Chôro pro Zé”, are unexpected. Elements of a blues–like style enhance the atmosphere brought about by chôro music. Both genres, incidentally sharing similar social originis, almost amalgamate. The “Samambaia” samba-chôro gave its name to a record by the pianist and composer Cesar Camargo Mariano. In this record and his arrangements, he shows special care of every detail, whether melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic. This musician and arranger has influenced a whole generation of musicians. This search of rich details explains the use of two guitars on this particular record. Edmar Fenicio’s “Chôro meláncolico”, which is little known and often forgotten by guitarists, appears in this album in its original version. It epitomizes a relatively productive period, very bold in its harmony and melody. This boldness has not only renovated the basic principles of popular Brazilian music, but has mainly paved the way for the now world-known bossa nova. The “Bate-coxa” title refers to the way legs move when forró is being danced. This dance for couples is the most popular one of the North-East of Brazil. On the introduction, the guitar sounds like an accordion opening up and closing, bringing about an almost uninterrupted breathing. This Loro by Egberto Gismonti was originally written for the piano in E flat major. It has been arranged for the guitar in E major. Marco Pereira’s version differs from the original one is so far as it rhythmically drifts away from baião towards maracatu. Pixinguinha is definitely the most important representative of Brazilian chôro. This carioca flutist (who later went on to play the saxophone) has reunited chôro and traditional jazz in a very original way, as evidenced in Pereira’s guitar arrangement of his “Lamentos” chôro. The “Babel samba” is an oda to Rio de Janeiro and to its famous “samba schools” (Mangueira, Vila Izabel, Portela, Salgueiro a.o.) With his technical buoyancy and nearly percussion – like style, Baden Powell has revolutionized the aesthetics of Brazilian guitar playing. “Plainte” is a lamento, a silent moaning evoking the nostalgia of a past magical moment that will never reoccur.

In this record and his arrangements, he shows special care of every detail, whether melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic. This musician and arranger has influenced a whole generation of musicians. This search of rich details explains the use of two guitars on this particular record. Edmar Fenicio’s “Chôro meláncolico”, which is little known and often forgotten by guitarists, appears in this album in its original version. It epitomizes a relatively productive period, very bold in its harmony and melody. This boldness has not only renovated the basic principles of popular Brazilian music, but has mainly paved the way for the now world-known bossa nova. The “Bate-coxa” title refers to the way legs move when forró is being danced. This dance for couples is the most popular one of the North-East of Brazil. On the introduction, the guitar sounds like an accordion opening up and closing, bringing about an almost uninterrupted breathing. This Loro by Egberto Gismonti was originally written for the piano in E flat major. It has been arranged for the guitar in E major. Marco Pereira’s version differs from the original one is so far as it rhythmically drifts away from baião towards maracatu. Pixinguinha is definitely the most important representative of Brazilian chôro. This carioca flutist (who later went on to play the saxophone) has reunited chôro and traditional jazz in a very original way, as evidenced in Pereira’s guitar arrangement of his “Lamentos” chôro. The “Babel samba” is an oda to Rio de Janeiro and to its famous “samba schools” (Mangueira, Vila Izabel, Portela, Salgueiro a.o.) With his technical buoyancy and nearly percussion – like style, Baden Powell has revolutionized the aesthetics of Brazilian guitar playing. “Plainte” is a lamento, a silent moaning evoking the nostalgia of a past magical moment that will never reoccur.