Wilson Simonal

Artist: Wilson Simonal

LP: Alegria, Alegria - Vol. 3
Song: "Mustang Color Sangre"

[ listen ]

Song: "Muchacha"
[ listen ]

I carted off an exciting haul of vinyl from Beats and Bohos last week on my way home from breakfast in Edmonds with my old college chum, John, and his wife and their cute young daughter. Included in my bounty was this 1969 LP from Brazilian artist Wilson Simonal. According to Wikipedia, Simonal, who has been dead for nearly twenty years, was mostly unknown outside of South America. I can't speak for the rest of my continent, but this week he's certainly been a hot item on the playlist at a particular one-bedroom apartment in Seattle!

[ Wilson Simonal: February 23, 1938 — June 25, 2000 ]

Roberto Leal

Artist: Roberto Leal

LP: Roberto Leal

Song: "Viagem a Lisboa"

[ listen ]

I don't have time to say much about Roberto Leal except wow! (those jeans), holy cow! (that hair), and cool! (those glasses). And I really don't have time to mention that Roberto was named the most popular Portuguese person that people could think of in a recent Rio de Janeiro poll—he came in way ahead of Pedro Álvares Cabral and Luís de Camões—or to point out that Leal kinda' resembles what you'd end up with if you melted the entire cast of the "Land of the Lost" TV show into a single being. Photos from the back of Roberto Leal's 1976 self-titled LP are included below; you can read about him on Wikipedia here and go here to poke around his website.

 [ Roberto Leal, now-ish ]

Carlos Gonzaga

Artist: Carlos Gonzaga

LP: Carlos Gonzaga Canta

Song: "Bat Masterson"

[ listen ]

A friend was in town from L.A. this past weekend, and I discovered he'd never been to the old industrial Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown! I decided to take him to the Georgetown Liquor Co. for dinner, but somehow we ended up smack dab in the middle of Georgetown Records on the way. I tried not to buy anything, but found myself leaving with this Carlos Gonzaga LP from the '60s (uh, after paying for it, I mean). I'm sure it was the lure of the blue sock—and Gonzaga's rendition of "Deep In the Heart of Texas" is certainly also partly to blame. Carlos Gonzaga is a popular singer from Brazil, so his songs are performed in Portuguese, though this LP was apparently released by RCA in neighboring Venezuela. The jaunty "Bat Masterson" is the theme song from the popular (or maybe not popular, I don't know) TV show of the same name that ran from 1958-1961 and was based on the life of one of Wyatt Earp's Dodge City buddies. Masterson somehow lived to the ripe old age of 67 in the rough-and-tumble Old West, though usually only defending himself with a sharp wit and sturdy walking stick instead of employing the use of firearms like everyone else. You can read about Bat and find some neat pictures of him here, listen to the original theme song from the closing credits of the "Bat Masterson" TV show here, listen to Gonzaga's version of the song again while watching a slide show of a bunch of his old LP covers here, and read some Portuguese-language info about the dapper-looking gent on Wikipedia here.

[ Bat Masterson: November 26, 1853 — October 25, 1921 ]

Zaccarias and His Orchestra

Artist: Zaccarias and His Orchestra

LP: Dance the Bossa Nova

Song: "Mumúrio"

[ listen ]

The owner of one of the best used record stores in Seattle often pulls things aside for me that he thinks I might want to add to my collection. This terrific 1962 bossa nova record by the swarthy and debonaire Brazilian bandleader Zaccarias, along with his orchestra, is one of the records he had waiting for me when I stopped by the store this past Saturday. You can read about the life and career of Aristides Zaccarias and listen to another one of his songs here. If I ever make a movie, Zack's "Mumúrio" will be playing over the opening credits, no matter if it's a screwball comedy, a horror film, or a documentary about Russian prison camps.

 [ Zaccarias without His Orchestra, 1946 ]

Bateria Nota 10 de Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel

Artist: Bateria Nota 10 de Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel

LP: Bateria Nota 10 de Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel

Song: "Afina A Cintura"

[ listen ]

Have you ever wondered what a Brazilian samba school's marching band would have sounded like back in 1975? This track from a record full of songs by Bateria Nota 10 at the Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel in Rio de Janeiro (info here) might give you some idea. Here's the school flag:

The percussive music of the school's bateria sounds distinctly Brazilian, yet for some reason it makes me feel like taking belly dance lessons.

Osvaldinho da Cuíca e Grupo Vai-Vai

 Artist: Osvaldinho da Cuíca e Grupo Vai-Vai

LP: Vamos Sambar

Song: "Tá Assim de Mulher e Tá Chegando Mais"

[ listen ]

Song: "Cozinha"

[ listen ]

Born in 1940, Osvaldinho da Cuíca is one of the most popular names in samba in his native city of São Paulo. Unfortunately, this gifted singer and percussionist's name turns into "Osvaldinho the Opossum" when translated to English. Osvaldinho da Cuíca is still making wonderful music, as one can see in the video clip below, and the liner notes (in Portuguese) and a pretty sexy photo from the back of this 1975 LP are included below that.

Osvaldinho da Cuíca on YouTube:

[ "Esquentando a Frigideira" ]

Juarez e seu Conjunto

Artist: Juarez e seu Conjunto

LP: Bossa Nova Nos "States"

Song: "Direi Depois"

[ listen ]

Here's a neat 1962 bossa nova record from Juarez e seu Conjunto, led by saxophone player Juarez Assis de Araújo. I picked this one up here in Seattle sometime last year, but according to the stains on the cover, this exact same copy was previously featured on the Loronix blog based in Rio de Janeiro! The stamp on the back of the record seems to indicate that the copy was once owned by a Toni Julius Berger at Rio de Janeiro's Discos Hi-Fi on Av. Copacabana:

The extensive liner notes (in Portuguese) from the back of the LP are included below, and you can read a little about Juarez Araújo here and here.

 

  

[ Juarez Assis de Araújo: October 7, 1930 — October 5, 2003 ]

Lulu Santos

Artist: Lulu Santos

LP: O Ritmo Do Momento

Song: "O Ritmo Do Momento"
[ listen ]

Did you ever wonder what it would sound like if Rick Springfield had been born in Rio de Janeiro and sang in Portuguese? (At least I think Lulu's singing in Portuguese, though it kinda' sounds like Spanish. Will someone please verify?) You can read about Lulu Santos here and visit his Portuguese-language website here (to turn off sound, click the top button on the pink radio down in the corner). My Portuguese is a little rusty, but I'm a bit disappointed that it doesn't seem like his website contains any anecdotes about the grade school traumas suffered by a pretty-faced pre-teen laddie named Lulu—who later exacted revenge on his tormentors by becoming a rock star heartthrob with brazillions of screaming fans.

Miquel Brown

Artist: Miquel Brown

LP: Symphony of Love

Song: "The Day That They Got Disco In Brazil"
[ listen ]

This song makes me want to hear what it sounded like the day that they got disco in Poland, in Fiji, in Angola and in lots of other places. You can read about popular gay icon Miquel Brown on Wikipedia here and see her perform the 1984 dance hit "He's a Saint, He's a Sinner" here. (Well, can't say for sure that Miquel actually appears in the video, since my eyes were glued to the gyrating guy in the assless pants.)

Portinho y Su Orquesta

Artist: Portinho y Su Orquesta

LP: Samba El Mejor De Brasil
Song: "Exaltação Á Bahia"
[ listen ]

Here's a track from a nice set of Brazilian sambas I picked up on my trip to Washington, DC—though, according to info on the record, this collection was released mainly for the enjoyment of Argentinian audiences. Here are some notes from the back of the record.

SAMBA EL MEJOR DEL BRASIL, un disco gravado especialmente para nosotros.

Son de samba-exaltación las 12 músicas que contienen este disco, el samba
que cuenta la história del Brasil; su paisagen: rios, florestas, su cielo, su
pueblo, sus heroes, la belleza de la mulata, de la libertación de los esclavos,
de la Bahia, estet és el samba que retrata toda la belleza de su fóklore,
en un ritmo contagiante envolvido por una melodia que sencibiliza
profundamente el hermano de la tierra or visitante que allí, apuerta.

Musicalmente el samba és el mejor embajador de la música brasileña en el
exterior, pues a través de la película "Alô Amigos," produzido por el inmortal
Walt Disney, del cual constaram várious, sambas-exaltaciónes a donde el
Brasil comenzó tornar conocida su música pátria, siendo que en está época
la querida y inolvidable Carmen Miranda acompañada del "Bando da Lua," abre
la puerta del suceso no solamente para la música brasileña, mas tambien
dió oportunidad a los artistas que para los Estados Unidos se dirigen en
busca de la fama y fortuna.

Referente al nível de la calidad de este disco podemos adelantar que se
equipara al más alto padrón técnico internacional, los arreglos musicales
fueran escritos especialmente para son estereofónico veniendo de ahí la
mejor reproducción para el son monaural.

Escuche el disco conozca el samba-exaltación, el samba de Elite, el samba
que identifica la tierra y el pueblo del Brasil. —A.M. de Carvalho

My Spanish is a little rusty, but I decided to try translating the notes anyway in hopes that they would also be enjoyed by those who only speak English.

THE LARGEST SAMBA IN BRAZIL, a record engraved especially for us.

The sound of the rejoicing samba contained in the 12 tracks on this record
will give you the bill for the history of Brazil; its countryside: rivers, florists,
its sky, its little town, its heroes, the mulatto ballet, the liberation of the
slaves, of the Bahia. This is the samba that retreads the entire folklore of
ballet with a contageous rhythm that involves a single melody and the
profound sensibilities of your brother who lives in or even just visits
the land of the airport.

Musically the samba is a huge embassador for Brazilian music on the outside,
especially after the movie "Saludos Amigos," produced by the immortal
Walt Disney, who, because of vaious constraints, could only listen to the
rejoicing samba during his visit to Brazil, until he was also allowed to listen
to patriotic music and a song about his old age, which was sung by the
unforgettable Carmen Miranda accompanied by the Luau Band, which opened
the door not only for Brazilian music, but also provided opportunities for
artists in the USA who were diligently in search of fame and fortune.

In reference to the warm naval of this record which we have begun to
equip with the tallest portion of international technology, the gifts of
music were written especially for stereophonic sound, coming as it does
from the major reproduction centers of the monorail.

Listen to this record and know the rejoicing samba, the samba of the Elite,
the samba that identifies the land and the little town of Brazil.
—A.M. de Carvalho

Beto Guedes

Artist: Beto Guedes

LP: A Página Do Relâmpago Elétrico
Song: "A Página Do Relâmpago Elétrico"
[ listen ]

On the news this morning, I heard that a 34-year-old Long Island Walmart employee was trampled to death by a mob of 2,000 crazed bargain-hunters who swarmed into the store when the doors opened at 5am. how sad. what is wrong with people! I wonder if the trampled employee will be hailed as a martyr who gave his life to save the U.S. ecomony. Anyway, here's some lovely thing from Brazil that I found in yet another small basement record store in Washington, DC last weekend.

Rita Lee and Roberto De Carvalho

Artist: Rita Lee and Roberto De Carvalho

LP: Rita Lee and Roberto De Carvalho
Song: "Barriga da Mamãe"
[ listen ]

Here's some 1982 dance music from Brazil that will whisk you away from your hectic Monday morning drudgery and make you feel like you're floating on soothing waves of tropical blue plastic.