Marinês - Sem Vergonheira from Canção Da Fé - CBS 1972

Marinês - Sem Vergonheira from Canção Da Fé - CBS 1972

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As forró matured, the rules for the genre became more strict. Jackson do Pandeiro and Genival Lacerda would break rules, but most groups, especially in the 70s, were fairly strict about instrumentation and song form. Marinês' material was more varied. She recorded a lot of material written by people outside of the family of forró writers. Antônio Carlos e Jocáfi were an accomplished singer / songwriter team, well known for a variety of border-busting MPB hits, including “Você Abusou,” famously recorded as “Fais comme l'oiseau” by Michel Fugain Et Big Bazar. Sem Vergonheira, also written by Carlos e Jocáfi, is not as well known outside of Brazil. It was first recorded by Os Incríveis in 1971. Their interpretation reminds me of soft pop like Harpers Bizarre with fluffy Sergio Mendes grooves. Marinês' version is cooking with gas.

Incríveis - Sem Vergonheira from 1910 - RCA 1971

Os Incríveis - Sem Vergonheira from 1910 - RCA 1971

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Marinês enjoys the warm glow of Luiz Gonzaga

Jackson do Pandeiro e Almira – O Balanço Vai from Coisas Nossas - Philips 1965

Jackson do Pandeiro e Almira – O Balanço Vai from Coisas Nossas - Philips 1965

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This week, I am featuring a ditty from Jackson do Pandeiro's short-lived samba period. Jackson mixed samba and a number of other Brazilian styles in his music throughout his career, but he did it in a big way in the mid-60s. Collectors in Brazil say that E Vamos Nós from 1964 and Coisas Nossas from 1965 are his rarest LPs. 

It's a mystery why these LPs are so rare. A collector friend speculated that Philips saw these releases as an experiment, because of the stylistic change from forró to samba, so fewer copies were pressed. It's also likely that Jackson's sales were in decline. He may have been was losing favor with Philips, because his next 2 LPs were released on Continental and Cantagalo before closing the decade and his time at Philips with Aqui Tô Eu. Before his comeback in 1972, Jackson do Pandeiro voiced frustrations about how apathetic radio and the public recently seemed to be towards his music.

As usual, Jackson's music was always glimmering despite personal and career issues. O Balanço Vai (Álvaro Castilho / Jackson do Pandeiro / Sebastião Martins) was one of many highlights from Coisas Nossas. The beautiful bass piano and the stall in the chorus are knockout.

Jackson & Almira with the band that would become Borborema

Camarão feat Risoleide Alves - Filha Do Norte from Na Toca Do Camarao - Itamaraty 1978

Camarão & Seu Acordeon (vocals by Risoleide Alves) – Filha Do Norte from Na Toca do Camarão - Itamaraty 1978

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Filha Do Norte (Camarão – Cabo França) is a wonderfully strange and haunting song, reminiscent of spooky reverb-heavy North American girl group sounds from the 50s and 60s. Soft female vocals are atypical for forró, a genre dominated by powerful and commanding male and female singers. Because most forró artists played by the rules of the genre in terms of instrumentation and arrangement, it's refreshing to hear records like Filha Do Norte, which deviate from the norm successfully. Mestre Camarão (camarão means shrimp) had a long career and is still recording and performing, but Risoleide Alves, the guest vocalist on Na Toca do Camarão, is a mystery. I have been unable to find evidence of a recording career beyond this LP. Perhaps, like her ghostly vocals, she drifted magically into the night after her Camarão sessions.

a recent photo of Mestre Camarão