Ary Lobo - Garóta Do Amendoim & Novidade De Hoje from compacto simples - RCA (1960)

Ary Lobo - Garóta Do Amendoim & Novidade De Hoje from compacto simples - RCA (1960)

This is a great 1960 compacto from Ary Lobo with a rare picture sleeve. The songs appeared on the equally rare LP, Aqui Mora O Ritmo which is more desirable than some of his other LPs because it was never reissued in any form and finding clean copies is nearly impossible.

Ary Lobo - Novidade De Hoje from compacto simples - RCA



Ary Lobo - Garóta Do Amendoim from compacto simples - RCA 

Ary Lobo - Garóta Do Amendoim & Novidade De Hoje from compacto simples - RCA (1960)

Review: Jackson do Pandeiro - Falso Toureiro from Ao Vivo - Discobertas (1980 2011)

Review: Jackson do Pandeiro - Falso Toureiro from Ao Vivo - Discobertas (1980 2011)


This is a nice surprise! Discobertas uncovered a live recording of Jackson do Pandeiro with Borborema from 1980. The first six tracks were mastered from cassette. It's likely that this was recorded through the soundboard or with a semi-professional setup. Although it doesn't have the bottom end of a super pro recording, it's a fantastic performance and definitely better than most live TV clips floating around on YouTube.Tracks 7-11 are studio tracks that came from two hard-to-find compilation LPs: 100 Anos de MPB (Banco do Brasil, 1976) and a Carnaval LP: Rio, Carnaval e Turismo (Esquema, 1976).

For Jackson do Pandeiro fans, this is well worth purchasing! Even better, for buyers in the US and Europe, less expensive copies have been cropping up on Amazon and eBay lately. Buy it and support Discobertas!

Jackson do Pandeiro - Ao Vivo CD 2011 Discobertas

Osvaldo Oliveira - Estou Querendo from Festejo Junino - CBS (1968)

Osvaldo Oliveira - Estou Querendo from Festejo Junino - CBS (1968)

Although Osvaldo Oliveira later became more of a crooner, the first 8 to 10 years are his most captivating and collectible, mainly because he was recording forró. Festejo Junino is Oliveira's first compacto for CBS and 1 of 2 known from this early part of his career. It features all of the elements that made him famous: clever phrasing, hypnotic melodies and fantastic production.

Osvaldo Oliveira - Festejo Junino - CBS (1968)

Zé Gonzaga - O Cheiro Da Carolina from Sua Sanfona Sua Simpatia - Copacabana (mid 1950s - early 1960s)

Zé Gonzaga - O Cheiro Da Carolina from Sua Sanfona Sua Simpatia - Copacabana (late 1950s - early 1960s)

This is a rare compacto / EP from Zé Gonzaga, featuring a Xoté tune originally released only on 78rpm. It seems that a lot of artists had 33 1/3" compactos released in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Brazil with tunes from 78s. It's likely that radio stations were reformatting and record companies wanted to make sure that they had their bases covered. Ivon Curi, Zé Gonzaga, Ary Lobo, Genival Lacerda and Luiz Wanderley all have similar compacto / 78rpm releases.

O Cheiro Da Carolina was also released by Luiz Gonzaga. The song is reminiscent of Peba Na Pimenta written by João Do Vale and released by Marinês around the same time period.

Zé Gonzaga - Sua Sanfona Sua Simpatia - Copacabana (late 1950s - early 1960s)

Trio Pajeú - Meu Pequeno Pajeú from Pegue A Troxa - Japoti (mid-1970s)

Trio Pajeú - Meu Pequeno Pajeú from Pegue A Troxa - Japoti (mid-1970s)

According to Musica Popular Brasileira, Trio Pajeú met at a dance for the United Steel Workers of Santo André in 1973. An appearance on Radio Globo led to a recording contract on Japoti, a tiny, short-lived Brazilian label. Trio Pajeú recorded 3 LPs for Japoti in the 1970s and one LP for Universal in 1985. As with most forró artists, this discography is probably incomplete and more recordings will likely surface in the coming years.

Trio Pajeú - Pegue A Troxa - Japoti (1970s)

Camarão E Seu Acordeon - Canto Da Siriema & Não Atrapalha from Forró No Palhoção - Tropicana (1976)

Camarão E Seu Acordeon - Canto Da Siriema & Não Atrapalha from Forró No Palhoção - Tropicana (1976) & Jackson do Pandeiro - Madelena from O Dono Do Forró - CBS (1971)

There are a myriad of brilliant forró artists. Some, like Camarão had a fruitful career and the recorded output of others, like José Bezerra, had an output limited to one great LP. Hidden in the credits are brilliant songwriters who never recorded, but contributed to great forró records. Madelena, from Jackson do Pandeiro's O Dono Do Forró is one of my favorite tracks. It was written by Juarez Santiago and José Sales, who also contributed to Camarão's Forró No Palhoção LP. While Canto Da Siriema is gutsy and clearly reminiscent of Madelena, the interpretation of the 2 songs is starkly different. Jackson's instrumentation and melodic excellence is an interesting contrast to Camarão's style, who favored ferocity to get the party started. The stylistic writing is apparent in both. Não Atrapalha, written by Camarão and Juarez Santiago, is an instrumental at breakneck speed.

Camarão E Seu Acordeon - Canto Da Siriema (Juarez Santiago and José Sales) - Tropicana (1976)

 

Jackson do Pandeiro - Madelena (Juarez Santiago and José Sales) from O Dono Do Forró - CBS (1971)

Camarão E Seu Acordeon - Não Atrapalha from Forró No Palhoção - Tropicana (1976)

Camarão E Seu Acordeon - Forró No Palhoção - Tropicana (1976)

Walter Damasceno - Cabra Medroso & Matei Sete Gatos from Não Bula Comigo - Odeon (1958 - 1960)

Walter Damasceno - Cabra Medroso & Matei Sete Gatos from Não Bula Comigo - Odeon (1958)

Walter Damasceno was part of the 2nd wave of forró stars that cropped in the 1950s, which included Jackson do Pandeiro, Ary Lobo, Jair Alves, Marinés and Luiz Wanderley. Although they weren't the first stars to rise in Luiz Gonzaga's wake, artists from this new wave took the genre into uncharted territory and ultimately established the sound of 70s forró. Damasceno's career seems to have been brief and limited to one LP and two compactos (EPs). Considering how strong these releases were, it's a shame that his career was so short.

Walter Damasceno - Cabra Medroso from Não Bula Comigo - Odeon (1958)


Walter Damasceno - Matei Sete Gatos from Não Bula Comigo - Odeon (1958)

Walter Damasceno - Não Bula Comigo - Odeon (1958)

Forró On CD - Brazil Classics 3, Ary Lobo, Marinês e Sua Gente, Luiz Gonzaga, Jackson do Pandeiro, Genival Lacerda, Jacinto Silva & Os 3 Do Nordeste

Forró On CD

ForróLPGringo is 2 years old!

I discovered forró about 7 years ago. If forró got the royal treatment on CD, like 60s and 70s rock has in the US and UK, I probably never would have started this blog. Alas, there is a dearth of information about this great genre and, most importantly, vintage forró music, in general, is heavily underrepresented in digital form. The almost total lack of availability of forró on CDs led me to seeking the original vinyl. Hopefully, my archiving efforts will turn a few people onto this great music. That said, a few artists have some noteworthy CDs worth snatching up. In fact, some of these CDs are as scarce as the vintage vinyl.

Brazil Classics 3 - forró

I am eternally grateful to Luaka Bop and David Byrne for this compilation. I recently discovered that this was released on vinyl in a few countries. My copy comes from Brazil, but it was also issued in Germany. Although it does not feature the cream of every featured artist's catalog, it was a fine enough starter to peak my interest.

Brazil Classics 3 - forró CD and vinyl LP

Ary Lobo

Ary Lobo was amazing and his work sounds as incredible today as it was the day it was recorded. Ary's 2 major labels in the 50s and 60s were RCA and Cantagalo. Nothing from Cantagalo, his late 60s label, has been reissued. Of Ary Lobo's RCA catalog, 5 random albums out of 9 were reissued. Although it's a shame that his entire RCA catalog did not get re-released, which includes many compactos (singles and EPs) that were not on the LPs, the CDs that were released sound fantastic. The Brazil Popular compilation includes random songs from his RCA catalog and a few tunes released by Lobo in the 1970s.

RCA period:

• 1958 - Último Pau de Arara - RCA (10" LP) - never reissued
• 1958 - Forró com Ary Lobo - RCA (LP)
• 1960 - Aqui Mora o Ritmo - RCA (LP) - never reissued
• 1961 - Cheguei Na Lua - RCA (LP)
• 1962 - Ary Lobo - RCA (LP)
• 1963 - Poeira de Ritmos - RCA (LP)
• 1964 - Forró em Calcaia - RCA (LP) - never reissued
• 1965 - Zé Mané - RCA (LP)
• 1966 - Quem é o Campeão? - RCA (LP) - never reissued

Ary Lobo - História De Um Órfão from Poeira De Ritmos - RCA Victor (1963)

Ary Lobo on CD

Marinês E Sua Gente

Marinés also has a vast catalog. She was lucky enough to record for 2 of the best major labels in the 60s and 70s, RCA and CBS. Some songs from her fantastic CBS period have ended up on random CD compilations like Maxximum. Her RCA catalog, with the exception of the first LP she recorded after leaving Sinter and some compactos (singles), were beautifully reissued on CD.

RCA period:

• Marinês e Sua Gente (1960) RCA LP - never reissued
• O Nordeste e seu ritmo (1961) RCA LP
• Coisas do Norte (1963) RCA LP
• Siu, siu, siu (1964) RCA LP
• Maria Coisa (1965) RCA LP
• Meu benzim (1966) RCA LP

Marinês e Sua Gente RCA catalog on CD

Luiz Gonzaga

It is unsurprising that Luiz Gonzaga has gotten the best CD treatment, since he is effectively the king of forró and baião, credited as launching the genre. Although his RCA CDs were reissued with versions of the original artwork, his EMI Odeon work has appeared on a few random compilations. I still haven't picked up all of his work on CD, although what I have found sounds excellent. Again, bravo to RCA for taking the time to do this well.

Luiz Gonzaga on CD

Jackson do Pandeiro

Poor Jackson. Arguably, the most influential forró artist has appeared on multiple weird compilation CDs. Some of the CDs are quite good. 20 Super Sucessos has a shite cover but is a decent overview of his CBS years. 50 anos de ritmos seems like it would be comprehensive based on the title, but it only features his earliest pre-1962 Copacabana work. Although those songs are fine, it's arguable that his 1960 Philips through 1970s CBS period was better. The Jackson and Jacinto Silva Brasil Popular compilation is great... except it only features 13 songs. It short-changes Jackson, Jacinto and the buyer. It's worth buying for the Jacinto Silva songs alone, who does not have any other reissues. As far as I am aware, there are no legitimate reissues featuring any of Jackson's original albums with artwork.

Jackson do Pandeiro on CD

Elino Julião, Messias Holanda, Trio Nordestino, Os 3 Do Nordeste, Genival Lacerda and Zenilton

The Brasil Popular Os 3 Do Nordeste, 20 Super Sucessos and A Popularidade de Genival Lacerda CDs are great and well worth hunting down. Most of the other compilations don't serve the artists particularly well. Generally speaking, I hate the Raizes Nordestinas series. For some reason, those are almost always disappointing.

Elino Julião, Messias Holanda, Trio Nordestino, Os 3 Do Nordeste, Genival Lacerda and Zenilton on CD

Manuel David - La Ficou & Võo Da Aza Branca from Forró em Caculé compacto duplo - Maraca (1960s)

Manuel David - La Ficou & Võo Da Aza Branca from Forró em Caculé compacto duplo - Maraca (1960s)

Maraca is a tiny, but legendary, Brazilian label from the 1960s. They primarily released promotional forró compactos (45rpm sized records that play at 33 1/3). What makes Maraca exceptional was their exemplary roster of artists. Joci Batista, Manuel David and Elino Julião all found greater success later. In addition to the more well known artists, Maraca also released a fair number of more obscure, but equally high quality, records.

Manuel David's sound is somewhat reminiscent of Luiz Gonzaga's, in the best possible way. Manuel's name is spelled 3 different ways on the sleeve and record: Manoel on the cover, Monoel on the reverse sleeve and Manuel on the record label. He must have had an enemy in the design department.

Manuel David - La Ficou from Forró em Caculé compacto duplo - Maraca (1960s)



Manuel David - Võo Da Aza Branca from Forró em Caculé compacto duplo - Maraca (1960s)

Manuel David - Forró em Caculé compacto duplo - Maraca (1960s)

Raimundo Soldado - Minha Terra Natal from Conquistando O Mundo - Copacabana (1981)

Raimundo Soldado - Minha Terra Natal from Conquistando O Mundo - Copacabana (1981)

Forró began the slow integration with disco and funk around 1976. This sometimes yielded some interesting work. Raimundo Soldado seemed to try his hand at every type of dance music in the book on his albums, but his forró songs were standouts. Minha Terra Natal has whispers of xaxado, but the modern drum kit in the mix is a precursor of forró that dominated the 80s and can sometimes still be found in mixes today. Sometimes those experiments were great, but more often than not, it flattened out the music with a click track robbing it of its groove. This song is an exception.

Raimundo Soldado - Minha Terra Natal from Conquistando O Mundo - Copacabana (1981)

Raimundo Soldado - Conquistando O Mundo - Copacabana (1981)

Genival Lacerda - Caixinha De Rapé & 007 Contra O Nordeste from Este é Cobra Do Norte - Polydor (1966)

Genival Lacerda - Caixinha De Rapé & 007 Contra O Nordeste from Este é Cobra Do Norte - Polydor (1966)

I am delighted to feature another Genival Lacerda LP on forróLPgringo. Este é Cobra Do Norte is one of the only forró releases on Polydor. It's a remarkably rare LP, issued once in 1966 and never exported.

Like many forró stars from the 60's, including Luiz Wanderley, Jackson do Pandeiro, Gordurinha and Borrachinha, Lacerda seemed to have an all-around entertainer appeal, mixing humor and music. Lacerda even released a comedy album in the late 60s with Lúcio Mauro.

This was common to music of the time, even for acts in the US and the UK. Before the age of stony, image-consciousness, groups didn't mind sidelining as humorists as part of the show. When the Beatles began, they often appeared in comedy / musical variety shows, both on television and on stage. Perhaps because they wanted to be seen as serious musicians and not comedians or actors, this "unfashionable" period of live variety performances has been quietly suppressed. Very little evidence survives because they rarely performed this way after 1964. It's hard to imagine a rock act appearing in skits in the middle of a set these days. 

Although I haven't seen any clips of Genival performing onstage at this period, you can find great footage of Luiz Wanderley, Jackson do Pandeiro and Gordurinha mugging it up for the cameras. Lacerda made a career for himself by getting sillier as time passed. As a result of the success of his 1975 breakthrough hit: Severina Xique-Xique, much of the Lacerda's music recorded past 1976 focuses more on getting a laugh than truly giving Jackson do Pandeiro a run for his money. 

Genival Lacerda - Caixinha De Rapé from Este é Cobra Do Norte - Polydor (1966)



Genival Lacerda - 007 Contra O Nordeste from Este é Cobra Do Norte - Polydor (1966)

Genival Lacerda - Este é Cobra Do Norte - Polydor (1966)

José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Linguagem De Nóis, Estória Da Sereia, Terra Do Acarajé & Arua from Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)

José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Linguagem De Nóis, Estória Da Sereia, Terra Do Acarajé & Arua from Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)

Linguagem De Nóis is a big, bold, stunning album from José Bezerra e suas cantigas. The 1968 album is almost entirely unknown outside of circles that trade forró vinyl. Fans of 60s Ary Lobo, Saci, Jackson do Pandeiro and Osvaldo Oliveira should love this. In fact, I would swear Arua was Oliveira on vocals if I didn't know. Like most 60s forró, the LP is ridiculously rare. It was released once in small numbers, was never sold internationally and was not reissued.

Forró from the 60's has a distinct sound to it, especially from the aforementioned artists. It has a sense of sophistication and cool missing from recordings from the 70s and beyond, as if this forró belonged in a lively supper club uptown with white-gloved ladies, tablecloths and tuxedoed MCs instead of the dusty, gritty northeastern open-air dance halls that forró is most commonly associated with. 

José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Linguagem De Nóis from Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)



José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Estória Da Sereia from Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)



José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Terra Do Acarajé from Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)



José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Arua from Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)

José Bezerra e suas cantigas - Linguagem De Nóis - Fontana (1968)

4 Azes E 1 Coringa - Calango Mineiro from 78rpm - Odeon (1947)

4 Azes E 1 Coringa (also called Quatro Azes E Um Coringa) - Calango Mineiro from 78rpm - Odeon (1947)

4 Azes E 1 Coringa, a group with multiple spellings of their name, were one of the earliest acts performing baião, which was later married into the family of forró, along with rojão, xaxado and numerous other sub-styles. This is the earliest song that I have posted on this blog, but in many ways it's more masterful, albeit at a lower fidelity, than some of the music played by later forró groups. It's clear that 4 Azes E 1 Coringa were brilliant musicians. The devil was in the details. The arrangements were brilliant and they had the prowess of session musicians. Calango Mineiro, pulled from 78rpm, was co-written by Luiz Gonzaga. Gonzaga, the father of baião and forró, released his first song in 1941.

4 Azes E 1 Coringa - Calango Mineiro from 78rpm - Odeon (1947)

Walter Franco - Tema Do Hospital from compacto simples - Philips (1971)

Walter Franco - Tema Do Hospital from compacto simples - Philips (1971)

I am taking a break from forró in this post to share a great post-Tropicalia 1971 single from experimental MPB artist Walter Franco, who I first heard at the now sadly defunct Tropicalia In Furs record store in the East Village. Joel, the owner, was playing Ou Não, a relentlessly weird LP, which is destined to be discovered by the Euro-intelligensia and heralded as one of the great unheralded strange classics of the 20th Century. Tema Do Hospital, Franco's first single, touches on that LP, but leans much more towards Gilberto Gil's 1968 LP, Gal Costa, Sgt. Pepper and the classic Tropicalia LP. Discographies are spotty online, but I am fairly certain that this was produced by Rogério Duprat. It certainly sounds like his work and the Wiki indicates that he was working with Franco around this time.

Click on the video above to play the song.

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Walter Franco - Tema Do Hospital from compacto simples - Philips (1971)

David Cruz - Batendo Poeira from Rádio Quente - Laço (1982)

David Cruz - Batendo Poeira from Rádio Quente - Laço (1982)

This is great sounding forró that crosses the great sound barrier: 1980. Like most music, forró went through a serious identity crisis in the 1980s with the onslaught of drum machines, synthesizers and click tracks. A few artists managed to record great sounding records, including Zenilton, Messias Holanda and David Cruz. It's much harder to find great forró after 1976. Even the greats, like Genival Lacerda, Jackson do Pandeiro and Luiz Gonzaga had trouble finding material that matched what they recorded in the early 70s and before.

David Cruz - Batendo Poeira from Rádio Quente - Laço (1982)

Click on the video above to play the song.

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David Cruz

Elino Julião & Jacinto Silva - Coração Descontrolado from Desafio - CBS (1972)

Elino Julião & Jacinto Silva - Coração Descontrolado from Desafio - CBS (1972)

When I first discovered forró, I mined the catalog of Luiz Gonzaga looking for gems, which were numerous. After Gonzaga, I wasn't sure who the major players were. Fortunately, a vast number of LPs were available on forroemvinil to preview. I particularly enjoyed Jackson do Pandeiro's early 70s work on CBS, so I sought other artists that recorded for the label. I came to learn that Abdias, head of A&R at CBS, had poached the lions-share of forró royalty from labels like Fontana, Cantagalo, Philips, Maraca, Sertanejo and Mocambo. The mid 1960s through mid 1970s were a wonderful time at CBS. Every record usually had at least one great track. The songs were beautifully recorded and mixed in stereo. Desafio, meaning challenge, was a dual album. Full LPs featuring two or three artists seemed to be in vogue in the late 60s and early 70s, particularly on Fontana and CBS. Half of the songs on Desafio featured vocals by Silva and the other half were by Julião. Coração Descontrolado is an Elino Julião vocal number. When they shared an LP cover, these characters often seemed to be playing pool, cards, chatting up the lassies or getting into brawls. Manly stuff.

Click on the video above to play the song.

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Elino Julião & Jacinto Silva - Desafio - polyester & pool

Nardeli E Sua Sanfona - Caminha Brasil from Dance Esta - Tropicana (1975)

Nardeli E Sua Sanfona - Caminha Brasil from Dance Esta - Tropicana (1975)

I picked this LP up in Salvador last year at Bazar Som Tres, thanks to a tip from the owner. Although the LP contains mostly instrumental accordion music, Caminha Brasil is a nice surprise vocal samba tune at the end of side 2. Nardeli was prolific and recorded for a variety of major labels and subsidiaries, including RCA, Rosicler and Chantecler. 

Click on the video above to play the song.
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Crate Digging at Bazar Som Tres, Salvador

Crate Digging at Bazar Som Tres, Salvador

Nardeli E Sua Sanfona - Caminha Brasil from Dance Esta - Tropicana (1975)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Ginga da Mulata & Madelena from Forro de Zé Lagoa - Philips (1963)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Ginga da Mulata & Madelena from Forro de Zé Lagoa - Philips (1963)

My previous post featured the title track from Forró de Zé Lagoa. Many consider Jackson do Pandeiro's Philips era, which spanned from the early to mid 1960s, to be his greatest. This may be an overstatement, because virtually everything that he recorded for the first 20 years of his career was brilliant. Original copies of the LPs and compactos on Philips range from scarce, like É Batucada, to so ridiculously rare that if images weren't on the web, collectors would assert that they didn't exist. Forró de Zé Lagoa is somewhere in between. Though difficult to find, a few nice copies are in circulation. Like other Philips recordings, this LP is richly and beautifully produced. 

Note: There are 2 different songs called Madelena recorded by Jackson. This is the first of 2. The second appeared nearly 10 years later on O Dono Do Forró.

Jackson do Pandeiro - Ginga da Mulata from Forro de Zé Lagoa - Philips (1963)

Click on the video above to play the song.

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Jackson do Pandeiro - Madelena from Forro de Zé Lagoa - Philips 1963

Click on the video above to play the song.

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Jackson do Pandeiro - Forro de Zé Lagoa - Philips 1963

Jackson do Pandeiro

Part Two: Genival Lacerda - Forró Do Zé Lagoa - Mocambo 78rpm (1962) Rozenblit Passarela (1973) vs Jackson do Pandeiro - Forró Do Zé Lagoa - Philips LP (1963)

Part Two: Genival Lacerda - Forró Do Zé Lagoa - Mocambo 78rpm (1962) Rozenblit Passarela (1973) vs Jackson do Pandeiro - Forró Do Zé Lagoa - Philips LP (1963) 

This is a rare example of two forró giants, Genival Lacerda and Jackson do Pandeiro, at the height of power recording the same song: Forró Do Zé Lagoa. Both versions are fantastic and showcase the strengths of each. Genival's version is heavy, ballsy and ferocious, featuring his embolada-flavored phrasing powers. Jackson's version is cooler and elegant. Jackson probably had access to fancier recording studios, thanks to Philips.

Genival Lacerda - Forró Do Zé Lagoa - Mocambo 78rpm (1962) Rozenblit Passarela (1973)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Forró Do Zé Lagoa - Philips LP (1963)

Genival Lacerda, Jackson do Pandeiro & Ivan Farias. Image retrieved from musicapopular.org

Part One: Genival Lacerda - Côco da Cajarana from Tomaram Meu Amor - Mocambo 78rpm (1962) Rozenblit Passarela (1973)

Part One: Genival Lacerda - Côco da Cajarana from Tomaram Meu Amor - Mocambo 78rpm (1962) Rozenblit Passarela (1973) 

My introduction to forró was David Byrne's Luaka Bop CD. Because I loved O Fole Roncou, I tried to absorb everything that I could by Luiz Gonzaga. Since Jackson do Pandeiro was given near equal reverence (their statues share a square in Campina Grande), in the way that Chuck Berry is given a status that is close to Elvis's, it was clear that Jackson's work was the next stop on my journey into forró. After Jackson, there were hundreds of paths that lead to other great forró artists: Ary Lobo, Marinês, Gordurinha... many of the people who appear in this blog, One of my favorites is Genival Lacerda.

Using my early rock n' roll analogy, I would compare Genival Lacerda to Little Richard. This is incredibly imprecise, but there are some parallels. While Gonzaga is stately & somewhat reserved and Jackson's music is delivered with mesmerizing rhythm & sophisticated cool, Genival Lacerda's records are wild, enthusiastic, funny, fast and frantic, like a forró freight train.

Tomaram Meu Amor is an incredibly rare, but very important, compilation of Lacerda's pre-1963 work, when his releases were 78rpm only. The quality of the recordings vary greatly. It seems likely that transfers came directly from the 78's and not the masters. Recordings from the later years generally sound great. Considering how rare his 78's are now, nearly 50 years after they came out and 40 years after this LP was released, we are lucky that this LP exists. Côco da Cajarana is an awesome song. It was originally released in 1962 on the Mocambo label.

Click on the video above to play the song.
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Genival Lacerda - Tomaram Meu Amor - Rozenblit Passarela (1973) 

Mocambo - Brazilian indie label - An early home to forró artists like Genival Lacerda, Jacinto Silva & Camarão, 

Crate Digging For Forró In Brazil: Vinyl and Record Stores in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador (da Bahia) & Recife

Crate Digging For Forró Vinyl In Brazil: A short guide to vinyl (vinil) record stores in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador (da Bahia) & Recife featuring Celsom Discos, Disco 7, Praça quinze (XV), Bazar Som Três, Minisom & Musikantiga

Update at the bottom of the page.

In June 2013, exactly one year ago, I took a holiday with my sweetheart to Brazil. We had a wonderful vacation, ate well, drank caipirinhas and made a little time for forró vinyl hunting. Generally, like anywhere in the world, shops and markets are picked over by savvy record dealers, but it's not impossible to find great records. Stores vary greatly in quality. You may not find the rarest Tropicalia, MPB, Bossa Nova, psychedelic, forró or Tim Maia piece for a steal, but if you do some research about where to shop, you may find some of the vinyl on your want list for much better prices than eBay. Generally, I've discovered that you have to connect with the handful of private dealers in Brazil that trade in top shelf vinyl to get the stuff you want, but shops can sometimes surprise you.
São Paulo I loved São Paulo. A lot of the record stores in São Paulo are found in indoor / outdoor markets, or arcades, like the ones below. All over Brazil, sidewalks have distinctive Portuguese tile, also called Portuguese pavement.

Outdoor shopping mall in São Paulo.

A shopping arcade in São Paulo.

I have a lot of affection for Cel-Som Discos in São Paulo. Celso, the owner, was the first person that I connected with in Brazil for purchasing vinyl. After a few bad experiences on Gemm, Celso was a welcome contact. He's honest, has a great selection of forró, MPB, Bossa Nova, Tropicalia and many other genres. He's great at assessing condition (ask before you buy online, though), will mail orders worldwide and takes Paypal. Best of all, Celso has a lot of contacts with other dealers, so if there are records that you are looking for, send him your want list. http://www.celsomdiscos.com.br/

 Cel-Som Discos / Records in São Paulo 

Celso at Cel-Som Discos / Records in São Paulo 

Celso and our friend Marcelo at Cel-Som Discos / Records in São Paulo.

Admiring the wall of forró LPs at at Cel-Som Discos / Records in São Paulo

Disco Sete, or Disco 7, in São Paulo is legendary. For fetishists, DJs and collectors, Disco Sete is often the first stop that they recommend. The owner, Carlinhos, is incredibly personable, generous and his prices are unbeatable. Disco Sete is not just a store, it's a place to meet up with collectors from all over the world. Not surprisingly, Disco Sete yielded my best finds in all of Brazil, thanks to Carlinhos. Disco Sete is tops. http://disco7vinil.com

Disco Sete (Disco 7) in São Paulo

Disco Sete (Disco 7) in São Paulo

Dorival Discos was a record store that we stumbled upon in São Paulo. Just like used vinyl shops in the States and Europe, bins were mostly stuffed with bargain LPs. If you like mining for finds, you'll be able to shop for days. We skimmed most of these places, mainly because the chances of finding great forró records hiding in a bin is very remote. I was about 10 to 15 years too late for that.

Dorival Discos in São Paulo

Rio de Janeiro

I didn't spend much time crate digging in Rio. We mainly vacationed. There are a few shops that I wish that I had a chance to hit, like Supernut Mara http://mararecordsdata.com/. We did take a jaunt to downtown Rio and browsed through the Praça quinze (XV) flea market, which is underneath a highway. Rio is not known as a big forró town, so my expectations for vinyl scores were minimal. I found a rare Benedito Nunes LP that Celso was selling for $300R for $1R, so I figured that I had a good day.

Praça quinze (XV) flea market in Rio de Janeiro

Praça quinze (XV) flea market in Rio de Janeiro

Benedito for a buck at the Praça quinze (XV) flea market in Rio de Janeiro

Salvador (da Bahia)

We had a ball in Salvador (da Bahia). We landed right in the middle of the São João festival, which was live forró heaven. The architecture and the food was amazing. Salvador had the best restaurants in Brazil. The food was a mix of spicy African and the best possible local cuisine. We stayed in old district of Salvador (da Bahia), called Pelourinho. Little record stores, like Mini Som or Minisom, are scattered throughout the old city.

São João Da Bahia 2013 - live forró heaven

Bazar Som Três is a beloved and highly recommended shop in Salvador. It's slightly outside of the old city and down a few side streets and an alley, so map out your trip before you go. Even with a map, we still needed help. Thanks to some friendly folks who pointed us in the right direction, we found the joint. Bazar Som Três was rich with vinyl stacked to the ceiling. Although I didn't find any amazing scores, I walked out with a bag full of decent, inexpensive forró LPs. They had a nice Genival Lacerda record on the wall.

Bazar Som Três in Salvador (da Bahia)

Crate digging at Bazar Som Três in Salvador (da Bahia)

Crate digging at Bazar Som Três in Salvador (da Bahia)

A city of vinyl at Bazar Som Três in Salvador (da Bahia). Genival is hiding on the upper right.

MINISOM was one of many stores scattered throughout Pelourinho. I found a few classic LPs in the store, including a beat up copy of O Dono Do Forró. The owner was incredibly helpful.

Recife

Aníbal Queiroga owns the wonderful Musikantiga. Musikantiga was challenging for us to find. His little shop was on the 5th floor of an older building in downtown Recife. It was well worth the search. Aníbal was incredibly generous and threw in some few lovely freebies. He had a wonderful selection of classic forró vinyl. I found some great records in his shop. Thank you to Samuel for the recommendation!

Directions: http://guiadovinil.blogspot.com/2010/09/musikantiga_15.html

The entrance to Musikantiga in downtown Recife. 

 Musikantiga - A few of Aníbal's amazing LPs.

 Musikantiga - A vinyl dig.

Update September 2016: This is a newer article on the same subject focused on São Paulo. It looks excellent and features a few places from this post:

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO SAO PAULO’S BEST RECORD SHOPS

http://thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/the-definitive-guide-to-sao-paulos-best-record-shops/