Anastácia - Côco De 10 Pé (Côco) & Mufaríz (Baião) from Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

Anastácia is one of the great performers and songwriters from northeastern Brazil. Although I own a fair number of records by Anastácia, I am surprised that this is my first post featuring her work. Trying to cover a genre that spans 76 years without committing an injustice here or there is impossible. 

Anastácia first recorded in 1960, on 78rpm, and has an extensive catalog of at least 50 releases. Canta Para O Nordeste is one of Anastácia's more common 60s LPs. Later, she often collaborated with Dominguinhos, one of the best known accordion players from the northeast. At this point in her career, she was pulling songs from talented writers, including Venâncio e Curumba. Venâncio co-wrote 6 of the 12 songs on Canta Para O Nordeste, including Mufaríz. My favorite song from the LP, Côco De 10 Pé, was co-written by Aluizio Gomes.

Anastácia - Côco De 10 Pé (Côco) from Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

 

Anastácia - Mufaríz (Baião) from Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

Anastácia - Canta Para O Nordeste - Continental (1967)

Jackson do Pandeiro - A Mulher Do Anibal from Aqui Tô Eu compacto simples Angola / Angolan Pressing - Philips (1970)

One of my first posts in ForróLPGringo was Aqui Tô Eu, by Jackson Do Pandeiro. That LP sometimes makes it out of Brazil, thanks to songs on the LP popularized by Gilberto Gil.

Diggers can occasionally score forró record pressed in Portugal with alternate artwork, but this is the first one that I've found from Angola. The cover features a 2-tone facsimile of the Aqui Tô Eu album cover with 2 songs from the LP. The tunes play at 45rpm vs. the standard Brazilian compacto 33 1/3 speed. Hopefully, other interesting forró records from Angola will surface in the coming years. 

Jackson do Pandeiro - A Mulher Do Anibal from Aqui Tô Eu compacto simples Angola / Angolan Pressing - Philips (1970)

Jackson do Pandeiro - A Mulher Do Anibal from Aqui Tô Eu compacto simples Angola - Philips (1970)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Aqui Tô Eu - Philips (1970)

Catulo De Paula & Aluisio Gomes - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula & compacto simples - Odeon (1970) & RGE (1971)

Ladies and germs, forróLPgringo presents a battle of the bands. In one corner, I present the composer Catulo De Paula. In the opposite corner is Aluisio Gomes, who sometimes had to put up with the ignominy of having his spelled Aloisio. Actually, I am unsure of what the correct spelling of his name is. Catulo's version of Forró Do Barnabé sounds gorgeous. The composer had the benefit of recording at Odeon studios, which were likely equipped as well as Abbey Road. While he lays back, Aluisio attacks the song with low budget breakneck speed and fever.

Check out the odd, flimsy Catulo De Paula LP sleeve. I have a few LPs with paper folded covers, similar to this one. I asked my dealer friend in Brazil if this was advance or bootleg artwork. He said that labels occasionally did this from the mid-1960s through the early 70s. The Catulo De Paula LP must be rare, because my collector friends in Brazil have never seen this album before.

Catulo De Paula - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula - Odeon (1970)

Aluisio Gomes - Forró Do Barnabé - compacto simples - RGE (1971)

Catulo De Paula - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula - Odeon (1970) - odd flimsy cover

Catulo De Paula - Forró Do Barnabé from Catulo De Paula - Odeon (1970)

Aluisio Gomes - Forró Do Barnabé - compacto simples - RGE (1971)

Part Two: Joci Batista - Já Falaram de Mim, Juazeiro Verde & Vamos Queimar a Fundunga from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

The debut album by Joci Batista is so strong that it deserves two posts. My first post featured album vs. indie 45 versions of 2 songs from Juazeiro Verde. Juazeiro Verde was reissued several times, which is rare for forró and a testament to Batista's popularity. There are slight variations in the cover art for this LP. Why photographers had so many forró artists staring into the sun for their cover photos, I will never know. Minimal cover art coincides with minimal studio embellishments. My impression is, budgets were low and tracks were recorded quickly. I don't have any hard evidence to back this up, outside of existing recordings. If you compare an album recorded by a Tropicalia artist, which may be full of experimentation, rich orchestration & an expansive mix vs. forró artist, it seems clear that most forró artists were on a budget. Generally, albums made from the late 1960s on were quick and dirty, requiring bands to be tight going into the studio. This may be why albums recorded on CBS, Philips and RCA from the 1960s and 70s and given a little care have a sonic wow factor.

Joci Batista - Já Falaram de Mim from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)



Joci Batista - Juazeiro Verde from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

 

Joci Batista - Vamos Queimar a Fundunga from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

Joci Batista - Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

Part One: Joci Batista - Festão (Festa Nordestina) & Os Cabeludos from Os Cabeludos compacto simples - Maraca (1960s) & Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

Starting during the rock book of the mid-1950s, lots of acts from the US and the UK released indie singles that were either re-released or re-recorded by major labels. The re-recorded songs were fun, because one could hear the differences between a small, budget studio version vs. a fancy studio recording. This continued into the 1970s, during the new wave era in Britain and the US, due to initial lack of interest from major labels. I became aware of, and coveted releases by, several artists that released indie 45s that were later re-recorded for big labels. R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe, The B-52's - Rock Lobster, Devo - Jocko Homo (and a number of other songs) and the Pretenders - The Wait spring to mind, but there are numerous other examples. Back in the early 1990s, many of these were very expensive and hard to find. These days, thanks to eBay and shifting tastes, I have been lucky enough to find these singles.

Shifting to Brazil, I haven't found many examples of this in the forró genre. However, I managed to get an ultra-rare copy of Joci Batista's Os Cabeludos single on the Maraca label in the 1960s. Both sides were later recorded, for what I believe was, Batista's 1969 debut album, Juazeiro Verde. The Maraca versions definitely sound more indie and rough, but both recordings are interesting. I prefer Festão (Festa Nordestina), but I wanted to include both sides of the rare single for a/b comparison. Interesting stuff. 

Joci Batista - Festão (Festa Nordestina) from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)



Joci Batista - Festão (Festa Nordestina) from Os Cabeludos compacto simples - Maraca (1960s)



Joci Batista - Os Cabeludos from Juazeiro Verde - AMC (1969)

 

Joci Batista - Os Cabeludos from Os Cabeludos compacto simples - Maraca (1960s)

Ciço Do Pará - Convite (Rojão) & Deusalina (Xote) from Stereo 6 - DEX (1976)

I've been posting a lot of silver and golden age forró, so it's the right time to return the 1970s, or the bronze age of forró, with Ciço Do Pará. Ciço has an extensive catalog of great releases. I've had this album sitting on the shelf for too long. 

Stereo 6 is one of several releases on DEX by Ciço Do Pará, which confusingly has the same cover as his 1977 LP. It looks like Ciço is posing with some dudes on the street that weren't even his band. The production and songs are excellent, even if the cover is another disaster for the genre.

Convite cooks and Deusalina is a xote, one of the subgenres of forró that I rarely feature. Most xotes are on the plodding side almost like a forró waltz, but Deusalina has a standout melody and production.


Ciço Do Pará - Deusalina (Xote) from Stereo 6 - DEX (1976)

Ciço Do Pará - Stereo 6 - DEX (1976)

Nóis No Rio - Sertanejo (1960)

Nóis No Rio - Sertanejo - featuring Osvaldo Oliveira & Geraldo Nunes - (1960)

Nóis No Rio is one of the scarcest and most sought after forró LPs, mainly because it features the first recordings of Osvaldo Oliveira. Oliveira became part of the 3rd big wave of new forró stars, along with eventual CBS label-mates Jacinto Silva and Elino Julião. Oliveira was an excellent interpreter and songwriter. He became a balladeer in the 70s and lost a bit of his fire, but he was responsible for creating some of the best forró of the 1960s.

A contender for the best track on the LP may be Fazenda Véia by Geraldo Nunes, although it's tough to top Oliveira's Opinião de Pau de Arara. 

Geraldo Nunes - Fazenda Véia from Nóis No Rio - Sertanejo (1960)

Osvaldo Oliveira - Baiano de Oxixá from Nóis No Rio - Sertanejo (1960)



Osvaldo Oliveira - Opinião de Pau de Arara from Nóis No Rio - Sertanejo (1960)

Nóis No Rio - Sertanejo (1960) (featuring Osvaldo Oliveira & Geraldo Nunes)

Ary Lobo - Atchim (rojão) from Nossos Ritmos & 78rpm - RCA (1955)

During the 1950s, bits of baião, forró and in the case of Ary Lobo and Jackson Do Pandeiro, a bit of côco and rojão, left Brazil and landed in record stores in the wider world. Nossos Ritmos, also alternatively packaged with the same songs, was an interesting snapshot of Brazilian music in 1955. Ary Lobo sounds futuristic compared to the other artists on the 10". Atchim is loose and soulful. The other acts seem formal by comparison. Incidentally, Atchim would have been one of Lobo's rarest songs, because it was only available on 78 rpm in Brazil prior to this 10". Although the 10" is not common, it can be purchased outside of Brazil much more easily than Philips and CBS releases from the 1960s and 1970s. 

Ary Lobo - Atchim (rojão) from Nossos Ritmos & 78rpm - RCA (1955)

Nossos Ritmos - RCA Victor (1955)

Baião 78rpm - Piraci Com Acompanhamento - Bairros De São Paulo Em Trocadilhos (baião) - RCA Camden (1961) & Orlando Silveira - Seleções De Baião Side B from 78rpm - Copacabana (1954)

Forró LP Gringo is 3 years old today!

A few 78 rpms are featured this week, including a nice, hypnotic baião gem from Piraci and a beautiful thumper from Orlando Silveira and band. Piraci's Bairros De São Paulo Em Trocadilhos is the b-side. Brazilians were releasing 78s until around 1963 until the format was finally scrapped for vinyl. The Piraci single was released in 1961, which was late in the game. As with many 78 rpms, the bass response seems more pronounced. There is a different version of the song on a Piraci LP, but the 78rpm version is superior. Silveira's single is enchanting and beautifully produced. 

Piraci Com Acompanhamento - Bairros De São Paulo Em Trocadilhos (baião) - RCA Camden 78rpm  (1961)

Orlando Silveira - Seleções De Baião Side B from 78rpm - Copacabana (1954)

 Piraci Com Acompanhamento - Bairros De São Paulo Em Trocadilhos (baião) - RCA Camden (1961)

Orlando Silveira - Seleções De Baião Side B from 78rpm - Copacabana (1954)

Manezinho Araujo - Prá Onde Vai Valente from Cuma É Nome Deles - Fontana (1972)

Manezinho Araujo (sometimes written with an accent on the é in Manézinho and the ú in Araújo) recorded records in a Brazilian style called embolada. Embolada is a form of Brazilian street rap, usually with 2 or more performers dueling with words and rhymes over a simple beat, often provided by the pandeiro. Often, they are trying to make an audience laugh through jabs and funny insults. Brazilian fellas were having rap battles in the 1930s and likely before, which is decades ahead of when they became popular in the United States. Embolada predates forró, but the styles merged nicely. 

Araujo is unique amongst artists that cross over into forró, because he was also a successful visual artist and journalist. Prá Onde Vai Valente comes from an LP released on Fontana in 1972. Although the Wikipedia entry claims that the song is from 1934, I have not found evidence of a recording from that era. The Dicionário Cravo Albin Da Musica Popular Brasileira lists the first Manezinho Araujo 78 rpm from 1933. This is 8 years before the first Luiz Gonzaga 78 rpm, who is cited as the godfather of baião and forró. There were likely records pre-dating Gonzaga's that were similar in style. I am curious if any Brazilian scholars have pursued this.

Araujo's style reminds me of Genival Lacerda. Perhaps Lacerda borrowed Araujo's squeaky voice stylings or it may be a cultural "humor" voice, like a Brazilian Jimmy Durante. At any rate, this record has been sitting in my collection for a while and I'm glad that I could dust it off for an entry.

Manezinho Araujo - Prá Onde Vai Valente from Cuma É Nome Deles - Fontana (1972)

Manezinho Araujo - Cuma É Nome Deles - Fontana (1972)

Moura Junior - selections from OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)

OOOOOXÊNTE!, by Moura Junior (also spelled Jr.) is a classic. It's a class act, from the cover, to the production to the LP pressing. This album is a true gem. The bass response is particularly fantastic. Some acts in the late 1950s and 1960s used double bass, which thunders through the vinyl and sounds mind-blowing. OOOOOXÊNTE! is one of 2 LPs that Moura Jr. recorded for Philips. 

Moura Junior's second LP was called Embolabalanço. It was more understated than OOOOOXÊNTE!, with orchestration and slower numbers. This seemed to be a trend at the time. Jackson Do Pandeiro and Ary Lobo also recorded albums in the mid-60s that were jazzier, with more horns and samba numbers. The two albums are both great and very different. Almost shockingly so.

Around the time OOOOOXÊNTE! was recorded, Moura Jr. also had stellar tracks on a compilation with Jackson Do Pandeiro and others called São João Alegre. What Moura Jr. did after his short stint on Philips is a mystery. 

Moura Junior had a thing for the name Maria, which pops on the album over and over. Many rock acts claim to have invented the concept album, but they were being recorded in Brazil as far back as 1958 with Gilvan Chaves' Encantos Do Nordeste. 

At any rate, the songs on this album are great, with a lot going for it. A total classic. Like many 60s Philips LPs from Brazil, particularly for forró artists, tracking down copies may take a while.

Moura Junior - Os Olhos Da Cabocla from OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)

Moura Junior - Mariazinha from OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)

Moura Junior - Eu Sou De Menor from OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)

Moura Junior - Espera Maria from OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)



Moura Junior - Colo De Maria from OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)

Moura Junior - OOOOOXÊNTE! - Philips (1962)

Trio Nagô - Capoeira (y Roberto Luna) - RCA (1968), Solidão from Chansons du Folklore Brésilien - Decca (195_), Baião Do Chofer from Aquarela Cearense - Sinter (1954)

Trio Nagô are part of a tradition of vocal combos performing baião songs that existed from the 1940s until the 1960s. This style seemed to die off as performers like Ary Lobo and Jackson do Pandeiro defined the new style of forró (and baião) beginning in the mid-1950s. This post spans the career of Trio Nagô, with selections from the mid-50's through their stunning Capoeira single from 1968. The growth of the group, as well as the evolving sound of the times, is evident in all of these recordings. Although Capoeira is more immediate and captivating as a performance and production piece, I love the casual grace of Solidão. They are exceptional because they are so drastically different and captivating in their own right.

Trio Nagô y Roberto Luna - Capoeira from compacto simples - RCA (1968)

Trio Nagô - Solidão from Chansons du Folklore Brésilien - Decca (195_)

Trio Nagô - Baião Do Chofer from Aquarela Cearense - Sinter (1954)

Trio Nagô y Roberto Luna - Capoeira compacto simples - RCA (1968)

Trio Nagô - Chansons du Folklore Brésilien - Decca (195_)

Trio Nagô - Aquarela Cearense - Sinter (1954)

Jacinto Silva - 6 selections from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - 6 selections from Cantando - CBS (1965)

I usually try to cherry pick the best tracks from forró albums and transfer them in the highest possible quality. With Jacinto Silva's trilogy of 60s albums, that is nearly impossible to do. Highly collectible and justly revered, these albums are killers and probably rank amongst the 30 best forró albums of all time. After 15 seconds of Côco Do M, you know exactly why Jacinto Silva is a godzilla of the genre. He skips the salad and goes straight for the meat. When he played a gig, I bet there wasn't an empty spot on the floor.

Jacinto Silva - Côco Do M from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Côco Sincopado from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - No Pinicado from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Rabo De Saia from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - O Cantador from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Pra Rapaziada from Cantando - CBS (1965)

Jacinto Silva - Cantando - CBS (1965)

Venâncio & Curumba - Gavião & Cadeia Da Vila from 78rpm - Todamerica (1954)

Venâncio & Curumba - Gavião from 78rpm - Todamerica (1954)


Venâncio & Curumba - Cadeia Da Vila from 78rpm - Todamerica (1954)




I am particularly proud of this post. In some ways, making songs like these available to the world is what forróLPgringo is all about. These songs have not been reissued. It is likely that there was not a repressing after the initial 78 rpm pressing in 1954. 60 years later, some of this music faces extinction unless folks work to preserve it.

This 78 was in rough shape with quite a few skips. Fortunately, I was able to edit together two complete, skip-free tracks. I realize I have a blog about vinyl and shellac*, but I honestly prefer CDs. My feeling for vinyl vacillates between relief if the record plays well and exasperation when an expensive record skips. I expect skips more than smooth players, especially when records are 50+ years old.

Vinyl is noisy, fussy and fragile. 78s are even worse. Often, one can fix skipping vinyl by reverse playing over scratches with an old needle, as long as they aren't the dreaded diagonal variety, thanks to the fact that vinyl is fairly soft and somewhat pliable. 78 rpms are almost never fixable, although applying more pressure with the stylus can solve certain problems. 

At any rate, if all of this music existed on CD, I doubt that I would have started this blog. I fell in love with vintage forró recordings enough to want to own and preserve the music in the highest quality form possible and introduce some of it to English speakers. This particular 78rpm by Venâncio & Curumba does not exist in the digital world, even in Brazil. I feel that I owe it to the artists and fans to make this music available, even if it is expensive and time consuming. It's a shame that they couldn't make more money from their recordings in their lifetime. Both of these artists passed on many years ago.

Below is some Pro Tools work that I did on Cadela Da Vila. Gavião also had some rough spots, but they weren't quite as problematic. Luckily, the band was excellent and steady and there was plenty of repetition in parts. These transfers aren't perfect, but at least the world can hear these guys in their lively, pre-vinyl, 78rpm shellac glory without annoying pops and distracting skips.

Cadela Da Vila being repaired in the digital hospital.

*78 rpms were pressed on shellac until the more durable vinyl replaced it.

Jota Lima - Novo Nordeste from O Novo Nordeste - Musicolor (1970)

Jota Lima - Novo Nordeste from O Novo Nordeste - Musicolor (1970)

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This is a little bonus post from this rare 1970 LP by Jota Lima. What makes this LP stand out, aside from the gallant lead vocals by Lima, are the unusual backing vocals, which sound like they would be more at home on a 60s pop record than your typical forró LP. It would have been great to be a fly on the wall when some of these LPs were produced. With some exceptions, we are only left with the final vinyl and none of the stories about the making of these glorious records.

Jota Lima - O Novo Nordeste - Musicolor (1970)

Jota Lima / Branca - Lindo Papel from O Novo Nordeste / 1 Festival Da Musica Nordestina - Musicolor (1970) / RCA 1971

Jota Lima - Lindo Papel from O Novo Nordeste - Musicolor (1970)

 

Branca - Lindo Papel from 1º Festival Da Musica Nordestina - RCA Camden (1971)

This week, I am stoked to present 2 versions of a great song, Lindo Papel, from two heavy, classic rare forró LPs. Jota Lima's O Novo Nordeste is one of the scarcest albums, on the level of José Bezerra and a handful of others who managed to deliver a classic without achieving massive notoriety when the LP was released. The production of O Novo Nordeste has a gorgeous gooey sound with great backing vocals. Lima has one of the most dramatic voices in forró, but manages to deliver without sounding sickly or schmaltzy. Branca also sounds like she is giving the performance of her life. While the production on 1 Festival Da Musica Nordestina is not quite as dramatic, Branca's voice is classically, and masterfully, husky Brazilian. It's rare to hear two great versions of any song in any genre. Each artist truly made Lindo Papel his and her own. Jota Lima released at least one more LP in 1975. Branca's future after her appearance on 1 Festival Da Musica Nordestina in 1971 is a mystery. Nothing has surfaced from her outside of this one recording.

Jota Lima - O Novo Nordeste - Musicolor (1970)

1 Festival Da Musica Nordestina - RCA (1971)

Venâncio e Curumba - Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964) - reissue Premier (1969)

Venâncio e Curumba - Nossa Saudação from Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964) Premier (1969)




Venâncio e Curumba - Quando Chego Numa Sala from Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964) Premier (1969)



Venâncio e Curumba - Minha Bahia from Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964) Premier (1969)



Venâncio e Curumba - Sulandá from Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964) Premier (1969)



Over the years that I have collected Brazilian music, I have been searching for a variety of musical missing links that connect artists from various periods to their influences. My first question, years ago, was where did Gilberto Gil learn his wild, breakneck rhythmic style from the Tropicalia records? Learning about Gil led me to Luiz Gonzaga, who led me to Jackson do Pandeiro and Genival Lacerda. Once I started learning more about the history of forró, I wondered who influenced Jackson and Genival, outside of Gonzaga. It is likely that some great Brazilian regional music that was played live on the radio went undocumented, but Venâncio e Curumba had a considerable recording career before and concurrently with Jackson, Genival and Ary Lobo. Their songs were covered and adopted by many of the early forró artists, and their mix of comedy and music was a template for the careers of Jackson do Pandeiro, Genival Lacerda, Ary Lobo and Luiz Wanderley.

Pagodeando No Côco by Venâncio e Curumba (sometimes spelled Corumba), is a brilliant, joyful forró and northeastern samba LP that is killer from beginning to end. This is rare in a genre like forró, when the listener is lucky to get one classic per album. Pagodeando No Côco is truly is one of the greatest Brazilian records of all time. Like Jackson Do Pandeiro's O Dono Do Forró or Alegria do Norte, Pagodeando No Côco was recorded at a special moment late in the career of Venâncio e Curumba. At the time, Venâncio was 55 and Curumba was 50. This is poignant, because Pagodeando No Côco was the final recording by the duo. After fourteen 78rpm records and one LP, they decided to call it quits 4 years later in 1968, after 40 years together.

On top of being radio stars, humorists and prolific performers, Venâncio e Curumba were also skilled writers. The songwriting on Pagodeando No Côco is exemplary and the recording is beautiful. It truly showcases artists at the top of their craft. The two LPs, from 1964 and 1969, have identical songs and content. Only the covers and labels are different. Venâncio e Curumba's two most well known hits, Último Pau-De-Arara and O Boi Na Cajarana, may pop up on a later entry. I'd love to track down the 78 rpm records if anyone has one or two lying around...

Biographical information retrieved from http://www.dicionariompb.com.br/venancio-e-corumba

Venâncio e Curumba - Pagodeando No Côco - Audio Fidelity (1964) - original issue 

Venâncio e Curumba - Pagodeando No Côco - Premier (1969) reissue

Venâncio e Curumba - Chuleado Da Vovó - se apresentando no Som Brasil de 1982. 

This was originally posted by Ricardo Almeida, in 2007. He deserves the credit and the thank you for originally posting this! On YouTube, his video was only playing through one speaker. I tried cleaning up the colors a bit, but I was only moderately successful. Chuleado Da Vovó is from a 1982 television show. The duo had broken up in 1968 after a career that spanned , This was 14 years after that. Venâncio was 73 e Curumba was 68.

Venâncio e Curumba. image retrieved from http://www.onordeste.com/onordeste/enciclopediaNordeste/index.php?titulo=Ven%C3%A2ncio+e+Corumba&ltr=v&id_perso=2774

Djalma Pires - Forró Em Caruaru from Sucesso Tranquilo - RGE (1971)

Djalma Pires - Forró Em Caruaru from Sucesso Tranquilo - RGE (1971)

This LP was a nice surprise. Most of the music from this blog comes directly from Brazil and occasionally Discogs / eBay. I have never walked into a record store, even in New York City, and found anything forró until I lucked upon this. Djalma Pires is mainly a samba and MPB star, but tucked away on Sucesso Tranquilo is a fantastic and unusual version of Forró Em Caruaru. 

Djalma Pires - Forró Em Caruaru from Sucesso Tranquilo - RGE (1971)

Genival Lacerda - Cõco De Roda from Eu Vou prá Lua compacto duplo - Mocambo (1962)

Genival Lacerda - Cõco De Roda from Eu Vou prá Lua compacto duplo - Mocambo (1962)

Genival Lacerda had been recording 78 rpm records since 1956 but did not appear on vinyl until this promotional compacto from Mocambo. Like the similar compacto duplos on Mocambo from Luiz Wanderley, Eu Vou Prá La and Tomaram O Meu Amor (an LP previously featured on this blog) are his only vinyl compilations of his 78 period. They cover MOST of Lacerda's work on shellac, but, maddeningly, not all.

Genival Lacerda - Eu Vou prá Lua compacto duplo - Mocambo (1962)

Benedito Nunes - Trabalha Paulista from compacto duplo - Continental (1972)

Benedito Nunes - Trabalha Paulista from compacto duplo - Continental (1972)

It's probably fair to call Benedito Nunes' version of Trabalha Paulista an early 1970s forró / baião classic. An earlier version (perhaps the first) was recorded by Luiz Wanderley. It was likely a 78rpm, although I can not find an exact date of that release. It appeared on Wanderley's 1961 LP O Forró Do. Benedito Nunes' version was released as a compacto simples and duplo. 

Benedito Nunes - Trabalha Paulista from compacto duplo - Continental (1972)

Luiz Gonzaga - O Xote Das Meninas from A História Do Nordeste - RCA (1953)

Luiz Gonzaga - O Xote Das Meninas from A História Do Nordeste - RCA (1953)

I'm long overdue for a Luiz Gonzaga post. Gonzaga is credited for launching the genre that this blog is dedicated to. His rich catalog, which I have barely featured, is full of classics. 

This early 10" compilation contains some of his greatest 78 rpm records. The selection is tasteful and smart. Four songs are from 1953: Saudade de Pernambuco, O Xote das Meninas, O ABC do Sertão and Algodão & four tunes that pre-date the release of this 10", including: Asa Branca from 1947, Paraîba & Respeita Januário from 1950 and Acauã from 1952. A História Do Nordeste is a great example of Gonzaga's best early work. 

10" records, like this one, are typically easier to find outside of Brazil than 12" forró LPs from the 1960s and 70s. Although it seems like these records may have been exported more widely before 1959, forró did not have an international glory period like Bossa Nova. It's possible that the Golpe de 64, or military coup of 1964, may have shut the door on the possibility, but it's more likely that the lack of affluent promotion of forró, aside from the Tropicalia participants, meant that the music was to remain trapped in Brazil. One might argue that even Tropicalia wasn't well-known internationally until recently, when it was popularized in the late 1980s by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label and imported by stores like Other Music in New York City in the 1990s and later by Dusty Groove in Chicago.

Xote is a rhythmic style in forró. Most later xotes were slow, with an oompa-oompa polka-like backing beat. Gonzaga's O Xote Das Meninas (The Xote Girls) is lively and upbeat. 

Luiz Gonzaga - O Xote Das Meninas from A História Do Nordeste - RCA (1953)

Aloisio Gomes E Seu Conjunto - Forró do Zé Preá from Miabufelei - AMC Beverley (1972)

Aloisio Gomes E Seu Conjunto - Forró do Zé Preá from Miabufelei - AMC Beverley (1972)

Forró do Zé Preá is a freight train-of-a-song from Aloisio Gomes, sometimes spelled Aluizio. There is no firm release date on the LP, but several sources have claimed this came out in 1972, which makes sense based on the weight of the cover, label logos and weight of the vinyl. Forró do Zé Preá seemed like a good follow up to my former post by Walmir Silva. Some forró artists, like Silva and Genival Lacerda, have recorded songs at breakneck speed. Few have matched the thunderous energy of Forró do Zé Preá, which must get the ground cracking with heat on the dancefloor.

Aloisio Gomes E Seu Conjunto - Forró do Zé Preá from Miabufelei - AMC/Beverly (1972) 

Aloisio Gomes - retrieved from http://www.forroemvinil.com/desafio-quem-e-6/

Walmir Silva - Chorei, Não Choro Mais from Vida de Circo - Cactus (1981)

Walmir Silva - Chorei, Não Choro Mais from Vida de Circo - Cactus (1981)

I can't decide if I think that this is one of the best or worst forró LP covers of all time, but I am leaning towards best. Chorei, Não Choro Mais is an excellent, cooking track reminiscent of the best work of Aloisio Gomes. Silva released quite a few LPs which are still fairly easy to track down in Brazil. 

Walmir Silva - Chorei, Não Choro Mais from Vida de Circo - Cactus (1981)

Jacinto Silva - Chega Prá Lá Mané from Quero Ver Rodar - CBS (1968)

Jacinto Silva - Chega Prá Lá Mané from Quero Ver Rodar - CBS (1968)

Jacinto Silva, with his breathless, brilliant phrasing, is one of the all-time greats. "Chega Prá Lá Mané has all of his signature greatness and a great back beat, but is more relaxed than some of the most blistering côco songs from Silva's CBS LPs. This EP / compacto contained 4 songs unavailable in any other format.

Jacinto Silva - Chega Prá Lá Mané from Quero Ver Rodar - CBS (1968)

Jackson do Pandeiro - O Povo Falou from O Sucesso Do Momento - Philips (1960)

Jackson do Pandeiro - O Povo Falou from O Sucesso Do Momento - Philips (1960)

After about 6 years on Columbia and multiple classic records, Jackson do Pandeiro and his wife, Almira Castilho moved to Philips and were poised to take over the world... or at least Brazil. Almira appeared in at least 8 films in the 1950s and 1960s. She was also credited with writing many of Jackson's classic songs, but it was actually Jackson using her as a pseudonym. O Sucesso Do Momento was a promotional only compacto. Why it wasn't available officially, like many compactos from Brazil full of excellent exclusive material, is a mystery unique to the music business of Brazil. Additionally, it's a mystery that Jackson's Philips catalog has never been reissued. Perhaps the resurgence of interest in forró happened well after an exhaustive CD reissue program would have been profitable. 

Jackson do Pandeiro - O Povo Falou from O Sucesso Do Momento - Philips (1960)

Jackson do Pandeiro - O Sucesso Do Momento - Philips (1960)

Isaura Garcia - Zé Do Contra from self titled - RCA (1952)

Isaura Garcia - Zé Do Contra from self titled - RCA (1952)

This is a nice rarity from Isaura Garcia and it's also one of the earliest tunes that I have published on this blog. This song feels like a bridge between the brilliant Carmen Miranda and Marinés, who did not enter the scene until a few years later. The cover of Zé Do Contra is quite funny, with Isaura looking ultra-conservative, because it doesn't seem like a lady this tame looking should be able to cook so much on record... but she does.

Isaura Garcia - Zé Do Contra from self titled - RCA (1952)