Gordurinha - Rio, Nossa Amizade from compacto - Copacabana (1960s)

It has been too long since I revisited Gordurinha. His recording output only spanned about 5 years and ended in 1963. In that short time, he released a fair number of singles and LPs. By 1969, Gordurinha had passed on from a heart attack brought on by an overdose. Like Borrachinha, Luiz Wanderley, Jackson do Pandeiro and Genival Lacerda, Gordurinha combined humor with distinctive northeastern melodies. He became a celebrated writer and performer during his short recording life.

The song featured here is one of his rarest. Rio, Nossa Amizade was never released in any other format other than compacto. It was never reissued. It is likely that this was one of his final recordings. 78rpm records were still being released in Brazil in 1963, but compactos and LPs were beginning to take over as the preferred format. 

Gordurinha - Rio, Nossa Amizade from compacto - Copacabana (1960s)

Gordurinha - Rio, Nossa Amizade compacto - Copacabana (1960s)

Jorge Veiga - Almerinda & Sétimo Céu from Samba + Samba = RCA Victor (1965)

From the moment Jorge Veiga's vocals kick in on Almerinda, you're hooked. Technically, both songs are samba and not forró. However, what Veiga was doing in the mid-1960s is similar in quality and sound to what Jackson do Pandeiro and Ary Lobo were producing at the same time. Interestingly, few forró artists flirted with samba after the mid-1960s. Artistically, I am always fond of stirring the pot. Crossover might be confusing for fans with closed minds, but it is often fruitful and beneficial to the music. 

Jorge Veiga - Almerinda from Samba + Samba = RCA Victor (1965) 

Jorge Veiga - Sétimo Céu from Samba + Samba = RCA Victor (1965) 

Jorge Veiga - Samba + Samba = RCA Victor (1965) 

Zé do Baião - Antoninho Pizada & Azulão Da Mata from 78rpm - Continental (1958)

The more forró and baião that I collect, the more the names Venâncio e Corumba pop up. Antoninho Pizada and Azulão Da Mata were written by those masters of song and beautifully performed by Zé do Baião. Both sides are great but Antoninho Pizada, surprisingly, is the b-side. This strongly phrased tune is, to me, the standout track.  Zé Do Baião continued performing into the 1970s. His discographies are incomplete. Judging by the available information, he recorded 5 LPs and 4 78rpm shellacs. Wikipedia asserts that he stopped performing in 1980 and is alive and well at the ripe old age of 86. A listing on forroemvinil notes that his last LP was released in 1982, which contradicts the assertion that he retired in 1980. Hopefully, with time, a more definitive biography and discography will appear.

Zé do Baião - Antoninho Pizada from 78rpm - Continental (1958)

Zé do Baião - Azulão Da Mata from 78rpm - Continental (1958)

Zé do Baião - Antoninho Pizada from 78rpm - Continental (1958)

Zé do Baião - Azulão Da Mata from 78rpm - Continental (1958)

Zé Do Baião

Volta Sêca - Sabino E Lampeão (Xaxado) & A Laranjeira (Baião) from Cantigas De Lampeão - Todamerica (1957)

This week, I feature an awesome vintage 10" LP from Volta Sêca on the rare Todamerica label. Mysterious and earthy, this LP connects to deep folklore, like the music of Gilvan Chaves, João do Vale and Luiz Gonzaga, who were all recording great music in the mid-1950s. Luiz Gonzaga, the founder of the genre, based much of his sound and image on the legendary past. While forró and baião would go on celebrating and sentimentalizing a lost era, something about the magic of records made in the 1950s is most distinctive. Part of the reason may be that the music reached a level of fidelity that allowed the music sound modern. At any rate, Cantigas De Lampeåo (Lampião) is a classic of the genre.

Volta Sêca - Sabino E Lampeão (Xaxado) from Cantigas De Lampeão - Todamerica (1957) 

Volta Sêca - A Laranjeira (Baião) from Cantigas De Lampeão - Todamerica (1957) 

Volta Sêca - Cantigas De Lampeão - Todamerica (1957)