Maraca was the great independent forró compacto (single) label of the 1960s. As far as I am aware, they never released 78rpm records and only pressed three LPS, As Mais Do Nordeste (a collection of previously issued singles), a gaucho LP by Cachoeira E Cachoeirinha and a Marinalva album. It seems that the Marinalva LP never made it past the test pressing stage. Final LPs with Maraca labels exist, but none with a Maraca sleeve. As 12 Mais Do Nordeste was issued twice, once with an earlier label and later with an updated one. Sebastião Silva's Congá Do Bomfim may be one of the great compacto classics from Maraca. Luckily, it was issued as both a single and re-released on this LP. Like all Maraca compactos, the original is quite scarce.
Côco Da Roseira is another epic 78rpm saved from extinction by one of a handful of compilations from the 1960s and early 1970s. Jota Fonseca was amazing and straddled the line between the end of the 78rpm and final acceptance of vinyl as primary format for music. 1962 is fairly late for a new 78rpm release in any territory.
Sucessos Dos Maiores Cantores Nordestinos - Premier (1973)
A chattery vintage samba is nice way to start December. Although this is not forró, it is easy to hear how subtle the difference was between the genres could be. This was especially true for Jackson Do Pandeiro, who was a master at both styles. Mina Palhoça stands up and fits in with many of the tunes uploaded to this blog.
Francisco Barreto - Oh! Meu Imenso Amor - Disco Lar (1970)
Carlos Diniz's short career seems to be confined to the 1960s. The Dicionário Cravo Albin Da Musica Popular Brazileira lists his first release as a 78rpm on Chantecler in 1960 followed by 5 more on Mocambo over the next four years. Many of these appeared on the Mocambo coletânea LP series called Viva São João, but the 1963 release Côco Do Tibiribe, is on a one-off Mocambo LP called Nordeste Cabra Da Peste. Côco Do Tibiribe is a joyful slice of northeastern côco that seems strikingly similar to Jacinto Silva's 1965 CBS classic Puxa o Fole Zé from Ritmo Explosivo.
Thanks to his status as forró boss and A&R man at CBS, Abdias' Segura O Pé De Bode LP is one of at least 17 LPs Abdias recorded for CBS between 1965 and 1977. This does not include releases for labels before and after this period. His catalog is formidable. Although excellent, many of his albums a purely instrumental. Fiz Pra Você is a lively number featuring bandolim. I believe this group backed many of the forró recording stars that came to CBS studios, although Jackson do Pandeiro chose to keep his own musicians after one session.
It was a challenge to find information related to the original release of É Crime Não Saber Ler by Zacarias, although there is a mention of the tune on Dicionário Carvo Albin Da Musica Popular Brasileira stating that it was released in 1961 and penned by Zacarias himself. However, this discografia mixes two completely different Zacarias artists. The forró Zacarias is not the same person as Zaccarias the guitarist. Sucessos Dos Maiores Cantores Nordestinos is a compilation of out of print 78 rpm singles from a variety of late 50s and early 60s northeastern heavy hitters. This LP compilation came out in 1973. Like Carlos Galindo, Zacarias was another artist with no retrospective LP or CD collection of his original work from his 78 rpm period. He only appears on two compilation LPs.
Sucessos Dos Maiores Cantores Nordestinos - Premier (1973)
Clemilda may be the second most prolific forró star next to Marinés. Like Marinés, who was married to Abdias, Clemilda was linked to Gerson Filho. They recorded a number albums together, beginning with this one in 1967. In 1968, RCA issued Clemilda's first solo album. Maria Ô Ô, from her first appearance on vinyl with Gerson Filho, is a great little pop song with a vocal train sound featured in the chorus. It is unfortunate that forró was trapped in Brazil, because we have not only missed out on great music, but great pop music.
Mocambo released amazing singles in the 1950s through the 1950s. Arrasta-Pé Em Caruaru is packed with good songs, including São Jorge from Hélio Lacerda and Só Gosto De Um Amor Só by Nerize Paiva, featured here in March of 2018. Although these songs were also released on vinyl as 33 1/3 speed 7" compacto singles, pressings were usually small and these might be impossibly rare if it wasn't for compilations like this one.
Compilations like Pau De Sebo, started in 1968 by CBS, contained original material. It is possible that they wanted to offer a sampling of contemporary artists or didn't have a back catalog of forró to complete with other labels. Fontana released compilations with old and new material. Mocambo and Rozenblit consistently used material from their considerable back catalog. We are fortunate that they did. These are essential historical documents, especially when they featured 78rpm singles. Arrasta-Pé Em Caruaru is a strong LP, thanks to the number of strong songs.
I got into forró after discovering the sound via Gilberto Gil weaved throughout Tropicalia. Jackson do Pandeiro, the king of forró along with Luiz Gonzaga, was one of Gil's touted heroes. However, direct links to the artists that influenced Jackson do Pandeiro is cloudy and indirect. The man was incredibly original. Ataulfo Alves, a friend of Jackson's, recorded O Requebrado Da Mulata in 1968 and, although samba, sounds uncannily like Jackson do Pandeiro's O Dono Do Forró from 1971. This may be one of the missing links to Jackson do Pandeiro's later sound.
Forró do Jackson*, the second album from Jackson do Pandeiro, collects some of Jackson's classic early 78rpms onto a handy, eight song 10" album. The 10" was reissued later as a 12" LP, with No Quebradinho (1958) removed and four different songs added from the 1950s. I chose a lesser known track called Cumpadre João, originally issued on 78rpm in 1958 as the b-side of Meu Enxoval. Both of these songs were available on the reissue but NOT the original 10", along with Forró Em Limoeiro (1953) and Cajueiro (1958). Confusing!
Since all of these songs were relatively short, I am uncertain why songs were swapped and removed. Copacabana Som could have easily included more material. Thanks to several reissues, Forró Do Jackson, is one of the most common Jackson Do Pandeiro albums, although the 10", pressed in the 1950s only, is scarce.
*Note: Forró do Jackson and the 1971 CBS LP, O Donó Do Forró are entirely different LPs with material recorded at very different periods of Jackson do Pandeiro's career.
Jackson Do Pandeiro - Forró Do Jackson - Copacabana Som (1958)
The Manoelito Sena LP featured below is a rather battered reissue of the 1962 original. As I have mentioned before, reissues of full albums are rare in the forró world, with some notable exceptions. This album is decent. Sena's voice is similar to Sebastião do Rojão's. Manoelito Sena recorded a fair number of LPs.
There are lots of winners from the second major wave of forró recordings in the mid-1950s: Ary Lobo, Jackson Do Pandeiro, Walter Damasceno, Gilvan Chaves, Guerra Peixe, Volta Sêca, Jair Alves, Zito Borborema, Marinés and Luiz Vieira. All of these folks began on 78rpm and transitioned to vinyl. Carlos Galindo was not so lucky. He had a considerable number of releases on 78rpm, but nothing on vinyl. Sadly, this means that Galindo's catalog is in serious danger of not being preserved. It is possible that he is the great lost artist of baião. His records are every bit as good, if not better, than many of the artists listed above. The proof is in the pudding! Casa Amarela is a beautifully produced classic.
Carlos Galindo - Casa Amarela (baião) from Todamerica 78rpm (1955)
Os 3 Do Nordeste is one of the great forró acts of the 1970s. Formed by members of Trio Luar Do Sertão, Os 3 Do Nordeste were brought to the attention of CBS division head Abdias by Jackson Do Pandeiro. Although their LPs are somewhat patchy, their albums usually contained 2 or 3 classics each. In some respects, Os 3 Do Nordeste were like a classic singles act in a genre that focused mainly on LPs. Only a few other stars on CBS at the time including Jackson Do Pandeiro and Jacinto Silva, were able to match or surpass them. Forró De Tamanco was written by one of the great composers of 1960s and 1970s forró, Antonio Barros.
Ranchinho Da Alegria is an uncommon LP on a small label called Poema. The incredible Nasci Para Cantar by Cabo Tenôrio is the jewel of the album. Odete Amaral's name name is featured prominently and somewhat confusingly on the cover. Although he seemingly receives top billing, this is various artists compilation. While he is featured on the LP, Amaral did not compose Nasci Para Cantar or tracks for other artists.
Cabo Tenório from Ranchinho Da Alegria - Poema (late 1960s)
Coronel Ludru is a forró artist that I basically counted out entirely. He is primarily known for nasally comedy records from the late 1960s and early 1970s. The badly dated material is reminiscent of Genival Lacerda's (thankfully) sparse comedy output from the late 1960s and early 1970s. That said, Sanfoneiro Do Bom is a nice little nugget hiding on his 1975 self-titled LP. Outside of this tune, it is worth the search for Coronel Ludru to take a gander at his ludicrous and often excellent album covers, but don't expect to find many classic forró songs.
Lots of great records came out of Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s. Unusually, Suas Pastoras e Seus Sucesso, in various forms, got descent distribution outside of Brazil along with other albums from Alves. He was a major influence on Jackson do Pandeiro. There were echoes of Ataulfo Alves' 60s album sounds on O Dono Do Forró, which I will feature here in the coming year. Today, shake a tail to Pai Joaquim d'Angola. Oh Baby....
Ataulfo Alves - Suas Pastoras e Seus Sucessos - Sinter (1958)
Os Cabelos De Maria by Coroné (Coronel) Narcizinho e Sua Gente is one of the major classics of forró. Unusually, Hora Sertaneja has been reissued multiple times. The LP is still popular, arguably on the strength of this track and the way it celebrates the diverse styles of northeastern Brazilian music, including música sertaneja / sertanejo. Sertaneja / sertanejo also called gaucho (cowboy music) is reminiscent of Mexican folk music. The big difference between música sertaneja / sertanejo and forró is rhythm. Forró incorporates multiple rhythms that trace back to African roots, while música sertaneja / sertanejo doesn't. Both genres feel rootsy, but música sertaneja / sertanejo reminds me of great grandparents singing on the porch.
Coroné (Coronel) Narcizinho e Sua Gente -Hora Sertaneja - Discobrás (1970)
Deixei Meu Cariri is a rare compacto-only cut by Jota Fonseca, an artist who may have been slightly lost in the shuffle during the transition from 78rpm to vinyl. While his output is somewhat negligible, his work is well regarded during the period in which the sound of forró exited the old world and entered the new.
In the 1950s, baião was not yet forró. Eventually, the instrumentation, arrangements, and genre would become more tightly defined. The 1950s may be the most experimental decade for baião. Artists added strings, harmony groups incorporated baião rhythms (this began in the 1940s, actually), Gilvan Chaves & Volta Sêca (and later Coroné Narcizinho) infused spoken word storytelling in song and some folks were downright formal by later rootsy genre standards. Jair Alves' Canta O Barão Do Baião may be the most successful melding of baião and classical orchestration. Perhaps more experimental contemporary forró artists will return to Canta O Barão Do Baião for inspiration. It truly is special and unusual.
Jair Alves - Canta O "Barão Do Baião" - RCA (1957)
Like Luiz Wanderley, Vieira has a fantastic and interesting voice. Retalhos Do Nordeste, one of the great LPs during the second wave of forró, has been reissued on vinyl and much of Luiz Vieira's work has been anthologized on LPs and CDs. One of the reasons that I started collecting forró vinyl was because of the paltry amount of reissues on CD. I don't particularly like vinyl. it's fragile, noisy and most forró vinyl was abused or badly pressed. Collecting the genre is frustrating. Viera is one of the few artists during the 1985-2005 big reissue period who had a few remasters here and there, but his classic albums did not get reissued completely on CD, so yet again, I am stuck with the vinyl.
Luiz Vieira - Retalhos Do Nordeste - Copacabana (1958)
Thanks to his official website, Luiz Gonzaga's catalog was the first one that I explored when I started my forró adventures. Little did I know how vast the world of forró really was. Because I had a heavy Gonzaga phase, I don't return to his catalog as much as I should! Zé Buchudo is a track that I didn't play much back then and I've grown to love. It has a really neat descending backing vocal and a wonderful tuba bass line. Like Jackson do Pandeiro, some of Gonzaga's early 70s records rank amongst his best.
Bode Cheiroso sounds more than a bit like Jackson do Pandeiro, but Luiz Wanderley always had a gift for taking forró / baião and making it cook. His catalog is one of the strongest of all of the 50s and 60s forró stars. Wanderley seemed to be an all-around entertainer in his time, with several vamped-up appearances in film available on YouTube.
Some of my YouTube videos for Sebastião do Rojão are the most popular ones on the channel. This is interesting and somewhat surprising. His music is excellent, but I don't know why he would be favored over some of the other major forró stars of his day. The XO Forró compilation LPs are handy, because they assemble great 78rpm singles and rare LP tracks that range from scarce to impossible to find.
Aquarela Nordestina (Northeastern Watercolor) is one of the earliest releases from the long, blessed career of Marinês. Saudades de Campina Grande is a great song, with strong echoes of Luiz Gonzaga while also sounding unlike anything else at the time. There were female forró singers, but many seemed more middle class and polished. Marinês was the real deal. The track was written by Rosil Calvalcanti, who penned a string of still-beloved hits for nearly all of the great singers from the period, including Luiz Gonzaga, Jackson do Pandeiro and Genival Lacerda.
Perez Gonzaga - Toquem Meu Forró from Every Bode, Every Cabra - Caminhada (early 1980s) Although forró albums recorded after 1975 tend to be less rare than earlier LPs, age does not necessarily coincide with scarcity. Take Every Bode, Every Cabra by Perez Gonzaga. The album came out at some point in the 1980s but was released on a tiny label called Caminhada. For some reason, this record does not turn up often for sale, even in Brazil. What makes the album magical and appealing is the featured use of guitar over traditional forró instrumentation. Although the traditional rhythm section is there, Gonzaga's guitar is in the fore. One little change in instrumentation can make an artist stand out. The production is also gorgeous.
Perez Gonzaga - Every Bode, Every Cabra - Caminhada (early 1980s)
Compared to the glory days in the mid-1970s, the number of forró LPs from the early to mid-1960s was more sparse. Perhaps the pressings were smaller or the moment wasn't right, but gradually releases began to become more plentiful. Nino e seu Trio Paranoá's lone LP was released at the beginning of the boom. I don't know much about the artist. This appears to be Nino and his Trio's sole release, although it is possible that individual songs were released on the abundant compilations that began to appear at the end of the 1960s.
Nino e seu Trio Paranoá - Mariazinha from Foguete Baiãno - Chantecler (1968)
It is time for a classic this week! I love Os 3 Do Nordeste, but I have not posted any of their music for a long time. Três Para Xaxá is a supercharged callout and a wonderful recording from the peak of 70s CBS forró.
In the 1950s, remarkable breakthroughs were being made with magnetic tape. This vastly improved the quality of recordings. Walter Damasceno, along with Jackson do Pandeiro, Ary Lobo, Luiz Wanderley, Jair Alves and a number of other artists greatly benefitted from these advancements. Unfortunately, Brazil was a slower to adopt vinyl than the United States and Europe. As a result, there are quite a few artists classified as baião (later forró) who have songs lost to time because they were recorded on 78rpm shellac. 78rpm's are fragile and not many have survived. Very few 78rpm's were exported. Walter Damasceno recorded an LP and several compactos, so he is luckier than someone like Carlos Galindo, who was released exclusively on 78rpm. However, Damasceno's catalog contains 78rpm releases that are much more difficult to locate than his vinyl and were never compiled. The surge of interest in vintage forró in the last 10 years hopefully means that some of this rare music will be preserved. Unfortunately, with the music business being decimated by downloading, it is unlikely that this music will be professionally archived. On a lighter note, forró is one of the few genres that effectively uses tuba as a bass instrument. Jackson do Pandeiro was fond of the instrument and used it quite a bit on his horn heavy tracks. Props to Damasceno or his production team for an inspired choice!
Walter Damasceno - E O Treco Pego (rojão) from Columbia 78rpm (1950s)
Ah, the great Jackson do Pandeiro. He's the man Gilberto Gil called a genius also has the most substantial catalog in all of forró. Vou Buscar Maria comes from his self-titled 1959 Columbia LP. This wasn't one of his biggest hits, but is typical of his atypically excellent work. From Jackson, you often get all killer with no filler.
This particular pressing of the LP is bizarre. It appears to be a reissue on heavy vinyl, but the cover reproduction is unusual. Bootleg, perhaps? Alas, collectors, keep an eye out for reissues of all of Jackson's Columbia era material, although this 1959 album is far less common. His never-reissued Philips period remains his most coveted.
Jackson Do Pandeiro - Jackson do Pandeiro - Columbia (1959)
Só Gosto De Um Amor Só (côco) is a 1965 compacto from Nerize Paiva on the Mocambo label. The song also appeared on the Mocambo compilation LP: Arrasta-Pé Em Caruaru. Beautiful, soulful, gorgeously produced and nicely packaged, Só Gosto De Um Amor Só is a rare female-sung track from tough period in Brazilian history. Classic!
Nerize Paiva - Só Gosto De Um Amor Só (côco) - Mocambo compacto (1965)
Another rarity today from the DEX. Seleção Nordestina was a various artist compilation, called a coletânea. Terezinha's tune is a standout. There are several artists named Terezinha that were recording in this era and I am not sure if this is one that had a recording career beyond this comp. I also heard from a collector friend that DEX was a label for hire, meaning the label would put out records for artists that fronted the money. I cannot verify this at the moment, but would love to know a bit more about the history of this somewhat mysterious label.
This compacto from Os Pernambuquinhos is very obscure. Unfortunately, I have very little information about this act. This compacto was most likely released in the 1960s. As far as I am aware, this is the only release from this group. I would welcome more information. Os Pernambuquinhos - Dois Amores (baião) - Uirapurú compacto (1960s)
There are two different Trio Nordestinos. This version is from Salvador. After the Trio left CBS in the mid 1970s, they recorded primarily for Copacabana throughout the late 70s and early 80s. Unlike aging rock bands, Trio Nordestino seemed to become more rocking, albeit playing forró, over the years. Chinelo De Rosinha is a great example of the band that they became. Trio Nordestino - Chinelo De Rosinha from Os Rouxinhos Da Bahia - Copacabana (1978)
Cabra Valentão is a beautifully produced track by Zito Borborema. O Nordeste Canta is one of the great albums of the short lived 10" album period from the mid to late 1950s. Zito Borborema, Ary Lobo, Jackson do Pandeiro, Jair Alves, Luiz Gonzaga, Zé Gonzaga, Volta Seca, Marinês, Gilvan Chaves and João Mello all have classic 10" (10 Polegadas in Portuguese) albums from this period. Usually, 10" albums were collections of 78 rpm singles. O Nordeste Canta contains exceedingly rare 78s, so it is fortunate that vinyl came along when it did to document these amazing songs. Thank you Samuel for the historical information!
Zito Borborema - Cabra Valentão (rojão) from O Nordeste Canta - RGE (1957)
If you flip over a 1970s forró record, chances are it was produced by one of two people. If it was on CBS, most albums were produced by Abdias. If it was on Tropicana or Cantagalo, Pedro Sertanejo was your man. Both producers were also prolific artists and accordionists. This week, I am featuring Campo Belo from O Bom Baião. This happens to be one of my favorite forró instrumentals ever, and I don't tend to like instrumental tracks. Campo Belo simply glows. Enjoy! Pedro Sertanejo e Seus Meninos - Campo Belo from O Bom Baião - Musicolor (1976)
Pedro Sertanejo e Seus Meninos - O Bom Baião - Musicolor (1976)
Did forró artists ever try to incorporate rock music? The answer is yes, and this very rare EP compacto by Luiz Wanderley was one of the few attempts. I believe the that first forró / rock hybrid, called Baião Rock,was recorded by Jair Alves as a 78rpm in 1957. That tune had more in common with the swing era than rock (although rock owes a lot to swing). Ultimately, I think it was an attempt to cash in on the label "rock" instead of the style and spirit.
Luiz Wanderley does a much better job with Carolina. Interestingly, Carolina isn't a rock song. It's calypso. For those of you who know a little bit about early rock history, calypso was supposed to be the next big craze after rock n' roll. It is documented that pre-Beatle John Lennon attempted to write a calypso tune in 1957 called Calypso Rock. Lennon never recorded this song. This demonstrates the widespread, albeit short term, international mainstream success of calypso.
Carolina is the best rock / calypso hybrid that I have ever heard and is one of my favorite Luiz Wanderley songs. This is quite an accomplishment for an artist primarily known at the time for baião and forró.
Happy New Year!
Luiz Wanderley - Carolina from 78rpm, No Rock compacto & E Seus Grandes Sucessos - Rosicler (1960)
