Walter Damasceno - Maria Do Amparo (baião) from Columbia 78rpm (1950s)

Walter Damasceno and Ary Lobo represented an interesting era in Northeastern Brazilian music. Compared to some of the softer baião singers who recorded middle-of-the-road music, Damasceno and Lobo sounded modern and vital. The United States had a similar period in the 1950s. 50s pop had a marshmallow quality until what we now call rhythm and blues and upbeat country and western helped shape a new vitality for the music. While Ary Lobo's career continued until his death in 1980, Damasceno disappeared in the early 1960s.

Both Damasceno and Lobo lived through a time when the 78rpm was fading and vinyl was on the rise. Damasceno's 78s seem to be rarer than Lobos from this period, depending on the label. Odeon 78s are nearly impossible to find, but most appeared on his lone Odeon LP. He has a short stack of 78s on Columbia and a rare one on CBS. 

Damasceno and Lobo also recorded songs listed as rojão (the a side of this 78), but this does not seem to be a distinct rhythmic form. Songs weren't usually listed this way after the early 1960s. Rojão may simply be slang for upbeat baião or forró tunes.

The tuba sounds amazing. 

Walter Damasceno - Maria Do Amparo (baião) from Columbia 78rpm (1950s)

Luiz Gonzaga - Fogo No Paraná from Sanfona Do Povo - RCA (1964)

Although this is a baião interpretation of the João Do Vale song, Luiz Gonzaga often enjoyed long-winded introductions to his songs. This storytelling style was also popular with other artists, especially Gilvan Chaves in the 1950s. By the time 1964 rolled around, Gonzaga was facing serious competition from Jackson do Pandeiro, Ary Lobo and up-and-comers like Genival Lacerda, Osvaldo Oliveira and Jacinto Silva. Even Gonzaga's protégé, Marinés, was cranking out killer records. Most of these artists went straight for the heart of the song.Luiz Gonzaga's output was still prolific, but not always dazzling. Gonzaga's LPs usually had two or three great songs and a lot of filler, with some exceptions. Fogo No Paraná is a great baião and one of the best tracks on Sanfona Do Povo. It sounds like music from a mythical western with an unmistakable Brazilian groove. I can see why Gonzaga was attracted to Fogo No Paraná, Nobody captured, and in this case interpreted, the mystery and the mythos of the Northeast better than Luiz Gonzaga.

Severino Barros - Cuidado Bento from Aquarela Nordestina - Spot (1969)

Cuidado Bento, by Severino Barros, is another rarity from the 1969 Spot compilation Aquarela Nordestina. This is the only release that I have seen on this label. Severino Barros' recording seems to be limited to Aquarela Nordestina and a later compilation called Cangaceiros Do Nordeste (bandits of the north).