Bando Da Lua - Nega Do Cabelo Duro (1949) from Nos EUA - MCA (1975)

Although maracatu rhythms cross over into forró, generally it is much more common in samba. I am bending the rules this week. Banda Da Lua were Carmen Miranda's backing group. One of her stipulations when traveling to work in the United States was to keep her Brazilian backing band. This was a good call, because it would have been impossible for most North American musicians to match the grooves and close harmonies provided by Bando Da Lua.

Along with backing Miranda on her records, Bando Da Lua put out singles in Brazil and in the United States. The group remained active in the United States until Carmen Miranda's death in 1955. Aloysio De Oliveira was involved in the formation of the famous bossa nova label Elenco. José Oliveira was the voice of the Disney character Zé (short for José) Carioca. This character had a few roles in Disney cartoons, but was even more popular as a comic book character in Brazil and South America. 

Nega Do Cabelo Duro is a relatively famous song in Brazil, but Bando Da Lua's version is less well known. It was covered by Astrid Gilberto, Elis Regina and multiple other acts. I am not certain which act recorded it first.

Bando Da Lua - Nos EUA - MCA (1975)

Clemilda - Eu Vou Tambem from Eu Vou Tambem - MusiColor (1975)

The classic period of forró begins to morph in the mid-1970s. Carimbo and disco influences begin to weave into the sound. Gradually, drum kits were added until they become ubiquitous in the 1980s. Eu Vou Tambem is pure old school forró with clean, belting 1970s production featuring some of the best session musicians of the era. 1975 seems like the end of that era, in retrospect. The quality of the productions and songwriting seemed to wane around 1976. 

Curiously, there are a lot of 1970s forró album covers featuring musicians standing in a park or on a median in the bushes staring at the sun. Tight Budgets?

Clemilda - Eu Vou Tambem - MusiColor (1975)

Coronel Ludru - Sanfoneiro Do Bom from Coronel Ludru - Musicolor (1975)

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. 

Coronel Ludru - Coronel Ludru - Musicolor (1975)

Terezinha - Só Danço Com (côco) from Seleção Nordestina - Dex (1975)

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. 

Seleção Nordestina - Dex (1975)

Eliana - São João Na Ribeira from São João na Cidade - Tropicana (1975)

The artist Eliana is new to me. It is possible that this is a different spelling of the female singer Eliane. The earliest recorded work that I can find from "Eliane" is five years after the release of this coletânea, so it is possible that this is a one-off. São João Na Ribeira is a fine example of the arrasta-pé, a galloping style which literally means "foot drag." I believe that this applies to the dance step more than the rhythm. Perhaps more will surface from Eliana in the future.

São João na Cidade - Tropicana (1975)

Zé Do Rojão e Zezitinho dos 8 Baixos - Ogum De Roda & Sem Amor Não Sou Ninguem from Forró na Fazenda Nova - Premier (1975)

The songs below, from the LP Forró na Fazenda Nova by Zé Do Rojão e Zezitinho dos 8 Baixos, are recent discoveries. The music has it all. Killer mid-70s production, a great band featuring Zezitinho and fantastic vocals by Zé Do Rojão. Sadly, Zé Do Rojão never got a solo record other than this one. Ogum De Roda, a standout, was written by Zé Do Rojão. It manages to be haunting and energetic. 

Zé Do Rojão e Zezitinho dos 8 Baixos - Ogum De Roda from Forró na Fazenda Nova - Premier (1975) 

Zé Do Rojão e Zezitinho dos 8 Baixos - Sem Amor Não Sou Ninguem from Forró na Fazenda Nova - Premier (1975) 

Zé Do Rojão e Zezitinho dos 8 Baixos - Forró na Fazenda Nova - Premier (1975) 

Azulão da Bahia / Jackson do Pandeiro - Minha Zebelê from Nossas Raizes - Alvorada (1974) & Tráz Elas Prá Cá - Tropicana Cantagalo (1975)

Jackson do Pandeiro often creates definitive interpretations of forró material through his brilliance with rhythm, melodic variation and arrangement. Minha Zebelê is an exception. I prefer Azulão da Bahia's recording from one year later. Even through a somewhat thin mix, Azulão da Bahia manages to find a melodic edge, energy and joy in the song that surpasses Jackson do Pandeiro's. 

Azulão da Bahia - Minha Zebelê from Tráz Elas Prá Cá - Tropicana Cantagalo (1975)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Minha Zabelé from Nossas Raizes - Alvorada (1974)

Azulão da Bahia - Tráz Elas Prá Cá - Tropicana Cantagalo (1975)

Jackson do Pandeiro - Nossas Raizes - Alvorada (1974)

Ju Da Sanfona - O Forró Aqui é Assim from O Forró Aqui é Assim Volume 1 - Rozenblit Passarela (1975)

O Forró Aqui é Assim from Ju Da Sanfona is a classic LP full of smooth vocals and tongue twisting lyrics. 

Ju Da Sanfona - O Forró Aqui é Assim from O Forró Aqui é Assim Volume 1 - Rozenblit Passarela (1975) 

Ju Da Sanfona - O Forró Aqui é Assim from O Forró Aqui é Assim Volume 1 - Rozenblit Passarela (1975) 

Carrapeta - Molho De Murupy from Carimbolando compacto duplo - CBS (1975)

Carrapeta - Molho De Murupy from Carimbolando compacto duplo - CBS (1975)

After releasing one album on Fontana in the late 1960s, Carrapeta resurfaced at the tail end of the glory period of CBS forró in the mid-1970s with a highly regarded promotional compacto EP and LP. The carimbo genre crossed over into forró in the 1970s, thanks to artists like Pinduca. Molho De Murupy is a cool throbber with a funky groove and pained vocal. This distinct sound continued to pop up on subsequent records by other artists, most notably by Os 3 Do Nordeste.

Carrapeta - Carimbolando compacto duplo - CBS (1975)

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.
iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/J55b-VW5ivw

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)

Trio Mossoró – Me Case Mamãe from Forró do Velho Inácio - Copacabana/Som 1975

Trio Mossoró – Me Case Mamãe from Forró do Velho Inácio - Copacabana/Som 1975

This is the first appearance by the Trio on my blog. The group began in 1956 and recorded their first album in 1962, followed by multiple LPs and compactos on a variety of labels. The Marinês-flavored Me Case Mamãe is an exceptional Trio Mossoró tune on SOM, a label that did not typically release forró. Trio Mossoró also shared lead vocals, which was equally atypical for this genre.

Click on the video above to play the song.

iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/MWaw-VbmicY

Trio Mossoró / 1965 from forroemvinil

Abdias - Forró em Petrolina & Botão Variado from Botão Variado - CBS 1975

Abdias - Forró em Petrolina from Botão Variado - CBS 1975

Click on the video above to play the song.

iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/lCvw3oB6r-Q

Abdias - Botão Variado from Botão Variado - CBS 1975

Click on the video above to play the song.

iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/X0fcAkSl010

Abdias blew the doors off on Botão Variado. Forró em Petrolina had it all: a catchy riff, gutsy delivery and great production. The song was written by the illustrious performer / songwriter team Dominguinhos and Anastácia. They recorded at least one version of it, but Abdias's casual, off-the-cuff, rip-roaring take is definitive. There is nothing like a tight band in a good room. The audible clicking and clacking sounds are the buttons on Abdias's oito baixos accordion, which was usually buried in the mix.  The 'noise' adds a bit of intimacy. In an era of overly clean recordings (which started in the 80s with forró), Forró em Petrolina is proof that ambient noise, or noise in general, can add a lot of life to a record. The song references the city of Petrolina, nestled in western Pernambuco off of the São Francisco river. For some reason, the riff reminded me of a sea chanty. I would have sworn that the song was about the ocean when I first heard it. Botão Variado (Bau – Ivan Bulhões) is a driving instrumental from the same LP.

Abdias dos Oito Baixos & CBS direção artística

Jackson do Pandeiro - Aquilo Bom acústico (1977) & Um A Um ao vivo com Dominguinhos (1975)

I swiped 2 bonus treats lodged in a short Jackson do Pandeiro documentary on YouTube (thank you Arquivo N).  Most of the documentary featured common footage of Jackson from his 1972 MPB Special. 2 short color performances were stunning and seemed to capture Jackson at his magical best.

 Click on the video above to hear the song.
iOS? Click here: http://youtu.be/XBfffSo762c 

This 1977 clip is probably my all-time favorite Jackson video.  It’s only 30 seconds, but showcased Jackson’s skill on the acoustic guitar. The song, Aquilo Bom, was from Jackson’s 1961 album Ritmo, Melodia e a Personalidade de. This video incorrectly credits Luiz Gonzaga's & Severino Ramos' Aquilo Bom. This Aquilo Bom was written by Jackson with José Batista. The original version was fully produced and sounded very different from the version that you hear in the video. I had never seen Jackson play guitar before. Sadly, it’s doubtful that he was extensively filmed performing acoustic versions of his songs like he was in this clip, which is a shame, because you see how masterful the king of rhythm really was.

 

 Click on the video above to hear the song.
iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/vnnmGzUWDRU

The second clip, Um a Um, is from a glitzy 1975 variety show. This song was originally a hit for Jackson do Pandeiro in 1951. Most film clips that I’ve seen from Jackson fail to match the power of his records, but this one had the energy. Dominguinhos, a brilliant songwriter, accordionist and star in his own right, seemed to be having a ball in the background. Notice that Jackson was holding his pandeiro instead of playing it.  I believe that he was unable to play since his car accident in the late 60s. Since then, pandeiro duty was covered by Cícero from Jackson’s band, Borborema.  I believe that you can see Cícero lurking in the shadows.

Jackson do Pandeiro with acoustic guitar playing Aquilo Bom