4 Ases e 1 Coringa - Tudo É Baião from RCA Victor 78rpm (1952)

4 Ases e 1 Coringa sound like they belong to another era. They were the bridge between Luiz Gonzaga and the next generation of acts. In the United States, the era of 4 Ases e 1 Coringa also belonged to crooners like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the Mills Brothers. The Brazilians had their own close harmony vocal stylings. These days, DJs are unlikely to spin 4 Ases e 1 Coringa and you won't hear anything like them on the radio. What was once mainstream now sounds completely strange, with a touch of classical polish. I feel that way about a lot of pre-rock n' roll music. Some of the oddest modern recorded music was released between 1950-1960. 

4 Ases e 1 Coringa - Tudo É Baião from RCA Victor 78rpm (1952)

4 Ases e 1 Coringa - Tesouro E Meio (baião) 1951 from Boneca de Pano - RCA (1960 or 1961)

The 4 Ases e 1 Coringa recording of the Luiz Gonzaga composed Tesouro E Meio originally appeared on a 78rpm in 1951. Gonzaga's version was not released until 1956. I assumed that Gonzaga's version was released first, but his recording was not pressed onto shellac until 1956. I am uncertain if Gonzaga played the song on the radio, live or he gave the song to 4 Ases e 1 Coringa to record. Please comment if you know the answer. Tesouro E Meio has a wonderful, bluesy and shadowy chorus sounding like much of Luiz Gonzaga's most wistful and haunting cowboy songs. 

The LP, Boneca De Pano, is a collection of 4 Ases e 1 Coringa 78rpm singles. Their 2nd LP, É Com Esse Que Eu Vou, was credited to their full name written as Quatro Ases E Um Coringa and featured a collection of new recordings. For whatever reason, Boneca De Pano is far less common. 4 Ases e 1 Coringa was written about 4 different ways on releases and is a total pain to search for. They just weren't made for these times.

4 Ases e 1 Coringa - Boneca de Pano - RCA (year unknown)

Luiz Gonzaga - Rosinha (baião) from the Vida De Vaqueiro compacto - RCA (1961)

Luiz Gonzaga's impact on forró and northeastern Brazil is like the invention of electricity. Everything changed after he put the northeastern sound on 78rpm in the early 1940s. His career spanned the 78rpm, compacto, 10" LP, vinyl and CD era. It is amazing that he had such a huge impact on Brazilian music, yet the world is still barely aware of the entire genre. Rosinha appeared on a rare compacto and the LP "Lua" from 1961.

Luiz Gonzaga - Vida De Vaqueiro compacto - RCA (1961)

Ary Lobo - Forró De Piancó from Último Pau De Arara - RCA (1958)

I have been running Forró LP Gringo for nearly 8 years, and this was one of the first releases that I featured in 2012. I became interested in forró in the mid-2000's and stumbled on this through an eBay search a few years later. Almost no one sounded like Ary Lobo and few could match the quality of his records in the 1950s. Although Forró De Piancó begins in a typical Luiz Gonzaga style, as soon as the verse kicks in, the future has arrived.

Ary Lobo - Último Pau De Arara - RCA (1958)

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.

Ary Lobo - Cheguei Na Lua from Cheguei Na Lua - RCA (1961)

Cheguei Na Lua from Ary Lobo's classic LP, Cheguei Na Lua, is another fabulous sounding tune from this RCA reissue series. These CD reissues have become quite scarce except for Forró Com Ary Lobo, which continues to be available and is well worth picking up.

Ary Lobo - Cheguei Na Lua - RCA (1961)

Marinês & Sua Gente - Clareou from Siu Siu Siu - RCA (1964)

Clareou, from Marinês & Sua Gente 1964 RCA LP Siu, Siu, Siu is pulled from a superb 2004 CD reissue. It is somewhat miraculous that these albums were reissued at all. 2004 was five years after Napster when the CD market was beginning to decline. Forró, sadly, has always been a low priority for remastering series. It has been 40+ years since many of the labels had their heyday. Rozenblit's factory suffered a flood that destroyed much of it's archive in 1975. This included Mocambo's considerable and important catalog, which means that is at least one label where any future reissue would need to come from vinyl and shellac. It is becoming more and more important to care for high quality vinyl copies of records that have never been reissued. Luckily, vinyl is far more durable than tape. It was wise of RCA to start a digital archive when it did.

Marinês & Sua Gente - Siu Siu Siu - RCA (1964) 

Ary Lobo - Cosme E O Damião from Ary Lobo - RCA (1962)

Did Ary Lobo know how great he was in his lifetime? Ary Lobo died in 1980. His reputation continues to grow and his records are valuable internationally, which was not true until the last 10 years. One spin of Cosme E O Damião and the reason is clear. 

Ary Lobo - self titled LP - RCA (1962)

Luiz Gonzaga - Xamego from Xamego - RCA (1958)

Luiz Gonzaga was the first forró artist that I explored. His work was available for free on the, now seemingly defunct, official website in the mid-2000s. RCA also released a comprehensive remastered reissue series of most of his work as well. 

Luiz Gonzaga produced a lot of work in his lifetime. Gonzaga was a strong singles artist in the 1940s. When the format became popular, Gonzaga mainly produced LPs. The early releases were collections of singles. Xamego was not. Xamego was the first album of his career that was not released as a 10", but the new 12" format that would become the standard for the subsequent 30 years. 

Some Gonzaga albums plod a bit with too many xotés and bum tracks, but even iffy albums usually have a few good numbers. One thing Luiz Gonzaga was exceptional at doing was pulling out an ace track during flagging periods. His Odeon albums in the 70s may be the most energetic tracks ever recorded by an older artist.

Luiz Gonzaga - Xamego - RCA (1958)

Marinês & Sua Gente - Pra Cha-Cha from Coisas Do Norte - RCA (1963)

Marinês was the only person in all of forró that could wear the crazy Lampião bandit costume and look like a bad ass doing it. Pra Cha-Cha is not from an LP, but the excellent 2004 CD reissue of this classic album. Someone at RCA did a great job with reissues, especially Ary Lobo and Marinês. Unfortunately, they didn't finish the catalog of either of the artists. Luiz Gonzaga also has fine reissues, but his gets a slight demerit because they do not feature the full original LP artwork. Regardless, we have crystal clear remastered versions of these amazing albums. Now, even the CD reissues have become quite scarce. 

Marinês & Sua Gente - Coisas Do Norte - RCA (1963) 

Gerson Filho apresenta Clemilda - Maria Ô Ô - RCA (1967)

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. 

Gerson Filho apresenta Clemilda - RCA (1967)

Jair Alves - Cangote Cheroso from Canta O "Barão Do Baião" - RCA (1957)

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)

Luiz Gonzaga - Forró do Zé Buchudo from Aquilo Bom - RCA (1972)

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.

Luiz Gonzaga - Aquilo Bom - RCA (1972)

Ary Lobo - Sentinela Do Mar from Forró Com - RCA Victor (1958)

1958. I thought that this album was from the mid-1960s, like a similarly titled Ary Lobo album from 1965 called Forró em Calcaia. The fact that this album is from the 1950s is absolutely astonishing. This is an artist who was every bit as vital, exciting and groundbreaking as rock n rollers Little Richard and Chuck Berry were in the United States. Sadly, perhaps because he sang exclusively in Portuguese, Ary Lobo is far less known in North America and Europe. That said, there are indications that his fanbase is growing. Forró Com Ary Lobo is one of the finest and most consistent forró albums ever, paving the way for Jacinto Silva's blistering career in the mid-1960s. Virtually every song on this record is superb. I chose a slightly moody number, Sentinela Do Mar (Sea Sentinel). This song was co-written by one of forró's finest, Alventino Cavalcante. Although the song starts off like many other forró tunes, as soon as Ary Lobo's voice hits, you know that you are hearing something special. Fortunately, this is one of Ary Lobo's easiest to acquire albums thanks to a consistently available CD reissue pressing. Buy it!

Ary Lobo - Sentinela Do Mar from Forró Com - RCA Victor (1958)

Ary Lobo - Forró Com - RCA Victor (1958)

Almirante - Foguinhos (Toada) from A Maior Patente do Rádio - Moto Discos (1986) Victor (1935) & Tudo Em P from Monumento Da MPB - Odeon 78rpm (1938) Fontana (1976)

Much of Almirante's work pre-dates baião, which was first recorded by Luiz Gonzaga in the early 1940s. However, there are elements in earlier recorded Brazilian music that surface in later recordings of forró, samba, bossa nova, Tropicalia and all other musical forms from Brazil. The grooves and melodic beauty are deeply embedded in the culture. Almirante is one of the great Brazilian singer, songwriters and interpreters from the early 20th century. Included here are two ace tracks from separate reissues.

Almirante - Foguinhos (Toada) from A Maior Patente do Rádio - Moto Discos (1986) Victor (1935) 

Almirante - Tudo Em P from Monumento Da MPB - Odeon 78rpm (1938) Fontana (1976) 

Almirante - A Maior Patente do Rádio - Moto Discos (1986) Victor (1935)

Almirante - Monumento Da MPB - Odeon 78rpm (1938) Fontana (1976) 

Jair Alves - Baião Rock (baião) - RCA (1957)

Back in the 1950s, Brazilians were aware of rock and had their own rock stars. The rhythms also seeped into baião, which was the common name for the genre before forró became ubiquitous. There are several records fused rock and baião, although these were mostly in a novelty capacity. Luiz Wanderley tried rock even dipped his toes into calypso, which was marketed in the US shortly after rock hit big. Baião Rock, by Jair Alves, is more big band than rock, but it is quite interesting and extremely rare. As far as I am aware, this was only issued on 78rpm and is one of Alves's most difficult tracks to find.

Jair Alves - Baião Rock (baião) - RCA (1957)

Jair Alves - Baião Rock (baião) - RCA (1957)

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) 

Ary Soares - Gemedeira from compacto - RCA Victor (1967)

Gemedeira is a classic rare forró single from Ary Soares on RCA Victor from 1967. The label must have thought highly of Soares, because there are still a number of these out there, indicating a somewhat generous pressing. Of course, these were only pressed in Brazil, so a common compacto is almost a total contradiction. Compactos are typically the rarest forró records next to 78s. The picture sleeve is much scarcer than the vinyl. 

Ary Soares - Gemedeira from compacto - RCA Victor (1967)

Ary Soares - Gemedeira from compacto - RCA Victor (1967)

Marinês e Sua Gente & Anastácia- Cheguei Pra Ficar from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970) & Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973)

This week on forróLPgringo, I feature two female forró heavy hitters, Anastácia and Marinês, in their prime. Last week, I posted Sua Decisão from Anastácia's Canto Do Sabiá LP from 1970. This week, we have the opportunity to compare two versions of Cheguei Pra Ficar, written by Anastácia and Dominguinhos. To my ears, Marinês wins the day, but it is interesting to hear the original Anastácia version. Her version is fine, but the mono mix of Canto Do Sabiá, with slightly buried vocals, is no match for the full-powered glory of Abdias and band backing Marinês. The glorious stereo mix is monumental. Marinês is mixed to the front loud and clear. The reverence that 1965-1975 CBS forró recordings are afforded is deserved. Many of those recordings have never been bested.

Anastácia- Cheguei Pra Ficar from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970)

Marinês e Sua Gente - Cheguei Pra Ficar from Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Anastácia - Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970)

Marinês e Sua Gente - Só Pra Machucar - CBS (1973) 

Anastácia - Sua Decisão from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970)

Anastácia, born Lucinete Ferreira, is a forró trailblazer. Although there were female forró stars like Marinês and Clemilda, Anastácia was unusual because she was equally notable as a composer. Most forró records in 1970 were still mixed in mono. Although many of them sounded great, the Canto Do Sabiá LP has a slightly choked sound with some slightly pitchy moments from the band. Like Fontana records from this period, some RCA records could be hit or miss because of this. Luckily, Anastácia's music transcends some of the recording shortfalls.

Anastácia's version of her song Cheguei Pra Ficar, co-written by Dominguinhos, also appeared on the Canto Do Sabiá LP. That song was recorded by Marinês for her classic 1973 LP, Só Pra Machucar. Marinês' version, which I will feature in my next entry, highlights the difference that a great band, recording and mix can make. Interestingly, the bands made some distinct arrangement choices that give the different versions a distinct feel. 

Anastácia - Sua Decisão from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970) 

Anastácia - Sua Decisão from Canto Do Sabiá - RCA (1970)