Ary Lobo - Tudo Lembra Você from Piedade Senhor - Som (1972)

Tudo Lebra Você is a killer 1970s Ary Lobo track. This may be my favorite Lobo tune from his post-RCA and post-Cantagalo years. The SOM LPs are not quite as consistent as his earlier albums, but it is difficult to find fault with an artist who is a true genius. Ary Lobo's records stand up to anything that Jackson Do Pandeiro, Genival Lacerda and Luiz Gonzaga were releasing at the time. Often, Ary Lobo surpassed these greats.

Ary Lobo - Piedade Senhor - Som (1972)

Genival Lacerda - Mungusá De Côco from Vamos Mariquinha - Som (1976)

When I first started hunting for forró, I downloaded just about everything from the 1970s and then the 1960s from forroemvinil. One artist who almost always dazzled was Genival Lacerda. Usually his albums had at least one or two killer tracks. Most were packed with them. 1974 was Genival Lacerda's peak year with the LP, Ralador De Côco. Virtually every song on that album has melodic brilliance, magnificent musicianship and breakneck energy. Although it was released two years later, Vamos Mariquinha does not really come close. That said, Mungusá De Côco is an awesome track with lots of rhythm xaxado-esque accordion. The production, and even Genival Lacerda's voice, are as thick as a milkshake. Somehow the bigger production does not necessarily give the songs the same kind of power that they had two years before. The big difference may be the producer. Pedro Sertanejo, who was responsible for Ralador De Côco. Sertanejo was at the top of his game in the mid-1970s and is missed here.

The cover is kind of amazing. I love most forró album covers. My friend Samuel believes that the photo may reference an imaginary motorcycle, which Genival is miming. I didn't notice this at first, because Lacerda is often in an unusual crouched pose on his LP sleeves. 

Genival Lacerda - Vamos Mariquinha - Som (1975)

Jackson Do Pandeiro - Cumpadre João from Forró Do Jackson - Copacabana Som (1956)

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)

Aldair Soares - A Volta Da Jangada & Deixa Eu Ir Pai from Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

In my opinion, A Volta Da Jangada is one of the finest Brazilian ballads ever recorded. The song has all of the best elements of a ballad: moodiness, great singing and a haunting melody. The touch of spritely Brazilian percussion nods to the Northeast. The bulk of Aldair Soares's recordings were 78rpms from the 1950s. Venâncio and Corumba and Trio Marayá also recorded songs in this style, and Trio Marayá recorded at least one Soares composition. Deixa Eu Ir Pai is similar to A Volta De Jangada, with cool chorus that surprises. Sometimes, the small details allow a standard genre song to transcend the confines of convention.  

Aldair Soares - A Volta Da Jangada from Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

Aldair Soares - Deixa Eu Ir Pai from Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

Aldair Soares -  Todos Cantam Sua Terra - Som (1972)

Alvorada Dos Novos - Maracatú from self titled - Som (1963)

Here is a bit of festive cheer during the holiday season brought to you by Alvorada Dos Novos. Maracatú is the ace track from the album. Fantastic cover, too. There is something about a friendly waving photo of a group of people that screams optimism. Enjoy!

Alvorada Dos Novos - Maracatú from self titled - Som (1963)

Alvorada Dos Novos - Som (1963)

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

Geraldo Correia - No Forró Do Seu Vava from Agora Vai - SOM 1977

Geraldo Correia - No Forró Do Seu Vava from Agora Vai - SOM 1977

Click on the video above to play the song.

iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/r-afIqHXV3Y

No Forró Do Seu Vava is hidden away on the mostly instrumental 1977 album Agora Vai, by the illustrious Geraldo Correia. His career dates back to at least the early 60s, with a string of LPs on Polydor. Geraldo rubbed shoulders and even wrote songs with some of the greatest composers of the genre, including Jackson do Pandeiro. No Forró Do Seu Vava earns a 10 on the earworm scale. I whistle this one for days after hearing it. Get down with the funky throb.

A recent picture of Geraldo Correia.

Djalma Dias - Dono De Casa, Boa Noite - from Destaque - Som Livre 1973

Djalma Dias - Dono De Casa, Boa Noite - from Destaque - Som Livre 1973

Click on the video above to play the song.
iOS? click here: http://youtu.be/iy-0Y025J6E

Most tracks that I’ve posted so far (with the exception of Gilberto Gil and Nara Leão) have come from pure forró albums by artists that specialized in the northeastern sound. Djalma Dias was not one of those people. Djama primarily recorded MPB, samba, bossa-pop and Brazilianized American soul. Dono De Casa, Boa Noite (Vidal França) was an unusual song for Djalma. It had a northeast flavor, with other instruments common to Brazilian music but not forró, including cuíca (a drum that sounds like a high pitched, screaming monkey), a more chattery samba’d-up rhythm section and a casual vocal delivery. His records on Som Livre were excellent, and have just recently been reissued on CD in Japan. 

Djalma Dias