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)
