Ciço Do Parã was primarily active in the 1960s and 1970s. He made fabulous recordings. As with many artists in the forró genre, his 1960s work is scarce. A Dança Do Xenhenhen was released in small numbers on the short-lived Aurora label in 1969. Information about albums by artists with incomplete discographies are particularly difficult to date. Thank you, Samuel, for finding the release year.
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| Ciço Do Parã - Maria Elena from A Dança Do Xenhenhen - Aurora (1969) |
Benedito Nunes was well connected and released quite a few records in the 1970s. He also appeared on later volumes of the CBS Pau De Sebo compilation series, with original songs that featured almost all of the big forró artists in the 70s, with a few notable exceptions. His earliest records are scarce. Levo Saudades, from 1968, sports a gorgeous cover and the music is beautifully produced. Egal mainly released vinyl in the 1960s and virtually everything on the label is exceedingly rare. Levo Saudades does not even appear in most Nunes discographies. My friends Samuel noted that the same bird cage appears on an Ary Lobo and a Caxanga LP. O Pai Da Gabriela was composed by Elino Julião.
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| Benedito Nunes - O Pai Da Gabriela Levo Saudades - Egal (year unknown) |
Databases and discographies for forró artists are improving, but haven't been as heavily researched as they need to be. My information about the careers of many of these folks is woefully incomplete. Alas, much of the information from this blog will be revised as more complete histories are published.
What is starting to surface is how intertwined the work may have been. While I knew that there was a tight scene around forró, suggested by the cross-collaborative nature of 1970s CBS records, it seems to be traditional for forró musicians to collaborate and cross-pollinate. Many people like Pedro Sertanejo, Abdias and Carlos Diniz may have been producers, engineers, label owners, songwriters, collaborators and session musicians. Forró from at least the 1950s through the 1970s, seemed to be similar to scenes in Nashville or Los Angeles, with lots of the same brilliant session players popping up on multiple records. Forró was more traditional, like the country Nashville scene, and never got quite as weird as the more experimental records coming out of LA in the 1960s.
Carlos Diniz's career as a recording artist spanned from the late 1950s on 78rpm (some reissued on compilation LPs) until the late 1960s with a string of great compactos and a single LP. Forró Do Bom is one of the stronger albums from the period. Diniz also collaborated with and/or wrote songs for a number of important artists from the day, including Luiz Gonzaga, Gordurinha, Zé Gonzaga, Trio Nordestino and Trio Nortista, indicating that he continued working into the early 1970s.
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| Carlos Diniz - Rozenblit (1968) |
Zito Borborema was a member of Jackson Do Pandeiro's band before becoming a solo star. He was so beloved by Jackson that his band was named after Borborema. As compliments go, this must be the ultimate and speaks volumes about Zito's talent and... perhaps... charm? Vocé Não Faz O Que Eu Faça (côco) is another great track from this 10" collection of 78rpms on RGE. Several collections of material from this period were subsequently released, but Vocé Não Faz O Que Eu Faça only appears on this 10".
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| Zito Borborema - Vocé Não Faz O Que Eu Faça (côco) from O Nordeste Canta - RGE (1957) |
Azulão de Caruarú, like Zenilton and often Luiz Gonzaga, usually has at least several solid tracks on every album. O Baque Da Cancela is no exception. Essa Mulher Luxa Demais is a great swinger featuring Camarão on accordion and Azulão's trademark relaxed delivery.
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| Azulão (Caruarú) - O Baque Da Cancela - Esquema (1978) |
There is a lot of humor in forró, but also a history of clowning in the genre. Perhaps the prince of this is Genival Lacerda, but there was a large group of cheeky northeasterners including Luiz Wanderley, Gordurinha, and Coronel Ludru who were certainly going for laughs at times. Even Jackson Do Pandeiro can be seen sporting a Lampião outfit and having a bit of fun on the silver screen. I don't generally think of Sebastião Do Rojão as a clown, but the sleeve of O Balanço Da Mulata suggests a man who is up to some tomfoolery. Regardless of marketing, the LP is full of excellent songs including the wonderful Entrei De Gaiato (baião) featured this week.
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| Sebastião Do Rojão - O Balanço Da Mulata - Chantecler (1964) |
