Abdias - Forró De Chico Gato instrumental from Columbia 78rpm & Festa com 8 Baixos (1962)

Today, we have a sunny forró instrumental from the mighty Abdias. Abdias may have the most extensive catalog of any accordion player in the history of forró. Forró De Chico Gato was recorded at the tail end of his career at Columbia Records before he became a producer and one of the main members of the house band at CBS. The instrumentation will be familiar to folks who love CBS forró from the mid-1960s through the 1970s: The bass line is played by violão de sete cordas. There is a mellow, dark and boxy-sounding cavaquinho (I mean that in the best sense) and a zabumba. You can also hear a chattery wood block throughout. Getting all of these rhythm instruments to sound balanced and pleasant is not always easy, but the musicianship and recording quality is often stellar on Abdias recordings. He truly was one of the genuses of the genre. 

Abdias - Forró De Chico Gato instrumental from Columbia 78rpm & Festa com 8 Baixos (1962)

Renato Moreno - Baião do Enxurrada (baião) - O Trovador Do Baião - from California compacto (1960s - year unknown)

Renato Moreno's recorded output was minimal, with only a single compacto, featured here, and an LP. Both were released in the 1960s. Renato Moreno is credited as a songwriter on releases by Anastácia and Dió de Araújo, although it is unclear if this is the same artist. While the LP appears fairly frequently, O Trovador Do Baião is far scarcer. 

Renato Moreno - Baião do Enxurrada (baião) - O Trovador Do Baião - from California compacto

Luiz Wanderley - Pápa Goiaba (baião) from Chantecler 78rpm (1961)

Pápa Goiaba (baião), by Luiz Wanderley, is one of his numerous 78rpm singles and appeared on several LP reissues, including  the Rosicler compilation E Seus Grandes Sucessos (1960) and O Forró Do Wanderley in 1961. This transfer was taken from the original 78rpm.

Luiz Wanderley - Pápa Goiaba (baião) from Chantecler 78rpm (1961)

Trio Irapuã - Saudade do Ceará from compacto - Seresta (1950s)

Saudade do Ceará by Trio Irapuã is exceptional for a number of reasons. One, it is a baião group vocal pop song. Although there were groups who worked in this style, like Quatro Ases E Um Coringa and sometimes Trio Irakitan, this was atypical. Most vocal groups recorded sambas. Two, this was released on compacto. Vocal groups were a dying breed, and with few exceptions, most did not survive into the vinyl era. I know virtually nothing about Trio Irapuã, but this seems to be the sole release from this group. There seems to be one later release on Mocambo from a much older version of the group. 

Trio Irapuã - Saudade do Ceará from compacto - Seresta (1950s)

Vaudete E Seus Cadetes Do Ritmo - Terra Do Sol (baião) - Maraca compacto (1968)

Here is another rare offering from the Brazilian 1960s (primarily) indie label, Maraca. The first side is a marcha, which is essentially carnival samba, but the b-side is a very appealing baião. 

Vaudete E Seus Cadetes Do Ritmo - Terra Do Sol (baião) - Maraca compacto (1968)

Zé Do Baião - Fulô Do Verão (côco) from Continental 78rpm (1959)

Fulô Do Verão (côco) is the b-side to Zé Do Baião's 1959 A Laranjeira single. Zé Do Baião recorded a handful of great singles in the 1950s and early 1960s before transitioning into the Brazilian vinyl age. I do not believe that any of these songs made it onto the scant reissues of 78rpm singles that came later, so finding and preserving original copies is essential.

Zé Do Baião - Fulô Do Verão (côco) from Continental 78rpm (1959)

Barbosa Da Silva - Vai Lavar O Sirí (côco) from compacto - Albatroz (1962)

This week, I am pleased to feature the absurdly rare Barbosa Da Silva forró compacto from 1962. Both tunes on the compacto are strong, but Vai Lavar O Sirí is the standout for me. Outside of some writing credits for Jackson Do Pandeiro, I have very little information about Barbosa Da Silva and little evidence of his recording career beyond this single. 

Barbosa Da Silva - compacto - Albatroz (1962)