Gold Digging
Like mining for gold, finding good Brazilian music has turned into a laborious task in recent years. However, when the results are like Garimpo, a sigh of relief is immediately followed by an expression of amazement. Marimbanda’s Luizinho Duarte is undoubtedly a Renaissance musician.
I first met Luizinho in 2001, after going to hear Aparecida Silvino in her Presente CD show. I still recall vividly that night where several Ceará musicians and songwriters met for an informal celebration of music and laughter. Names such as Érico Baymma, Aparecida Silvino and Eugênio Leandro were all in attendance. Some time that evening, a quiet guest arrived and was soon handed an acoustic guitar. Luizinho Duarte on guitar was my first introduction to that great musician. Later on, I discovered he was also the drummer in Marimbanda, arguably Ceará’s top instrumental jazz ensemble. The surprises were never ending. If you simply look at the recordings Marimbanda has released, you will also see Luizinho’s name all over the place. He also writes beautiful music. So, from acoustic guitar to drums to composer/arranger, Luizinho Duarte embodies all the qualities of an accomplished musician, and he does all of that competently and without obscuring his fellow colleagues’ participation in this album.
Garimpo is Luizinho’s first solo album. As the name implies, this album gathers several compositions Luizinho penned throughout the years and never released in an album. The tracks were recorded in Adelson Viana’s studio, a friend of Luizinho’s. The music was recorded simply for the joy of getting friends together as they passed through Fortaleza for one reason or another. There was no pressure to make an album, and that is evident in the sheer quality of the music being made by musicians who love their art. Garimpo features guest appearances by Adriano Giffoni (bass), Rebeca Câmara (acoustic guitar), Aroldo Araújo (acoustic bass), Îtalo Almeida (piano), Marimbanda (Heriberto Porto on flute, Ítalo Almeida on piano, Miquéias dos Santos on bass and Luizinho on drums) and several other musicians.
The musical diversity in Luizinho’s background ranges from the instruments he plays to the music he writes. Whether with the uptempo opener “Samba, Samba,” the Baião “Primatológico” — a well-deserving tribute to one of Marimbanda’s co-founders, Júnior Primata — the sensual ballads “Dedicação” and “Encontrar,” the infectious “Choro da Consolação” or the fiery closer “Frevo da Luz,” there is nothing boring about this album. It is all first-rate musicians having a really good time and making unpretentious music. Garimpo is a gold nugget in Brazilian music. It is invigorating to hear such good music.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Luizinho Duarte
Garimpo
Independent RPSDR2010 (2009)
Time: 43’52”
Tracks:
All music by Luizinho Duarte, except where noted.
- Samba, Samba
- Linda Criança
- Garimpo (Luizinho Duarte – Ítalo Almeida)
- Primatológico – w/ Marimbanda
- Dedicação
- Para Sempre
- Choro da Consolação – w/ Marimbanda
- Encontrar
- Chega de Monotonia – w/ Marimbanda
- Frevo da Luz (Luizinho Duarte – Carlinhos Ferreira)
