— In addition to Egídio’s wonderful initiative to write a year in review, I take up four albums that represent 2021 for me.
Musicians from all over the world lived an unreal life, I guess. In 2021 we had live albums without an audience and recorded in the home studios of the participating artists. Others did the job by themselves, but most musicians seem to be forced to wait for better times…
…And then there’s Ney Matogrosso (Bloco na Rua, 2019).
Without the intention to do so, Ney started the new Covid trend. He recorded a concert (2019) at the beautiful Teatro Bradesco in Rio de Janeiro without an audience. I must say that, although the music sounds great as always, it’s like an anticlimax when a song comes to an end. You expect the usual cheers and applause (especially on the DVD), but what comes is absolute quietness. I guess now Ney Matogrosso must feel weird that he played for an empty theatre, not knowing that it soon would be the only thing to do for the next few years… As said, the music still sounds great. No surprise if you consider that the musical direction and the arrangements were in the hands of the ever-inventive and tasteful Sacha Amback (on keys). And Ney’s voice sounds absolutely fabulous, as does the band. Actually, it’s almost the same band Ney has been touring with for quite some time already. Maurício Negão (guitars), Dunga (bass), Marcos Suzano (percussion), Felipe Roseno (percussion), Everson Moraes (trombone), and his brother Aquiles Moraes (trumpet and flugelhorn). The repertoire consists of historical important Brazilian hit songs by composers like Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee, among others, with the addition of some of Ney’s classic interpretations. Against all commercial rules, there was no preceding studio album of this project. Ney wanted the songs to mature during the tour and then record them as a studio album, live, but without an audience. And note, during the recordings the man with this fantastic voice and contemporary approach had reached the age of 78 (August 1st, 1941; Bela Vista, Mato Grosso do Sul)!
PS: Ney released a new studio album in October 2021, Nú Com a Minha Música.
Marisa Monte: Portas (2021)
At the moment I wondered about what on earth happened to Marisa Monte. I found out she had released a new album a few days earlier. This special telepathy between me and the singer also happened in 2017, her previous studio album (Tribalistas 2). The singer from Rio (1967) had songs ready to record, but the pandemic decided other ways. A few months later, she had a solution with remote recording. All over the world, recordings were made for Marisa’s new album: New York, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona. We’re offered no less than 17 songs in 53 minutes on this album. Typical Marisa Monte music: elegant pop songs. All but one composed by the singer in partnership with others. The most noticeable guest is the wonderful Jorge Drexler (Uruguay, 1964) on “Vento Surdo.” The album houses lovely ballads, jazzy influences, rock, pop, and a most enjoyable samba (“Elegante Amanhecer,” co-written in partnership with Pretinho da Serrinha). The album closes with another surprising guest: singer Flor (Argentina, 1987). This popular pop star joins together with Seu Jorge in the vocals of this song. Altogether a wonderful album. The voice of Marisa sounds familiar again after 5 years. She hopes to tour through Europe and the US again this year.
Maria Bethânia: Noturno (2021)
Maria Bethânia never ever disappoints her fans. With an immense repertoire, she reaches the heart of her audience. Her mix of music and poetry gives her a special place in the Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) scene. On Noturno she proves again how beautiful it can be. Because of the pandemic, the instrumentation is kept to a minimum. There are four duets on the album. The music is of a nice variety. Singer/Composer/Guitarist Adriana Calcanhotto is represented with two songs, among which is the emotional “Dois de Junho.” The song describes indifference for black children by the white upper-class. The five-year-old Miguel Otávio Santana da Silva died after he was left alone. His mom was walking the dog for her boss, who should have looked after the boy but didn’t. In search of his mom, the kid fell 9 floors down. Maria Bethânia has always shown her involvement in Brazilian society issues. She has a great voice to express those feelings. Among the many highlights we also hear a great samba, “Cria de Comunidade.” Xande de Pilares is a guest vocalist (and on cavaquinho) here on his own song.
Also at age 74, when this music was recorded, Bethânia sounds fantastic; offering her audience again a wonderful, although rather short (37 minutes) album.
Alceu Valença: Saudade (2021)
Alceu Valença is one of the artists who opted to go solo. Even better, Alceu decided on a pandemic series of four CDs. Saudade is the second one, shortly released after the first one (Sem Pensar no Amanhã). Of course it’s nice to hear Alceu Valença (1946) in voz e violão format (his voice and his acoustic guitar). We hear some of his signature songs from the past and two new compositions (the opening “Era Verão” and the title song “Saudade”). The stripped off versions are a joy to hear, although not spectacular. His voice lets him down a bit on “Ai de Ti Copacabana,” the most recent (2005) of the old songs. This series of albums will be a nice addition for Alceu Valença record collectors.
Let’s hope we soon can go to concerts again, let’s hope musicians can join together again in recording studios, and let’s hope this never happens again (which I fear for…). Covid forced musicians in directions they normally wouldn’t choose to go. That led to some surprises but mostly to silence.
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