Ceumar: Silencia

Back in the Neighborhood

This new CD by Ceumar opens with the song “Rio Verde,” about the river that passes through Ceumar’s birthplace Itanhandú. The small city in Minas Gerais was even named by the Indians with that Rio Verde in mind. It may be clear: Ceumar brings a visit to her home, her country with its rich culture.

Since 2009 Ceumar lives in Amsterdam, Holland. As a world citizen the singer/songwriter, guitarist easily mixes with other cultures. In Holland there was a jazzy corporation with the fantastic Mike del Ferro Trio. But there was also Balkan Meets Brazil (with drummer/ percussionist Simone Sou(l) and Oleg Fateev, the bayan player from Moldavia), along with African influenced projects. With Silencia, Ceumar lets it all calm down for a moment with the music of her own Brazil, the country she loves most of all countries. This moment of silenced explosions of expressions gives us a beautiful CD.

The music was recorded at the end of 2013, live in the Cena studio in São Paulo. Ceumar invited some of the musicians she has worked with for all her artistic life: percussionist Ari Colares and guitarist Webster Santos. Both musicians are specialists in bringing the folkloristic aspects in Brazilian music to new life. Ceumar’s nephew Daniel Coelho is on (acoustic) bass. We know him as the bassist of the superb Trio Tarrason. Another featured musician on Silencia is cellist Vincent Ségal from the champagne-city of Reims (France). He has worked with musicians all over the world, including Brazil (Carlinhos Brown). He’s the musical director of this album and brings nice features for the string-instruments. The instrumentation is as crystal clear as the voice of Ceumar. The musicians are able to make their instruments sparkle around the singer’s vocals. Sometimes classical, as in “Navegador,” in which the voice is only accompanied by the deep sound of the cello. The song is a nice dedication to the man who was born in the country of “Maurício de Nassau”: Ceumar’s Dutch husband Ben Mendes. The next song on the album brings us right back in the sounds of the northeast of Brazil. “Turbilhão” is a xote by Miltinho Edilberto, with the only possible instrumentation: Zezinho Pitoco on zabumba, Olívio Filho on accordion and Ari Colares handles the triangle. In the same perfect way the samba “Choro Cavaquinho” is accompanied by a masterly Webster Santos on cavaquinho, Ari Colares on plate and knife (yes!) and Swami Jr proofs to be a specialist on the 7-string acoustic guitar. Another samba is “Justo” with only cello, acoustic bass and a choir along with Ceumar’s vocals and guitar.

Silencia is full of beautiful moments that show the love for Brazil that is as present as ever in Ceumar’s approach to music. Sometimes she mixes it with other cultures but on this album it’s in its purest form. The hypothetic quietness of the music takes shape when Ceumar gives the last words on the album to the clarinet of Zezinho Pitoco. He gratefully accepts the present with a beautiful solo performance to close the album. The beautiful conclusion of another gem in the discography of Ceumar!
You can visit the singer at her web site.

ALBUM INFORMATION

Ceumar
Silencia
Selo Circus CPF 010 (2014)
Time: 53’14”

Tracks: