Claudia Villela: Cartas ao Vento

Crafting Memorable Songs

— Back in January 2020, I wrote a brief review of Cláudia Villela‘s 2019 album Encantada Live. Through the years, we have been following her career on and off with a few reviews of her discography, including her releases with Ricardo Peixoto (Inverse Universe) and Kenny Werner (Dreamtales). She has also been featured in a number of other releases as a guest artist. You can read about those here.

Now on September 8, 2023, she releases a brand new album with original songs. Cartas ao Vento (Letters to the Wind, in English) is the album title. Besides a superb repertoire and captivating vocals, Villela spared no surprises with the A-list of musicians she assembled for the recording. Recorded, mixed, and mastered in Rio de Janeiro with production by Mario Adnet, the album has been getting a lot of play everywhere I go. Villela’s vocals are better than ever. Besides vocals, she also plays the pandeiro and the piano. Her ensemble in Cartas ao Vento includes, among others, Leandro Braga (piano), João Lyra (guitar), Jorge Helder (acoustic bass), Vitor Gonçalves (accordion), Marcelo Costa (drums and percussion), Romero Lubambo (guitar), Toninho Horta (guitar), Zé Nogueira (sax, flutes), Mario Adnet (several arrangments and guitar) and many others.

I would like to share with you a brief conversation I had with Cláudia Villela about Cartas ao Vento.

What was it like to record this album with old friends? It must not have been easy to assemble a team of this caliber.

That is a great track, by the way. How did you get both guitar giants Horta and Lubambo on that track?

The story was a bit bumpy because although he already said a big yes to record, we were not hearing back from him. So Romero [Lubambo] did it, and on the same day, Toninho [Horta] called and I was like, well, let’s have them both! And that is how it happened. I could not miss having Toninho, and neither did taking Romero out!

So, please go on about the other musicians on the album.

Vitor Gonçalves was perfect too, and those three [Horta, Lubambo, Gonçalves] recorded remotely, on top of the tracks we lay in Rio. Zé Nogueira also recorded remotely. Mario’s idea of the duduk was perfect, as well as Everson Moraes with the ophicleides and trombones. Ana Oliveira (I had the idea of the violin doubled because a string quartet was out of the budget) and Eduardo Neves recorded at the studio Mega like us, right in the neighborhood of my old place, too, in Humaitá.

To talk about the music in the album is an exercise in superlatives. Placing a strong emphasis on her songwriting skills, Villela excels track after track. The title track, “Cartas ao Vento,” gently opens with Vitor Gonçalves’ evocative accordion intro. Villela adds that the track had been previously recorded with Leandro Braga producing and on piano. She went on to say:

I love it, but somehow I felt I should play piano, and I left it on a shelf for a few years and then put it all together with the rest of the recordings in which I played the piano. I think it works.

Most certainly it does! This track is a homage to returning home to all that is familiar and endearing. A lover impatiently waits for the loved one’s return. Like a soft watercolor painting, the music slowly builds up and reaches a full samba rhythm. Listeners will feel compelled to get up and dance to this beautiful track.

In this amazing title track, those who are familiar with Brazilian music may pick up on various important allusions or citations, one might say. For example, the lyrics talk about “chão de estrelas,” “carinhoso,” “velho pescador,” “balões,” etc. Villela said that all belong to her “memories and affectionate connections to all Brazilian,” and things that make her “soul erupt in Music, Dance, Poetry and all.” That pretty much sums up that track. For the other tracks in this impressive album, I will leave it to Villela to describe the genesis of these tracks in her own words.

Track by track, by the artist

“Cartas ao Vento” was written from my keeping quilt Brazilian DNA Universe, indeed, very illustrated with scenes that speak to all that have it, too, I think. I usually write at the piano, and this one, too, in California. It has an Aquarelian tinge to it, though, but non-Brazilians also somehow relate to it, too, I noticed. Yes, it’s all nostalgic, and yes, I’m an inveterate romantic and there is no better place than a hammock to lull these homeland dreams. I wanted to add a harmonica to the song because my father played one, but Vitor understood the vibe and added a perfect accordion to the track. 

“Água Santa” is a bit more cosmic in a way. You see, the first thing I said to my grandfather I was going to be — after he showed me the comet in the sky by the veranda of the Botafogo apt (I wasn’t even 4 yet) — was an astronomer, because I absolutely have stars coming out of my head when I think of the mysteries of the Universe since then. After that, I was in love with Medicine and Music and ended up studying Music Therapy. But in a way, the song is very earthy too, as I have a great affinity with the whole vibe of Brazil’s Northeast, the troubadours, mixed with Medieval magic that captures my imagination like crazy. I had in mind improvising in this song like I always do on live concerts, and loved having Jorge improvising on it, too.

“Meninando” was written a long time ago in the 80’s. I was improvising with Celia [Malheiros], did the melody and I later wrote the refrain and lyrics by myself.  So, I took what we did and put the song together as is now years later.

“Chamego” was written in the ’80s too, and later I added the introduction that is very mineira [from Minas Gerais]. I see the big mountains and far-away bells of the churches of Minas Gerais, my mom’s land. Although later it became a xote, I kept the ostinato that repeats in two places during the song, like a parallel universe.

“Flores do Mais” I wrote the music for a commission by NYU, to write music for Latin American poetry, around 2005. It was a track we all applauded in the studio once we were hearing back in the control room. It became even better once Zé Nogueira added the saxophone. Besides the melody, all vocals were improvised on the spot. That interlude melody I wrote is very special to me, almost feels like it came from the late poet [Ana Cristina Cesar] to me, like her voice’s power transcending time.

“Chorinho pra Elas” was inspired by my dear girls: mommy, godmother, daughters – and granddaughter – even though she was born a few years after I wrote it and it’s for the Feminine principle, the creative and nurturing forces of life… Mario wrote a fun arrangement for flutes and saxes.

“Instrumento” was also from the NYU’s commission. I loved the poem [by Mario Quintana] very much and felt it was perfectly in line with me, and I loved improvising the vocal arrangement in the studio. Also absolutely loved the duduks added later and the feel of it from the rhythm Marcelo came up with, too. It’s like a Cape Verdean Morna rhythm being used as inspiration and influence. Duduks were a great idea by Mario and played by Zé Nogueira. I love his sensibility. Lucky me to have such luminaries in Cartas ao Vento.

“Paramo” was also the fruit of the poetry commission [poetry by Ramón Palomares], and Mario wrote a beautiful arrangement for Everson on trombones. All vocals were improvised on the spot as well. Again, the poetry resonates with me a lot. 

“Bolero” I wrote in 2009, and loved what Marcelo did with my idea of wanting a bolero/bongos feel. Perfect! It was all recorded live, and we left all vocals as they were. Again, it wasn’t intentional to have solos the jazz way, but when I happened to do it, we decided to leave it intact, like all improv vocals.

“Batucador” I wrote in the ’90s and loved that “The Police feel” on the bridge that Marcelo brought in this sort of frevo. Vitor did an amazing job on the accordion, complementing perfectly my vocal improv. I had a great time rhythmically on the piano, too. The melody is part child-like simple and positive and yet brings “the reticence” of life. The lyrics reflect it all, sort of a self-mantra: “Sou batucador / Já nasci cantor / Bruto broto de poeta.”

If you can understand Portuguese and have the album liner notes in front of you, one common thread you will hear throughout these compelling songs is nature. It starts with the album title: Cartas ao Vento (Letters to the Wind). Several songs talk about the moon, storms, Uirapuru (an Amazon songbird), the Sun, rivers, dawn, the wind, etc. When I asked Villela about that, her reply came with an undeniable and enthusiastic YES! She said the album is dedicated “to life, to what could be, to what is.” Cartas ao Vento is “a letter I wrote to all and everything that I love.”

In closing, I leave you with Villela’s own words.

I wanted to personify my path with this “message in a disk.” The show must go on, the message is being persistent, bringing all my pleasure, pain, and story to it.  Ended up being a document of self-discovery and it’s an offering in tribute to my inspiring Brazilian artists like Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina, Egberto Gismonti, Hermeto Pascoal, Toninho Horta, Guinga, Villa Lobos, and more.”

This album is dedicated to my mom, above everything else.

Cartas ao Vento is a superb release destined to elevate the music and artistry of Cláudia Villela to new heights. Once again, she excels in her art.

I thank Cláudia Villela for sharing her thoughts and time with me.

ALBUM INFORMATION

Claudia Villela
Cartas ao Vento
Taina Music (2023)
Time: 47’00”

Tracks (all music by Claudia Villela unless noted):

1. Cartas ao Vento
2. Água Santa
3. Meninando (Claudia Villela – Celia Malheiros)
4. Chamego
5. Flores do Mais (Claudia Villela – Ana Cristina Cesar)
6. Chorinho pra Elas
7. Instrumento (Claudia Villela – Mario Quintana)
8. Paramo (Claudia Villela – Ramón Palomares)
9. Bolero
10. Batucador