Re-Creating Brazilian Genres
— About five years ago, I came across a new album by a musician and composer named Edu Leal. I remember how impressed I was by that first release, Vida Nova. Fast forward to late 2017, and Edu Leal comes back with another original release with new compositions. Edu Leal continues his determined trajectory to innovate and re-create Brazilian genres with well-crafted compositions. This time he joins hands with the band A Conjuntura to give us Livre.
A Conjuntura is formed by Fred Barley (percussion and drums), Fernando Cardoso (keyboards), Maurício Biazzi (electric and acoustic bass), Walmer Carvalho (sax and flute), Sérgio Santos (sax and flute), and Roger Troyjo (voice). Of course, Edu is on guitar and vocals, too. The thirteen original tracks were arranged by Edu Leal himself, who also took care of the musical direction.
Once again we have the perfect union of Brazilian contemporary music along with more traditional genres including baião, jazz, and fusion rock among others. As Edu himself says about his music, “A identidade de um artista é uma construção, e, como tal, está a todo momento se recriando” (The identity of an artist is a construction, and as such, is constantly recreating itself). Reflecting the present world and the artist’s own reality, Edu further states that today’s world is plural and not a boxed idea. So, Livre aptly mirrors those thoughts, and when doing so, it delivers a sound that will most definitely cause the listener to pay attention to this new music very carefully.
Livre proposes a strong path to what some critics are calling “the instrumental song.” To help deliver some of those songs, special guests add their vocals to this repertoire. In the soft ballad that gives the album its title, “Livre,” Filó Machado unites his vocals with a string arrangement. For the rock-infused “Lar, Impossível Lar?” the voice of André Frateschi is the right choice coupled with a strong and powerful electric guitar solo. Vocalist Anette Camargo is one of the female vocalists with solos in Livre. Her vocal duet with Roger Troyjo in “Satélite” is one to remember. A good example of an instrumental track is the jazz arrangement for “República dos Salames,” featuring Anderson Delavéquia on trumpet and Doug Bone on trombone.
Edu Leal continues merging erudite music with progressive rock, jazz, and some Brazilian genres. He expertly creates instrumental Brazilian music and popular songs to propel his compositions in the tough and forgotten market of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB). Livre is a good follow-up in Edu Leal‘s career.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Edu Leal e A Conjuntura
Livre
Independente (2017)
Time: 58’00”
Tracks (all compositions by Edu Leal, except where noted):
- Ganhando Dinheiro
- Livre (Edu Leal – Vilmar Filho) – w/ Filó Machado
- Lar, Impossível Lar? – w/ André Frateschi
- Distraídos Ousaremos!
- Satélite (Edu Leal – Vilmar Filho) – w/ Anette Camargo
- República dos Salames
- Esperança (Vilmar Filho – Edu Leal) – w/ Naima
- Domingo de Chuva
- Nos Seus Olhos Lerei
- Tarde no Bonetinho
- Radar Cordis (Rodrigo Leito – Edu Leal)
- Do Devaneio ao Sonho
- Poeira de Estrelas – w/ Anette Camargo
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