An Emotionally Charged Carnaval
It was during Carnaval in 1998 that pianist Carlos Fuchs and singer Marcos Sacramento decided to lock themselves up in an apartment in Rio’s Flamengo neighbourhood to record the tracks of this album. If finances allowed it, the dream of backing up the music with an orchestra could be realized. Personally, I’m glad it stayed the way it was: piano and voice. It adds to the intimacy of the melancholic compositions. While the rest of Rio was celebrating the days of joy, Carlos and Marcos drowned themselves into the sadness of this repertoire. Or as Carlos Fuchs states in the release of the album: a manifest against happiness during its days of dictatorship…
The friendship between the two musicians dates back a long time.
Carlos Fuchs is one of Brazil’s hidden treasures among the pianists. With his classical background (father was pianist and mother violinist), it was no surprise that Carlos already started to play the piano at age seven. Concert pianist Salomea Gandelman (mother of saxophonist Leo Gandelman) was his long time teacher, while he gained interest in the music of Chopin and Rachmaninoff. 
As Carlos was getting older he also started to enjoy Brazil’s popular music (Chico Buarque, Antônio Carlos Jobim) and jazz (pianists Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans are among his favourites). A few years in Rio’s Jazz Orchestra helped Carlos to develop his skills. It all led to the beautiful lyric piano style for which Carlos Fuchs is appreciated. He delivered beautiful work on the album he recorded with his wife at that time, Ryta de Cassia (Na Minha Cara), who very recently passed away. He can also be heard on the exceptional album Sexo Puro from Suely Mesquita.
Marcos Sacramento (Niterói, 1960) was vocalist in Rio’s rock band Cão Sem Dono. The reputation he gained there earned him invitations for other music projects. In the early 1990’s he and pianist Paulo Baiano (also from the band Cão Sem Dono) performed in various concert series of popular music, like the “Projeto 7 Voces” at Rio’s Museum of Modern Art. His breakthrough came when his 1994 album A Modernidade da Tradição was released in Europe and Japan (1997). Since then we can enjoy the voice of Marcos of a number of successful releases, some dedicated to the tradition of the samba.
On Fossa Nova we hear the results of the partnership between these two musicians. The lyrics were written by Marcos Sacramento and put to music by Carlos Fuchs. Actually, the lyrics are little poems inspired by the painful moments of love. The songs musically connect to each other, which gives the idea of a suite. Almost all compositions are by the performing duo, except “Na Rua dos Loucos,” which has the lyrics of the multi artistic Mathilda Kóvak, and “A Casa do Corpo” which is co-written with Fernando Morello. Fernando Morello is also given credit for the artistic direction of this album. He contributed during the mixing process of the original recordings and suggested the re-recording of some of the vocal lines. The modesty of the piano fits perfect with the clear and well articulated vocals. The piano shows the simplicity of beauty, especially during his solos. Carlos Fuchs fully supports the vocalist’s melody lines; he never distracts the attention and thus contributes to the sentimental contents of the poems. It makes the album sound perfect. Carlos Fuchs is featured in an outstanding solo piece, the title song “Fossa Nova.” That almost serves as a moment of meditation. There can’t be any other conclusion other than that this album is an extremely beautiful piece of work by two very dedicated musicians.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Marcos Sacramento & Carlos Fuchs
Fossa Nova
Olho do Tempo OLT-002 (2005)
Time: 37’36”
Tracks:
All compositions by Marcos Sacramento and Carlos Fuchs, except where noted.
- Um Brinde à Solidão
- Brinde ao Desejo
- Na Rua dos Animais
- Na Rua dos Loucos (Carlos Fuchs – Mathilda Kóvak)
- Casa dos Outros
- Um Brinde à Palavra
- Fossa Nova (Carlos Fuchs)
- A Casa do Tempo
- A Casa do Corpo (Carlos Fuchs – Marcos Sacramento – Fernando Morello)
- Rua dos Varredores
- Um Samba
- O Fim
