Music + Film Brazil: O Samba

There was a time when people looked down on samba as low class street music, but now it is recognized as a national Brazilian art form. Sound familiar, my jazz friends? Arguably, samba is even more codified as a Brazilian cultural institution. Tourists traveling to Brazil want to hear the samba, even if they can’t tell the rhythm from a bossa. Martinho da Vila was playing and composing sambas when they were disreputable, but now he is an internationally regarded elder statesman of music. The man born Martinho José Ferreira takes us on a tour of the samba schools and venues in his Vila Isabel neighborhood in Georges Gachot’s O Samba (trailer here), which screens as part of the Music + Film Brazil film series at Symphony Space.

When watching the samba schools rehearse their tunes and craft their carnival costumes, it is hard to avoid comparisons with New Orleans second-liners and Mardi Gras. In both cases, music goes hand-in-hand with good times, but it also reminds revelers of past historical struggles and fortifies them with strength for the future. For years, “Martinho” has written show-stoppers for the Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school. Through thick and thin, he stayed true to his school, but also became quite a samba star in his own right. For instance, when Nana Mouskouri decides to record a samba album at the source, it is Martinho she looks up.

Martinho is a likable raconteur and a charismatic performer. When he sticks to music, he is on solid ground. Wisely, Gachot tries to do just that, only allowing politics to creep in with respects some mild Pan-African rhetoric. (Sadly, Sr. Martinho maintains his allegiance to the Communist ideology, apparently willfully blind to its legacy of oppression and mass murder, much like Oscar Niemeyer.)

Regardless, the point here is the music and it is indeed quite dreamy in a gently rhythmic way. In addition to Martinho, we also hear from several samba stars he inspired, logically including his daughter Mart’nalia. Gachot has a strong affinity for Brazilian music having previously helmed several music docs, including Maria Bethânia: Music is Perfume. This time around, he also soaks up a lot of carnival ambiance, which is also quite pleasant. Recommended for samba and carnival fans, O Samba screens this Sunday (4/9) as the Music + Film Brazil film series continues at Symphony Space.

Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil ‘10: Straight to the Point

Bezerra da Silva had serious street cred. The late Samba musician often recorded tunes penned by songwriters associated with Brazil’s underclass and underworld. While the lyrics might resemble gangster rap, the music was still traditional samba, at least according to what is heard during Márcia Derraik and Simplício Neto’s documentary Straight to the Point (trailer here), which screened during this year’s Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil in New York.

Though jaded, da Silva was a witty and charismatic figure. Dubbed the father of “Gangsta Samba,” he was one of Brazil’s best-selling recording artists, who gave back to his community by recording the work of previously unknown musicians. Frequently, their subject matter glorifies the criminal lifestyle and often expresses attitudes towards women not unlike that heard in rap. Frankly, the amount of film devoted to songs demonizes “snitches” seems oddly excessive. However, the music itself sounds great, especially when divorced from the content of their lyrics.

While da Silva certainly gets considerable screen time, the film is really more about his protégés, the upstart musicians forced to work day jobs as they pursue music on the side. Many are not necessarily bitter about their circumstances though, like the air-conditioning technician who seems to take particularly pride in his vocation. In fact, Straight casts a distinctly jaundiced eye on the Brazilian music business that da Silva claimed never properly compensated him for his voluminous hit recordings. (Indeed, the crookedness of record labels seems to be a constant that transcends national and cultural boundaries.)

Derraik and Neto are quite conventional in their approach to documentary filmmaking, recording talking head styles interviews, candid footage, and casual musical performances. Still, it all works perfectly well thanks to the dangerous charm of da Silva and the insinuating power of Samba in general.

Brazilian music documentaries are a traditional strength of Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil and often return to City for special screenings sponsored by organizations like Cinema Tropical. The briskly paced Straight certainly follows in that tradition. A fantastic sounding film, it is definitely recommended, particularly for residents of Vancouver, the next stop on the Petrobras Brazilian festival circuit.

Janeiro in New York: The Mystery of Samba

Meet Marisa Monte, song-hunter. Though known as an international Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) star, Monte has wide-ranging interests in many forms of Brazilian music, most certainly including Samba. Indeed she displays an easy camaraderie with the senior statesmen of Samba affiliated with the Portele Samba School in Rio de Janeiro, while searching for classic unrecorded Sambas in The Mystery of Samba (trailer here), an official selection of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival which screens this Thursday at the 92 Y Tribeca as part of the Janeiro in New York film series.

As our guide to the musical legacy of Portela, Monte also gets valuable assists from samba stars Zeca Pagodinha and Paulinho da Viola, but she is the film’s primary contemporary voice, and for good reason given the warmth of her on-screen presence. Having a family connection to the school, she seems to establish immediate rapport with the veterans of Portela and in some cases their survivors. With a voice beautifully suited to the gentle impromptu a cappella duets she performs with her interview subjects, her interest in preserving these lost songs comes across as a completely genuine Alan Lomax-like impulse. Of course, it also gives her an opportunity to be the first to sing some very cool, previously unheard tunes.

Comparisons to the Buena Vista Social Club are probably inevitable with a film like this, but that is fair enough. Still, Rio’s Samba schools are themselves essentially music-based fraternal organizations, perhaps closer akin to the parading societies of New Orleans. Regardless, the old gentlemen of Samba show they can still get it done, with a party atmosphere pervading throughout Mystery. Most have roots both at the school and in the surrounding neighborhood going back decades. Seu Argemiro is a bit of an exception. Though of the same generation, he is relatively new to Portela, but fit right in when they heard his Sambas.

Directed by Carolina Jabor and Lula Buarque de Hollanda, Mystery is lovely to look at, capturing the charm and vibrancy of the surrounding Madureira neighborhood and the Portela School, with its blue and white colors. It is an elegant film, crafted with respect and affection. It screens the 92 Y Tribeca on Thursday (1/28).

Music is Perfume

Dr. House and Caetano Veloso are both fans of Maria Bethânia. At one point, House M.D. used her “Fera Ferida” on the show’s soundtrack (but it is not on the official CD release). Veloso has worked with Bethânia since their earliest years—he happens to be her older brother. In fact, it was he who renamed her after a popular romantic ballad of the time. Veloso tells that story as one of several giants of Brazilian music paying tribute to Bethânia in Maria Bethânia: Music is Perfume (trailer here), opening today in New York.

Bethânia’s career has moved through distinct phases. Once known for decidedly political material, she became an interpreter of unapologetically romantic Brazilian popular song in the 1980’s. Despite the stylistic change, she remains committed to the song’s integrity. She now largely prefers simple, direct arrangements which best suit the material. Of a song of innocent flirtation she explains: “It’s a light-hearted song. Like a conversation between friends. . . Taking it too seriously, adding strings and so on, might make it a bit . . . corny.”

Her repertoire, as reflected in Perfume, does not completely ignore material of social significance. Probably her most effective performance in the film is of a song which directly links Brazilian music with the Middle Passage ordeal, as she sings (in Portuguese): “The drumming waves of night taught me to sing.”

In interview segments we hear from some of the most prominent names in Brazilian music, including Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, and as one would expect, Veloso, who even plays a brief rendition of “Maria Bethânia.” We also hear her joined in concert by Nana Caymmi and Miucha, a past collaborator with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.

While Bethânia’s musical director Jaime Alem will use an element here and there borrowed from jazz, it not part of an over-riding concept beyond the simple goal of finding what best serves the music. Bethânia’s first big hit was in fact a samba, which she often returns to, most notably with “Samba de Benção,” a song that appeals to her Bahia pride. Still, the overall vibe of Bethânia’s music is that of the popular and often traditional love song, delivered in a decidedly intimate style.

As captured by director Georges Gachot, Bethânia seems very down-to-earth. Several times she talks about the simple pleasures of a nice cold beer. She also obviously maintains strong relationships with her family, including Veloso and their mother, nonagenarian matriarch Dona Caro.

As a film Perfume is pleasant enough, if small in scope. While Bethânia might have started her career as a firebrand, the film entirely avoids any political controversies. While she doubtless has very definite opinions on the state of the world, the film focuses almost all its attentions on her music, which really is the best way to present an artist. It starts its New York run today at the Pioneer with Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée (separate admissions), which would probably be somewhat more interesting to jazz audiences than the delicate lyricism of Bethânia’s vocals. Still, Perfume is certainly an effective introduction for general audiences to a major Brazilian artist.

Premiere Brazil: Mystery of Samba

Meet Marisa Monte, song-hunter. Though known as an international Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) star, Monte has wide-ranging interests in many forms of Brazilian music, most certainly including Samba. In the new documentary Mystery of Samba, she profiles the senior statesmen of Samba affiliated with the Portele Samba School in Rio de Janeiro, while searching for classic unrecorded Sambas. It joins the Bossa Nova of Out of Tune and Humberto Teixieira’s baião music heard in Man Who Bottled Clouds in a distinctly musically flavored Premiere Brazil film series at the MoMA (maybe there will be a choro film next year).

As our guide to the musical legacy of Portela, Monte gets assists from Zeca Pagodinha and Paulinho da Viola, but she is the film’s primary contemporary voice, which is a good thing given the warmth of her on-screen presence. Having a family connection to the school, she seems to establish immediate rapport with the veterans of Portela and in some cases their survivors. With a voice beautifully suited to the impromptu a cappella duets she performs with her interview subjects, her interest in preserving these lost songs comes across as a completely genuine Alan Lomax-like impulse. Of course, it also gives her an opportunity to sing some cool, previously unheard of tunes.

Comparisons to the Buena Vista Social Club are probably inevitable with a film like this, which is fair enough. Rio’s Samba schools are themselves essentially music-based fraternal organizations, perhaps closer akin to the parading societies of New Orleans. Regardless, the old gentlemen of Samba show they can still get it done, with a party atmosphere pervading throughout Mystery. Most have roots both at the school and in the surrounding neighborhood which go back decades. Seu Argemiro is a bit of an exception. Though of the same generation, he is relatively new to Portela, but fit right in when they heard his Sambas.

Directed by Carolina Jabor and Lula Buarque de Hollanda, Mystery is lovely to look at, conveying the charm of the surrounding Madureira neighborhood and Portela’s blue and white colors. It is a vibrant film with crisp and clear subtitles, but the English trailer on youtube appears distorted, so the Portuguese version will give you a better sense of the film. It screens again at MoMA this Saturday.