Paulinho Nogueira

Paulinho Nogueira (1929-2003) was a virtuosic musician who adapted a Brazilian feel to sophisticated acoustic guitar (violão) playing. He is distinctive for not having been influenced by jazz, as most popular Brazilian virtuosos have been. He recorded 27 solo albums and toured throughout the world, playing his violão for 50 years.

An extensive biography of Paulinho Nogueira to be reached here

The shown cd, 'Antologia do violão'(Mercury,582698-2) released 1996, is a highly recommended reissue of a LP recording from 1976 showing off the virtuosic skills of Paulinho Nogueira, tracklist inserted below:

1. Choro Triste / Duas Contas / Gente Humilde (Chico Buarque, Vinicius de Moraes) 2. Bachianinho Nº 1 / Simplesmente o Bem Verdadeiro (Paulinho Nogueira) 3. Cotidiano Nº 2 / Lua Cheia / Na Boca da Noite (Chico Buarque, Vinicius de Moraes, Toquinho, Paulo Vanzolini) 4. Outro Adeus / Manhã de Carnaval (Luiz Bonfá, Antônio Maria) 5. Abismo de Rosas (João Do Sul, Canhoto) 6. Por do Sol de Copacabana (Laurindo Almeida) 7. Berimbau / Samba em Preludio ( Vinicius de Moraes, Baden Powell) 8. Porto das Flores (Rosinha de Valenca) 9. Se Ela Perguntar / Dois Destinos (Dilermando Reis, Jair Amorim) 10. Ontem ao Luar / Luar Do Sertão (Catulo Da Paixão Cearense, Pedro de Alcântara)

A complete audio-file of track 10 available clicking here

I found a couple of filmed video-performances by Nogueira. Enjoy Paulinho Nogueira at home playing:

Bachianinho Nº 1

Aria na quarta corda

Jo

The Brazilian Violão of Nicanor Teixeira

Nicanor Teixeira (b.1928) is regarded as one of the top composers of the Brazilian violão (guitar) ever. Nicanor Teixeira has written pieces in diverse genres mixing classical music and Brazilian folklore of choros, lundus, cateretês, sambas, batuques, valsas, ponteios, baiões, and modinhas.

In 2000, mandolinist/arranger Afonso Machado and Bartholomeu Wiese (violão), members of the Galo Preto, produced the tribute CD for Rob Digital "Nicanor Teixeira por 28 Grandes Intérpretes" (RD037) with Teixeira's songs interpreted by noted musicians like Turíbio Santos, Egberto Gismonti, Guinga, Jodacil Damasceno, Léo Soares, Cláudio Tupinambá, Afonso Machado, Galo Preto, Bartholomeu Wiese, Marcos Llerena, Nicolas de Souza Barros, Maria Haro, Luiz Otávio Braga, Graça Alan, and others.

I highly recommend this cd of magnificent renditions of compositions by Teixeira, tracklist inserted below:

1.Carioca 1 - Turíbio Santos e Galo Preto 2.Olhos Que Choram - Nicanor Teixeira 3.Canção Terna - Guinga 4.Auto-Retrato - Marcos Farina e Luíz Otávio Braga 5.Romaria de Bom Jesus da Lapa Nicanor Teixeira, Maria Haro, Bartholomeu Wiese e Nelson Caiado 6.Concertante 3 - Bartholomeu Wiese 7. Prelúdio 1 - Jodacil Damaceno 8. Prelúdio 2 - Jodacil Damaceno 9. Estudo 3 - Jodacil Damaceno 10.João Benta no Forró Marcus Llerena, Chuang Yu Ting, Vera Andrade e Felipe Freire 11.Procissão Maria Haro, Bartholomeu Wiese, Marcus Ferrer e Luciana Requião 12.Mariquinha Duas Covas Afonso Machado, Bartholomeu Wiese e André Boxexa 13.Elegia - Léo Soares 14.Te Enxerga, Muié - Maria Haro e Rodolfo Cardoso 15.Estudo 2 - Cláudio Tupinambá 16.Estudo Brilhante - Nicholas de Souza Barros 17.Cantiga - Graça Alan, Vera Andrade e Nelson Caiado 18.Cateretê Das Farinhas - João Rabello de Faria 19.Velha Lembrança - Alexandre Gismonti e Egberto Gismonti

Alvaro Neder has a career profile of Nicanor Teixeira in AMG:

"Already an amateur player, Teixeira came to Rio de Janeiro in 1948, where he took classes with Dilermando Reis. In 1952, Teixeira performed at Ary Barroso's show, winning first prize. At that time, he was a member of the Orquestra de Violões de Dilermando Reis (Dilermando Reis Guitar Orchestra). His debut as a concerto player was in 1958 at ABI (Brazilian Press Association), when he was already a busy professor at the Brazilian conservatory and other music schools. Through Hermínio Bello de Carvalho, Teixeira came to back up Clementina de Jesus, Ismael Silva, Zé Kéti, Aracy de Almeida, and other singers. In 1961, an illness in the index-finger of his right hand forced him to abandon the profession of musician. In that period, he and other violão players designed the curriculum of the instrument for the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. Through intense effort, Teixeira overcame the problem in his hand and continued to perform sporadically, recording in 1977 the independent O Violão Brasileiro de Nicanor Teixeira; it was distributed as a gift by a company and was never commercialized. After 1985, he wrote several pieces for the Quarteto Carioca de Violões (formed by Maria Haro and Nicolas de Souza Barros), such as "Mariquinhas Duas Covas," considered a classic of today's violão ensembles. In 2000, he was paid tribute at the Sesc RioArte when several of his compositions were interpreted by Turíbio Santos, Jodacil Damasceno, Afonso Machado, and Galo Preto, among others".

One of the contributing musicians on the above mentioned cd is Maria Haro. Enjoy a live-performance by Maria Haro playing one of Teixeira's compositions, click here or on headline

Jo

Brazilian Traveller

One of my first live-encounters with the Brazilian guitar tradition was in the mid-1980ies at a concert featuring the Danish guitarist, Tom Roy Nielsen, who played in a trio setting at some small venue. I was delighted to hear the trio's renditions of a repertoire of both jazz standards and Brazilian samba, choro and bossa much in the same way as similar contributions by Charlie Byrd's Trio and Laurindo Almeida's L.A. Four. I was especially excited to experience that Tom mastered the same playing technique as Charlie Byrd and Laurindo Almeida, very unusual in Denmark at that time. After the concert I had a small talk with Tom and learned that he was a classical trained guitarist devoting his interest and skills to the Brazilian guitar tradition, actually he was about to travel to Brazil doing futher studies and taking lessons from native teachers.

A couple of years ago I had a cd featuring Tom Roy Nielsen, "Brazilian Traveller" (Olufsen Records, DOCD 5386, iss. 2000). The cd has both solo performance by Tom displaying excellent guitar wizardry in compositions by i.e. Dorival Caymmi, Sebastião Tapajós, Paulo Bellinatti, Marco Pereira, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, Garoto a.o., and on four tracks he is accompanied by bass guitar and drums as the Balancado Latin Trio. Listening to these recordings by Tom Roy Nielsen is a sheer delight and makes you wish for more, but unfortunately there is no more - and will be no more. Recently I learned that Tom passed away in July 2000, a great loss to the guitar society in Denmark and elsewhere.

Tom Roy Nielsen, Denmark, b. 1955, d. 2000
Educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Music by Per-Olof Johnson and Lars Trier. Studied for a long period in Brazil with Sebastião Tapajós, Marco Pereira and Ulisses Rocha. Furthermore studied in Paris with Roland Dyens. Toured as a soloist in Japan, Mexico and Spain. Was a member of several permanent chamber music ensembles, including a trio with guitar, bass and percussion and a duo with the flutist Kim Menzer.Tom Roy Nielsen was a member of Corona Guitar Kvartet since its foundation in 1995 until his death in July 2000.

The mentioned cd by Tom Roy Nielsen may not be easy to trace, it's no longer available in the catalogue of Olufsen records, but it may be found secound-hand and is definitely worth searching, if you are interested in the Brazilian guitar tradition as reflected and performed by a skilled master of the instrument.Tracklist inserted below:

1-Lagoa do abaeté (Dorival Caymmi), 2-Pau-de-arara (Luiz Gonzaga), 3-O choro de Juliana (Marco Pereira), 4-Encuentro marcado (Sebastião Tapajós), 5-Carimbó (Sebastião Tapajós), 6-Sons de carrilhões (João Pernambuco), 7-Contatos (Paulo Bellinatti), 8-A felicidada-saudade da Bahia (Antonio Carlos Jobim); 9-Choro triste (Garoto), 10-Jorge do fusa (Garoto), 11-Teia de renda (Milton Nascimento), 12-Linha de passe (João Bosco), 13-Marcha escocesa (Baden Powell), 14-Samambaia (César Carmago Mariano), 15-Odeon (Ernesto Nazareth), 16-Brejeiro (Ernesto Nazareth)

Jo

Choro Brasil Scandinavia

The Choro Brasil Scandinavia is a group of skilled young musicians, natives from Brasil, Denmark and Sweden. This group made a tour through Scandinavia summer 2005 and Theo and I were so lucky to be invited by Joergen to join a concert by this group at the Mandala in Copenhagen (Denmark)

The group has five members. In the image below you'll find from the left to the right Martin Heap with his 7 string guitar. Such a guitar is named a Violao de 7 Cordas. The bandolim player is Marcilio Lopes and in the middle is Jayme Vignoli, who played the cavaquinho, a kind of small Brasilian guitar. The last two players are Oscar Bolao, the pandeiro player and Mats Andersson, the guitar player.
The music was new for me and it opened for me a new world - a world I didn't knew to exist. I heard this musicans during their concert at Mandala, but also at a jam session later that week in a packed small venue in the center of Copenhagen.

As the members of these groups are living in two different parts of the world I don't think they play together in a regular way, but they make tours now and then. On their website, no longer online, they had posted some great shots, made in Rio de Janeiro in which they played two tunes. Unfortunally the website vanished like the two films. I was happy to find both movies in the great internet list Youtube to share with you. Enjoy the two films:

Noites Cariocas

Um a Zero

The two film were shot in Rio de Janeiro, February 2004. Enjoy it.

This contribution was also posted at our Keep swingingweb log

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

Rhythm Of Brazil - The Pandeiro

The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as Samba, Choro, and Capoeira music. The pandeiro is a type of hand frame drum. (see picture)

There are two important distinctions between a pandeiro and the common tambourine. The tension of the head on the pandeiro can be tuned, allowing the player a choice of high and low notes. Also, the metal jingles (called 'platinelas' in Portuguese) are crisper, drier and less sustained on pandeiros than on the tambourine. This provides clarity when swift, complex rhythms are played.

It is held in one hand, and struck on the head by the other hand to produce the sound. Typical pandeiro patterns are played by alternating the thumb, fingertips, heel, and palm of the hand.

A pandeiro can also be shaken to make sound, or one can run a finger along the head to create a "rasp" noise.

---Above info supplied from Wikipedia---

To view and listen to different examples of the way a pandeiro may be used in Brasilian music, click here and follow the links.

Click on headline or here to view a performance by guitar and pandeiro

Jo