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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great new songs from Tamba Trio guy, August 15, 2007
Bebeto Castilho, one of Brazilian music's best kept secrets, is now revealed. Certainly, the above CD, in which the former bassist and vocal soloist of the mythical "Tamba Trio" performs as solo singer (also as flutist and bassist, that by no means is of lesser importance), will be a surprise for the better part of the listeners. For others - fans like Caetano Veloso, author of the touching lines in the inside cover, or Milton Nascimento, who started to sing and, not by chance, to play bass in the evenings with the purpose of imitating Tamba's Bebeto - it will be a confirmation. Or, better saying, a dream: to have at the disposal of one's ears a whole CD, with songs performed by Bebeto'voice, which formerly, only occasionally was requested to participate in the recordings of Tamba Trio. That Trio became remarkable during the 60ies and 70ies for their innovative instrumental recordings, and for their vocal harmonization. Besides Bebeto (bass, flute, saxophone and solo voice) were members of that ensemble, Luiz Eça (piano and intricate arrangements), and Hélcio Milito (battery and "tamba" - the percussion set invented by him and that gave name to the most creative of our bossa nova and samba jazz trios). As a matter of fact, this is not Bebeto's first solo record. However, the previous one, a LP issued by Top Tape in 1976 and reissued in CD form only in England (through the What Music label) was and is so rare that this new one is practically the only that can show to the Brazilian public the art of a singer who is in top shape, more accurate and modern than ever, at his 66 years of age. What art is this? Why is it that the Caetanos, Miltons, and a whole generation of Brazilian music artists celebrate so much this man? Why is it that musicians of the newest generation - like Bebeto's nephew, Marcelo Camelo, a member of "Los Hermanos" group, and Kassim, who produced this CD - still continue to listen to him and to be influenced by his art? First, because Bebeto is a singer who is unique in the panorama of samba and of Brazilian music in general. He sings and plays flute devoid of any affectation, without adding any external effects to the music, exempt of any interpretation, without drama, simply executing precisely the notes, the graves, the medium notes, the sharp trebles, with the colors contained in each composition. Bebeto represents to the Brazilian music (and to the flute) what Chet Baker means to jazz (and to the trumpet). -" I am a musician that sings, not a singer that plays", confirmed Bebeto to the writer during the recordings of this CD at studio Companhia dos Técnicos, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. -"and the origins of my singing are same as those of Chet Baker. Second, because Bebeto is a singular bassist, particularly with the electric bass, with a swinging which is reflected in the way he divides the melody when he sings. Although always having been associated to the jazz and to the bossa nova of Rio's southern zone, Bebeto was raised in Tijuca, a district in the northern zone. It is from there that come the sonority and swinging so peculiar to his bass. -"When I was a young kid, in Tijuca, I went to bed listening to the dampened sounds of the big drums of the Salgueiro samba school. My bass comes from there", says he. And finally, because Bebeto is also an exceptional flutist. Just listen to the solos in this record, like one in the introduction of "Sabiá de Mangueira", for example. It is like a tender caressing whiff, so or even more precise and sweet than Bebeto's singing. -"The flute in sol is a lovely instrument. We talk to each other, we embrace each other, and we love each other. Everything I imagine, is answered by it so well...", says Bebeto in the wise and simple way that he talks when referring to music and to his now favorite instrument. In the present, he seldom plays saxophone. After having played it often during the times of the Tamba Trio, he has now become tired of its timbre. The CD produced by the grand-nephew Marcelo Camelo - with a filial dedication for Bebeto's refined art - and by Kassim, integrally observes and translates his musical conception. It follows the same instrumental formation of the Tamba Trio: the bass, with Bebeto, the battery under Ivo Moreira Caldas (he has played in the bands of Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal, and with many other bossa nova samba musicians), and the piano, with Laércio de Freitas, popularly known as Tio, a genius with his instrument and in producing arrangements for orchestras. In this record, Laércio plays, invariably, the Fender Rhodes electric piano, which has a unique timbre and is so dear to Brazilian music. Its sonority resembles more that of the Tamba Trio of the 70ies than the sonority prevailing in the previous decade. The arrangements were written by Laércio, except the ones for strings in "Cabelos cor de prata", and "Beijo distraido", composed by the maestro and pianist Gilson Peranzzetta, and in "Gazela", by the also pianist Alberto Chimelli, with whom Bebeto often plays in jazz afternoon sessions at Modern Sound, a record store in Copacabana. Such precise and modern arrangements as well as the repertory were selected with a view to reflect Bebeto's musical conception. - "The sambas that he has selected to sing have neither mutilated harmonies, nor obtuse angles despite having received a sophisticated and scrupulous harmonic treatment. They are harmonius songs, which tell stories and that contain a caressing fluidity. Camelo was honored by having one of his sambas recorded by his uncle. "Amendoeira", a samba-canção (samba with lyrics) sad and light, with a subtle swinging, cuts a good figure amid classics such as "Minha palhoça", a samba by J. Cascata, in which he shares the vocals with another great singer, drummer Wilson das Neves, and "Cabelos cor de prata", an also sad but elegant and light samba (inspiring more sighs than tears), by Silvio Caldas. Camelo searched so deep into his uncle's universe, that wrote "Amendoeira" inspired in "Salgueiro chorão", a samba by Durval Ferreira recorded in Bebeto's first LP, and that also describes a "conversation" with a tree. Besides giving a song to his uncle, Camelo brought the stamina of the new generation of Brazilian music to this record. People like Kassim (producer of Los Hermanos' records, of Caetano Veloso and Jorge Mautner's CD, and of the trio which includes also Moreno Veloso and Domenico Lancellotti), the singers Thalma de Freitas (Laércio's daughter,who shares with Bebeto the vocals in the syncopated samba "Pode ser ?", written by Geraldo Pereira and Marino Pinto), and Nina Becker (with whom he sings "Beijo distraido", from Durval Ferreira and Regina Werneck), both from Orquestra Imperial. -"In reality this record comprises three parts" - explains Bebeto. -"It contains the sounds I heard during my childhood, the songs I played when I was young, and the work in which I shall be engaged in the future, which is to work with those new kids. The sounds that Bebeto heard during his childhood were the old sambas by Ataulfo Alves (including the masterpiece "Infidelidade), Benedito Lacerda ("Sabiá de Mangueira"), and J. Cascata ("Minha Palhoça). What Bebeto played when he was young were the sambas composed by his bossa nova colleagues, such as Durval Ferreira ("Porque somos iguais" and "Beijo distraido"), and his own compositions, like "Gazela", previously recorded by Tamba Trio. A very special moment in this record marks the debut of a composer, a fellow called Luiz Castilho, with his saucy and flippant samba "Porta de cinema", presented by Bebeto in a duet with Camelo. Nephew and uncle get together to celebrate Luiz, Bebeto's brother and Camelo's grandfather, whose works had never before been released. Luiz is not among us anymore, but Camelo, who knows all about him, intends to gradually unveil his compositions. "A vizinha ao lado", a samba full of swinging and roguery, composed by Dorival Caymmi with his ingenuity to merge lyrics with melody, ( the "vizinha" - neighbor - swings in the lyrics and the melody swings together), opens this record and serves as an indicator of what we will hear next. It shows Bebeto's creativity in the rhythmic division, reveals the swinging of his electric bass, and the flippancy of the trio that he forms with Laércio and Ivo. Simple but with a great musicality, reflecting Bebeto, this record "Bebeto Castilho" is, for many reasons, historical and revealing. It is also great to listen to. Do not try to resist...
-- review from calabashmusic website which also has soundclips
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