Customer Reviews

Forro

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Forro is not your father's (or anyone else's) accordion music (unless of course your father is Brazilian). This musical form from Brazil is a jaunty and infectious import. And Brazil Forro--Music for Maids and Taxi Drivers introduces you to some of forro's finest. Listen to this album, and I defy you to sit still.

The subtitle of this record reflects the fact that forro (pronounced "faw-RAW" or "foe-HOE") is an earthy musical form popular with the working classes. Typically forro follows the traditional European music form (verse and chorus), but its rhythms are Indian and African. The usual instrumentation is an accordion, a triangle, and a shallow marching drum called a zabumba. The tempo is fast, the rhythms driving. It's ideal dance music, and many Northeastern Brazilians spend their weekends and festivals stepping to it.

Even when the subject is serious--and it often is, because life in Brazil's northeast is never easy--it sounds happy. You don't need to speak a word of Portuguese to enjoy it, but you may well fall in love purely with the sound of the language.

Next rainy day, draw the blinds, turn on every light in the house, and put Brazil: Forro on the CD player. I can't guarantee that the sun will come out, but you won't care. Hey, those maids and taxi drivers are on to something.

This is gritty, hardscrabble music from a gritty, hardscrabble part of the world, the Northeast of Brazil. It's about as far from bossa nova as you can get. Forro is a distant cousin of zydeco, played on an accordion and with a compelling, sometimes intricate beat. The artists on this album are local men, with a minimum of glitz. They are good, though. If you like zydeco, listen to this!

Forró is both a style of dance and one of the lesser-known folk musics of Brazil. It's especially popular in the beautiful northeastern state of Bahia, where indigenous people mixed ethnically and culturally with African slaves and their Portuguese-speaking masters. Many of Brazil's greatest musicians were born there: João Gilberto, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa, Daniela Mercury, Margareth Menezes, and Luiz Gonzaga, the father of Forró.

The marvelous woodcut on the cover of this CD depicts the instruments that lend the genre its lively, distinctive sound: an accordion, a triangle, and a drum called a "zabuma." The vocals are rapid-fire; the melodies cheerful and sinuous. As other reviewers have noted, it bears comparison to Zydeco, the buoyant Creole music of Louisiana. I find it delightfully danceable, perfect for parties. Since this collection features only four artists (Toinho de Alagoas, Duda da Passira, Jose Orlando, and Heleno Dos Oito Baixos), it has a continuity that many compilations lack. There are 17 tracks, so you get a healthy sampling, but since each cut lasts just two minutes or so, the entire album clocks in at under 40 minutes.

You may wonder about the subtitle of the album, "Music for Maids and Taxi Drivers." It originates in a conversation the producer had with a man who dismissed Forró, which more than a few Brazilians are wont to do in the dominant cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janiero, as music of the lower classes. But if you're not class-conscious and are open to a good time, give this CD a try!

A list of artists, songs, and timings follows:

1. Toinho de Alagoas - Balanco Da Canoa (2:14)
2. Duda da Passira - De Pernambuco Ao Maranhao (2:16)
3. Jose Orlando - Eu Tambem Quero Beijar (2:56)
4. Toinho de Alagoas - Bicho Da Cara Preta (1:54)
5. Heleno Dos Oito Baixos - Comeco De Verrao (2:54)
6. Toinho de Alagoas - Peca Licenca P'ra Falar De Alagoas (1:50)
7. Duda da Passira - Recordacao Da Passira (2:37)
8. Jose Orlando - Agricul Tor P'ra Frente (1:59)
9. Heleno Dos Oito Baixos - Entra E Sai (2:10)
10. Jose Orlando - Linda Menina (3:01)
11. Duda da Passira - Casa De Tauba (1:45)
12. Jose Orlando - Morena Da Palmeira (2:40)
13. Toinho de Alagoas - Carater Duro (1:33)
14. Jose Orlando - Minha Zeze (2:10)
15. Toinho de Alagoas - Sonho de Amor (1:45)
16. Toinho de Alagoas - Namoro No Escuro (1:53)
17. Duda da Passira - Forro Da Minha Terra (1:45)

They should have called it "Forro For The Holiday Inn"

The music on the CD is well played, but suffers from sterile production. It's way too slick. I prefer my Forro with some guts.

Avoid this one.

For the real thing, seek out Meus Momentos by Luiz Gonzaga, Jackson Do Pandeiro or Os 3 Do Nordeste, if you can find one of their hits CDs. The Brazil Classics Forro CD is also much better.

When I was a kid, the only people I knew who played the accordion and admitted it were the kids whose German immigrant parents made them take music lessons so they could play polkas. I never met one whose playing was inspired.

Well, forro is not your father's (or anyone else's) accordion music. This musical form from Brazil is a spicy, jaunty, and infectious import. And Brazil: Forro--Music for Maids and Taxi Drivers reflects the best of it. Listen to this album, and I defy you to sit still.

The subtitle of this record reflects the fact that forro (pronounced "faw-RAW" or "foe-HOE") is an earthy musical form popular with the working classes. Typically forro follows the traditional European music form (verse and chorus), but its rhythms are Indian and African. The usual instrumentation is an accordion, a triangle, and a shallow marching drum called a zabumba. The tempo is fast, the rhythms driving. It's ideal dance music, and many Northeastern Brazilians spend their weekends and festivals stepping to it.

Even when the subject is serious--and it often is, because life in Brazil's northeast is never easy--this music sounds happy. You don't need to speak a word of Portuguese to enjoy it, but you may fall in love purely with the sound of the language.

Next rainy day, draw the blinds, turn on every light in the house, and put Brazil: Forro on the CD player. I can't guarantee that the sun will come out, but you won't care. Hey, those maids and taxi drivers are on to something.

This album was not what I expected it to be, although I'm not sure exactly what I expected...I was intrigued by the title. A warning: although the tracks are by various artists, each track is not by a different artist. I've listened mostly to bossa nova and tropicalia music in the past, and this is very different from those styles. The pace and mood are still upbeat, but its a harsher sound, not as beautiful to listen to with closed eyes.

This album was not what I expected it to be, although I'm not sure exactly what I expected...I was intrigued by the title. A warning: although the tracks are by various artists, each track is not by a different artist. I've listened mostly to bossa nova and tropicalia music in the past, and this is very different from those styles. The pace and mood are still upbeat, but its a harsher sound, not as beautiful to listen to with closed eyes.