Discovering João
Donato
The famous duo from
Bahia, Palmyra & Levita, during the recording sessions with
João Donato for their album
Here's That Rainy Bossa
Day (January
2001).
Discovering João
Donato
The famous duo from
Bahia, Palmyra & Levita, during the recording sessions with
João Donato for their album
Here's That Rainy Bossa
Day (January
2001).
João
Donato - A&M Records
Chris Montez, "Time After Time", A&M #SP
4120 (1966).[LP]
Donato composition included is "Keep Talkin'"
(Amazonas).
This represents the first recording of this song with English
lyrics.
Personnel for "Keep Talkin'": Chris
Montez, vocal; João Donato, acoustic piano; Bob Matthews,
acoustic bass; Paulinho Magalhães, drums; José Soares,
percussion; John Pisano, acoustic guitar.
Arranged & conducted by Nick De Caro.
[UK LP]
[Verve By Request CD Reissue]
Tracks:
Musician personnel: Sergio Mendes, piano & keyboards,
arranger; Dick Hazzard, arranger; Dave Grusin, arranger; Lani Hall
& Janis Hansen, vocals; Jose Soares, Latin percussion; Bob
Matthews, bass; Joao Palma, drums; John Pisano, guitar.
LINER NOTES:
Look-around-liners.JPG
- Original liner notes from the U.S. LP by renown lyricists Marilyn
& Alan Bergman.
Produced by Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss.
Personnel: Joao Donato
(acoustic piano), Manfredo Fest (Hammond organ), Octavio Bailly
(bass), Ronnie Mesquita (drums), Pery Ribeiro (vocal & flute) and
Gracinha Leporace (vocal).
Produced by Sergio Mendes.
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77,
"Raízes", A&M Records [Brasil] #SA&M-2086
(1972).[LP]
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77, "Primal Roots", A&M
[U.S.] #4353 (1972).[LP]
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77, "Primal Roots", A&M/Universal
[Brazil] #UICY-3709 (2002).[CD]
Special Note: This album has two titles, depending on the country of issue.
Special Note: Please note that the 2002 CD
reissue includes, as a bonus track, the recording of João
Donato's "The Crab", previously released only as a 7-inch single.
Personnel: Sergio
Mendes--Piano, Arranger, Vocals, Producer; Rubens
Bassini--Percussion, Timbales; Oscar Castro-Neves--Guitar; Laudir
Soares de Oliveria--Percussion, Conga, Vocals; Gracinha
Leporace--Vocals; Sebastian Neto--Guitar (Bass); Claudio Slon--Drums;
Geri Stevens--Vocals.
English LP Tracks:
Liner notes to PRIMAL ROOTS:
Primal Roots is the result of an influx of new ideas and experiments and it takes a special place among the recording experiences of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77. Most of it reconstructs, through Sergio's arrangements, authentic folk and popular musical expressions of Brazil. The instrumentation includes typical folk and popular instruments, such as the agogó (cowbell type), the cuica (friction drum), and the atabaques (cone-shaped large drums). Most of the pieces here present Afro-Brazilian ritualistic overtones. ¶ The first number (track 1) whose beginning also appears at the end of the album, is Mendes' rendition of the song "Promessa de Pescador" (Promise of a Fisherman) by the well known Bahian composer and singer Dorival Caymmi. This particular song forms part of a series inspired in the folkways of Bahian fishermen, constituted of hard working conditions but in a poetic world of superstitions. The song describes an old fisherman's appeal to Iemanjá, the goddess of the sea in Afro-Brazilian cults, for the safety of his son. Sergio Mendes utilizes here only the refrain of the song, which is the invocation to Iemanjá, in cult dialect: Ê...ê...ê...ê A Alodê Iemanjá Oê Iá Iemanjá Oê Iá. The religious character of this invocation is undoubtedly what led Mendes to use the organ so conspicuously in this piece. ¶ After Sunrise has the same melodic simplicity of many folksong tunes. Particularly evident here is the successful coloristic blending of the berimbau (musical bow) and the viola (folk guitar). ¶ Caboclo Ubirantan and Pomba Gira are typically inspired by songs associated with the candomblé de caboclo, i.e., the national fetishistic cult whose belief system results from the combination of African and Amerindian elements. The responsorial practice of most Afro-Brazilian singing is faithfully observed here. The solo voice is answered by the female chorus whose melodic line follows closely that of the soloist. Overlapping call and response is likewise quite explicit. The percussion ensemble (notice the unmistakeable friction drum) accompanies this "salute to the spirit" in characteristic fast tempo samba rhythms, reinforced in Pomba Gira by stimulating hand clapping. The vocal quality of the soloist in this last piece is incontestably genuine. ¶ The song Iemanjá was written by Brazil's foremost guitarist, Baden Powell. Once more the reference to Afro-Brazilian rituals is implied in the title itself. The use of nonsense syllables for purely sonorous effects, the dialogue between the perpetual motion of the guitar and the voice, and the subdued tone of the voice, are all excellent characteristics of the sophisticated bossa nova style. The Brasil '77 rendition here stresses the improvisatory and nonchalant character of the piece. ¶ The Circle Game consists of a compositional mosaic, made up of familiar tunes, improvised passages, and changing moods. It is conceived sectionally, with deliberate long repetitions. It exemplifies Mendes' own credo: "I feel that music is an international art, and our work is now going to reflect that more faithfully." While this abstract piece relies on Brazilian tunes and typical percussion sounds associated with the tropics, it departs from the national scene in the attractive search for new timbre combinations and effects (noticeable among these are the percussion piano and the virtuoso flute). ¶ Primal Roots proves once again that from '66 to '77, Sergio Mendes & Co. continue to create a unique expression in popular music.
-- Gerard Behague, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana
PROMISE OF A FISHERMAN (Promessa De Pescador) (Dorival Caymmi) 3:34 · AFTER SUNRISE (S. Neto-O. Neves) 3:32 · CANTO DE UBIRANTAN (Original arrangement by Sergio Mendes) 2:14 · IEMANJÁ (Baden Powell) 3:02 · POMBA GIRA (Original arrangement by Sergio Mendes) 2:35 · THE CIRCLE GAME (Jôgo De Roda) (Edu Lobo-Ruy Guerra) 18:19 · PROMISE OF A FISHERMAN (Promessa De Pescador) (Dorival Caymmi) :44
Produced by Sergio Mendes for Sergio Mendes Productions
Recorded at Sergio Mendes Studios Engineer: Bart Chiate
Mastered by: Bernie Grundman
Arrangements, Piano and Vocals: Sergio Mendes
Bass: Sebastião Neto
Drums: Claudio Slon
Guitars: Oscar C. Neves
Percussion: Rubens Bassini
Congas, Percussion and Vocals: Laudir Soares de Oliviera
Female Vocals: Gracinha Leporace and Geri Stevens
Special thanks to:
Tommy Scott (Flute) on "The Circle Game"
Clare Fischer (Yamaha Organ) on "Promise Of A Fisherman"
Julius Wechter (Marimbas) on "After Sunrise"
Airto Moreira (Percussion)
Art Direction: Roland Young
Illustrations: Sandra Darnley
Design: Chuck Beeson
A&M SP-4353
A&M Records, Inc. P.O. Box 782, Beverly Hills, California 90213
©1972 A&M Records, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, "The Very Best of
Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66", A&M [UK] #540 752-2
(1997). [2 CD compilation]
Sergio Mendes, "Sergio Mendes Songs Selected by Shinichi Osawa", A&M Records/Universal [Japan] #1119 (2002).[CD Compilation]
This Japan CD includes Donato's composition "The Frog".
Tracklist:
