ben_lastfm's Last.fm Journal

Baden Powell's tribute to "La Marseillaise"

Sun, 3 Dec 2006 11:07:24 +0000

Baden Powell is playing La Marseillaise, the french national anthem by officer Rouget de Lisle (1792). This song got popular during french revolution at the end of 18th century.

It is the most beautiful arrangement I ever heard.

The reason is that La marseillaise, which was initially written to encourage revolutionary troops, is usually played in a pompous, over-energetic way, often with its tough and violent lyrics:

"...
Over us the bloodstained banner,
Of tyranny holds sway !
Oh do you hear there in our fields
The roar of those fierce fighting men?
Who came right here into our midst
To slaughter sons, wifes and kin.
To arms ! ... "

In Baden's arms, it becomes subtle, soft, gentle, full of 'saudade', so much that now it seems to call for peace.

Baden's inernational career started in France. Baden knew France very well. He came to Paris with money for only one month in 1962. He met with Pierre Barouh who organised everything so that he could be first part of Jacques Brel show at l'Olympia. He got so many success from this show that Barcalys decided to sign him. He then met with Claude Nougaro who got fascinated by him. Claude recorded some fantastic french version of his songs. Baden stayed in France for three years, recording, touring, and composing with Vinicius among their most beautiful songs: the Afro Sambas, Samba Em Preludio, Velho Amigo...

This video is from second part of Pierre Kast documentary on Brasil. The girl on the right hand side seems to be Tereza Drummond, Baden's second wife.

According to Pierre Kast off comment (translated below), we can hear at the beginning Baden playing an "praise for peace" by himself, and then a song with lyrics by Vinicius. I had never heard these two before. If anyone has information, please advise...

Pierre Kast off comment: "And while flying on a small plane, doors opened, my camera man's legs hanging out, over the future big Urubupunga hydroelectric power central on Rio Parana, I can already hear a strange melody... This melody is a 'praise for peace': lyrics by Rui Guerra, music by Baden Powell. I had met with Baden Powell a few weeks before in Auro Preto, where he accepted to be filmed. I arrived in Sao Paulo dazed, astounded by what I had seen. Baden was there. He is working. He has one TV show per week. He is rehearsing, composing, playing, and sometimes he is having fun. We were happy to meet again on that day ... strange Robinson on a strange desert island... He proposed to me to record again some of his music. You've just listened to his 'praise for peace', and you can now hear him composing and rehearsing on a cantate with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. But, especially for us, he is going to play again: a samba? a popular music? a love song? yes all that ... but however, on a melody you know well, a melody that young Bonaparte could hear, and that old crown less Napoleon enjoyed listening to, De Lisle used to say 'this melody's got some moustache'..."

Vinicius De Moraes - interview and songs with Baden Powell

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 11:13:20 +0000

Who else can better talk about Bossa Nova?

French journalist Pierre Kast is interviewing in 1966 Vinicius de Moraes about emerging brasilian culture and music. Vinicius talks about african origins and then sings with Baden Powell two of their freshly released Afro Sambas : Canto De Ossanha and Iemanja.

For non french speakers, please find below the translation of interview and off comment.

PK off comment: "Vinicius de Moraes is a great poet. During spring 1966 he was working in Auro Preto, in the mountains. I went to visit him, as intimidated as a country side man going to Paris for the first time to meet with a Jacques Prevert, who would also be Raymond Queneau, Apollinaire, Brassens and Guy Beart. He is the guardian god of brasilian music. He is writing the lyrics for dozens of songs from musicians he appreciates. Diplomat, writer, amateur and connoisseur of whisky and cachaça, successively husband of always gorgeous women, here he is, sitting on the stairs of Carmao church."

PK: "we are dealing today with the birth of a totally autonomous brasilian culture, in the cinema, architecture, music and art. Can you tell me more about that or tell me whether I'm wrong?"

VDM: "I think you are totally right Pierre. This culture is organising in an 'organic' manner. It is the fruit of the agitated developpment of the country...(smile)"

PK: "Agitated..(smile). That's what makes the charm of it, no?"

VDM: "Yes it is very rich, it is virgin. Everything is still to be done."

PK: "The feeling is that it is totally released from european and north american influence."

VDM: "Yes I think we start to figure out our own culture."

PK: "I really have the feeling that Brasil, which is the most important latin american country with 80 million of people speaking a latin language, has its future ahead. That is to say that things are about to happen here, while in occidental countries, future is somhow behind us."

VDM: "Yes but these are secular cultures. We are in a young country who has benefited a lot from all that. What I find wonderful in Brasil is that we've created a culture which is released from influences, even portuguese. We are devicing our own language."

PK: "Even the language has changed?"

VDM: "Yes it has. We have also been gifted with an element I find wonderful: the afro, the black. What the black has brought to us, especially from a rythmic point of view, is wonderful: old condomble from Bahia, black rites, black magic..."

PK: "I think that it should be put off the mind of euopean people that these are only a series of magical and divinatory practises for day to day purposes."

VDM: "You know there is a long aged background for condomble and black magic in Bahia, which is still strongly related to Africa."

PK: "How was Bossa Nova born? We've got some trouble in europe to figure out precisely what happened. how is Bossa Nova related to Samba, which is the traditional and popular song?"

VDM: "It is a samba which has listened to jazz a little, which has travelled a little, which has matured, but without any loss of national specifity."

PK: "How could we translate 'Bossa Nova'?"

VDM: "'Bossa Nova' is huh... It is the new... 'Bossa Nova' you know is a new specific manner to do something."

PK: "I've got the feeling we are facing something very curious: we see how all your music and lyrics are loaded with a certain amount of protest. This is something which seems quite universal to me. It makes me think of Boris Vian somehow, and also of Bob Dylan in the US or Bobby McGuire for example: they use songs, and this kind of music to strongly protest against established order."

VDM: "Yes absolutely. There is this political tendancy. It is very natural in a country at this stage of developpment like Brasil, frequently tortured by its governments... (laugh). Fortunately young guys are protesting..."

PK off comment: "Luckily that day, Vinicius had welcome the great guitar player Baden Powell. Then began my trip to the young brasilian music in the most beautiful way. I won't say 'close yours eyes, open your ears' but for a moment the important thing is the pleasure of this wonderful and magical world of music, born from individual lyrism and popular traditional music which came with black slaves from far Africa."

Baden Powell videos ...

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:15:36 +0000

Below are some very nice videos from great brasilian guitar player Baden Powell

With Dulce Nunes singing "Aos pes da santa cruz" by Goncalves Jose Ze and Pinto Marino:

This is an interview by Pierre Barouh followed by a beautiful Yemanja by Baden:

This is an exceptional document filmed by Pierre Barouh of Baden Powell, the master of choro Pixinguinha and Jao da Bahiana in a white suite. They are playing Lamento and Pixinguinha is trying to impress Clementina de Jesus standing in the back. It takes place at former Pixinguniha's house where he used to live. He had to sell it because of money issue but he asked the landlord to share it with them for this special occasion of being filmed...

Here Pierre Barouh is singing his french version of Samba da bençao by Vinicius de Moraes. This version was included in Claude Lelouche film "Un homme et une femme":

Ok now let's stop a moment on this masterpiece Preludio a-minor by Baden... This was shot in a show in Warsaw. enjoy ...

Baden is playing a medley of his afro sambas including Consolaçao, Canto De Ossanha, cantos de capoeira and Berimbau:

Baden wrote this Samba Triste at the age of 17. It was his first song as a professional. All Baden musical specificity is already there : a mix of classical music and popular samba ... Billy Blanco wrote the lyrics for it. Below is a wonderful instrumental version with a young Baden in Germany:

Brasilian gods of music

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:38:48 +0000

sorry for this one in french ...

voici les noms des personnes importantes de la musique brésilienne:

un personnage haut en couleur pour commencer:

Vinicius de Moraes est le poète de la bossa nova. Il a écrit de nombreux textes pour ses partenaires. Parmis ceux ci, il faut absolument ne pas passer a côté de la "sainte trinité":

Antonio Carlos Jobim : l'architecte de la bossa nova (accord de 7^eme 9^eme et 11^eme à la Debussy ...). La légende veut qu'il ait eu l'idée de la bossa nova (=samba lente aux accords et mélodies complexes) en écoutant une chanson de Henri Salvador "Dans Mon Ile".
Carlos Lyra très grand mélodiste.
Baden Powell : un des meilleurs guitaristes du XX^ème siècle qui a écrit parmis les plus belles chansons de Vinicius. A noter les 'Afro Sambas' qui rendent hommage aux racines africaines de la samba.

Inoubliable également le dernier partenaire de Vinicius : Toquinho, qui a écrit près de 200 chansons avec lui et qui ont permis a Vinicius de rencontrer un succés populaire alors qu'il était jusque là confiné dans les sphères élitistes. En effet la bossa nova est une musique de chambre créée à copacabana par des jeunes blancs issus des classes favorisées de Rio de Janeiro. Vinicius lui-même , diplomate de métier , s'est illustré dans la littérature et la poésie qualifiée parfois de 'post parnassienne'.

La bossa ne serait pas ce qu'elle est sans Jao Gilberto qui a inventé un style à la guitare dit "guitare bègue", l'accompagnement se faisant à contre-temps de la mélodie.

Outre la musique classique impressioniste (Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Villa Lobos...), le jazz west coast des années 50 (Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Modern Jazz Quartet, ...), La bossa nova s'est également inspirée des grands compositeurs brésiliens des années 40 dont les plus notables sont :

Pixinguinha (prononcer 'pichignguigna'): maître du choro qui a entre autes compté pour Baden Powell.
Dorival Caymmi: il a su capturer dans ses chansons toute la magie de la musique bahianaise.
Ary Barroso: auteur du succés planétaire "Aquarela do Brasil" repris entre autres pour la BO du film "brazil".

La bossa a également inspiré les courants musicaux qui ont suivi, tels la MPB (musica popular brasileira) dont le plus grand représentant est Chico Buarque auteur de nombreux tubes repris jusqu'en france ("Tu Verras" par Claude Nougaro, "Essa Moça Ta Diferente" de la pub schweppes), et le courant tropicaliste avec Caetano Veloso et Gilberto Gil comme figures de proue.

La bossa enfin a connu énormement de succés aux états-unis dans les cercles d'amateurs de jazz d'abord et bien au delà ensuite. Les jazz men qui ont contribué le plus sont Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, ...

ben_lastfm's Last.fm Journal

Baden Powell's tribute to "La Marseillaise"

Vinicius De Moraes - interview and songs with Baden Powell

More Baden videos ...

Baden Powell videos ...

Brasilian gods of music