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Some albums puts a question mark in front of me with a disturbing question: why did not make it earlier? And that's exactly what I'm asking myself now; I have this album with me years before creating Loronix. Perhaps I thought we need more time to understand it better. In spite of being an acclaimed masterpiece, Modinhas fora de Mora is not for beginners, it brings a very old Brazilian music style, Modinhas. According with my searches, the Modinha style is considered the first Brazilian authentic musical creation of the modern ages, which is something that puts the style before the creation of Samba, Choro and many others. The creation of the Modinha is estimated in the year of 1787. Let's see.This is Lenita Bruno - Modinhas Fora de Moda (1958), for Festa, featuring the singing of the acclaimed Lenita Bruno and arrangements of his husband, Maestro Leo Peracchi. Credits should be also given to Irineu Garcia, which is the owner of the legendary label Festa, responsible for several important releases, such as the album considered one of the Bossa Nova first steps, Cancao do Amor Demais with Elizeth Cardoso, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. Modinhas Fora de Moda also received enthusiastic acknowledgements from Maestro Heitor Villa Lobos, considering this album an extraordinary record for its music and also for the work made by Irineu Garcia, Leo Peracchi and Lenita Bruno to revisit the old genre. Lenita Bruno singing is wonderful and Maestro Leo Peracchi makes a fantastic job on arrangements. Tracks include:
01 - Cantigas (Alberto Nepomuceno / Branca Colaço)
02 - Casinha Pequenina (Tradicional / Adpt. Léo Peracchi)
03 - Se os Meus Suspiros Pudessem (Batista Siqueira)
04 - Hei de Amar-te Até Morrer (Mário de Andrade)
05 - Canção da Felicidade (Barroso Neto / Nosor Sanches)
06 - Lundú da Marquesa de Santos (Villa-Lobos / Viriato Correia)
07 - Conselhos (Carlos Gomes / Velho Experiente)
08 - Foi Numa Noite Calmosa (Luciano Gallet)
09 - Cantiga (Barroso Neto / Luis Guimarães)
10 - Róseas Flores da Alvorada (Mário de Andrade)
11 - Modinha (Jaime Ovalle / Manuel Bandeira)
12 - 1ª Trova (Alberto Nepomuceno / Joaquim Osório Duque Estrada)
13 - 2ª Trova (Alberto Nepomuceno / Magalhães Azeredo)
Zeca, million thanks. This album is so good, so important, so magnum_opus that I'm speechless. Actually, I have laryngitis, but as I still can type I will not leave this post without a comment. Lenita Bruno was a fairly well known "radio singer" in Rio de Janeiro of the 40s and 50s before moving to the USA in 1964. She covered a wide and eclectic repertoire for "Radio Mayrink Veiga" and "Radio Nacional" shows (jazz, American standards, Brazilian music, operettas). Unfortunately, she recorded only a few solo albums: a couple of 78 rpm and 4 LPs (2 in Brazil, 2 in the US). The Brazilian Lps, "Por Toda A Minha Vida" (1959) and this one "Modinhas Fora de Moda" (1960) are Masterpieces (with a capital M). Actually, they are two sides of the same coin. One turned to the past, to the "modinha", this most nostalgic form of Brazilian music. The other, "Por Toda a Minha Vida", with the pre-bossa-nova songs of Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, is about the shape of things to come. But the influence of the "modinha" style can be felt throughout the album. Most of the songs of "Work of Love" recorded in the US in 1967 are in the same mood, specially the Villa-Lobos and the Jobim compositions. The Master and his Disciple (or the Older and the Younger Master) have always acknowledged the influence of the "modinha" in their music (but that's another story). Information about Lenita Bruno in the internet is very scarce. I found a short but interesting bio in "Dicionário Cravo Albim de Música Popular Brasileira" (here), but couldn't find a complete discography including participations in special events or other people's records. If anyone were able and willing to post here that information, it would make easier to track down the albums.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with adhoc. This is a lovely, lovely album. I actually have a CD -- not a bootleg, apparently -- that skips in a few places. At one point it sounds like it's stuck for a second or two. So it's nice to hear a quality Loronix transfer.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteMore Brazilian classical music is welcome!
Cheers,
Alexandre
Zeca.
ReplyDeleteVc tem toda a razão: esta é a raiz da nossa música, tanto erudita quanto popular. A canção brasileira em sua legítima origem. Junto com o lundú, formam os dois pilares de nossa música.
Parabéns pela linda escolha e muito obrigada.
Sílvia
I thoroughly agree with the other comments here. Thank you so much, Zeca, for making this fantastic music and important historical document available.
ReplyDeleteGordon
Hi Zeca, i'm a friend from Greece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great stuff.
I tried to d/l this album but rapidshare says that is removed!Can you do something about that please?
Thanks Again
Thanks, for posting this. Lenita really is one to have in mind when excellent quality is in vogue. I was just having a conversation with a friend about the singers till mid-60's all have this "lyrical" voice, which could be heard singing "Por toda minha vida" and "Foi numa noite calmosa" as well with the same interest and quality, without being "too much". I'm talking about good singers, of course. This record is very important really because of her and because of one of our Masters (with capital M), Leo Peracchi. He's very important for our music, that kind of masters to whom we'll always revere. He's got an album just with songs by Tom Jobim and beautiful symphonic arrangements. Thank you one more time. Carry on the good work.
ReplyDelete