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Comprador e Imagem Part V, Conclusion: a Kaleidoscope of Brazilian Music

Angel Romero September 12, 2007
O Quarto Das Cinzas - Photo by Angel Romero 2007
O Quarto Das Cinzas – Photo by Angel Romero 2007

 

The Comprador e Imagem project put together by Brasil Música & Artes (BM&A) is an excellent concept: bringing a group of international music professionals, representing various aspects of the business, to meet with regional record producers and attend musical showcases.

My experience overall is that Brazil is a country with a rich musical tradition, full of “undiscovered” gems. Brazil has a smart policy of supporting the arts through the creation of numerous cultural centers and free concerts. The Brazilian people we met were gracious and generous. The food we were provided at different locations was delicious, specially the shrimp,  fish and all the tropical fruits that are widely available fresh and in juice form. The passion fruit juices and the easily available coconut milk were a true delight.

“Our Brazilian BM&A trip was a perfect combination of great people and good music,” says Pat Berry of Six Degrees (American world music label). “One of the highlights was meeting all of the people who were part of the trip. Everyone was involved with a different aspect of the music business and was from a different part of the world. We learned a lot about the music of each region and had many interesting conversations with the local people. The musical highlight of the trip was an incredible performance by Mariene de Castro in Salvador on our final night together.”

A band that attracted the attention of several members of the Comprador e Imagem group was a pop group based in Fortaleza named O Quarto Das Cinzas. “I had a great time.  My favorite band was O Quarto Das Cinzas,” says Tom Windish, of the Windish booking agency in the United States.

The Comprador e Imagem included Europeans as well. “I think that the “Comprador e Imagem” project was really an amazing chance we had to enter in contact with a lot of different kind of Brazilian artists, ” says Andrea Sbaragli of Kizmaiaz and Bras.it. “The music scene of Sao Paulo, Goiania, Fortaleza and Salvador are really different and the many people we have met were a really fascinating part of the big kaleidoscope of Brazilian music. I think that for most of these people was really important to enter in contact with foreign music specialists. The same was for us to meet all this different kind of artists. I’m listening to all the promos people gave me and I will answer to everyone who wrote me asap.

“I think that BM&A did a great organization together with SEBRAE and SESC. I hope something like this could be possible, staying for some days more in each city to understand better the peculiarity of each musical scene.

“The live artists I enjoyed the most were:

In Sao Paulo: Dominguinhos with Yamandu Costa; Lanny Gordin; (so sad to have missed Tom Zè and Orquestra Imperial)

In Goiania: Abluesados

In Fortaleza: Montage, Kátia Freitas, Rosa de Pedra, Canários de Munin (so sad to have missed Wado) + O Quarto Das Cinzas.

In Salvador: Mariella Santiago; Ronei Jorge e os ladroes de Bicicleta; Gal Costa, Mariene de Castro.”

Some of the members of the Comprador e Imagem group were revisiting Brazil. “I really enjoyed our sidewalk lunch in São Paulo during our meeting break on the first full day we were in town,” says Tracy Mann of MG Limited.”I enjoyed the spontaneity of it and loved eating the food that I remembered from my teenage years. It was a great neighborhood spot.

 

Comprador e Imagem group having dinner in Fortaleza at Seu Faustino's in 2007
Comprador e Imagem group having dinner in Fortaleza at Seu Faustino’s in 2007

 

“Speaking of food,” continues Mann. “I thought the highlight was our dinner in Fortaleza at Seu Faustino’s. Such wonderful and sophisticated food served in humble surroundings by people who were very proud of their local produce, fish and wine. The rooftop garden was charming and unexpected. I had assumed that they had a small garden behind the restaurant, never imagining the clever raised bed set-up on the roof.

 

Rooftop gardens at Seu Faustino's - Photo by Angel Romero
Rooftop gardens at Seu Faustino’s – Photo by Angel Romero

 

We were so lucky on the last night of the trip to find ourselves in an authentic samba club in Pelourinho. The place was packed with sweaty young locals out for a great time. The energy was just electric.

Most of all, it was the sensitivity, kindness and humor of this particular group of travelers that really made the trip so special.”

With that well said, I conclude this miniseries about our recent experiences in Brazil. On behalf of World Music Central, I truly appreciate this generous opportunity that was offered to us to discover and meet numerous Brazilian musicians and producers. I would like to thank the knowledgeable David McLoughlin of BM&A for the chance to participate in the Comprador e Imagem project, and his colleague Michel Nicolau, also of BM&A, for his patience and support throughout the trip.

I would also like to thank my fellow North American and Euro travelers for sharing their opinions, as well as musical and shopping (thank you, Beverly) advice, always with good humor (Jordy, please release Windish’s CDs).

Special thanks goes to SEBRAE, APEX, SESC, Fundação Cultural do Estado da Bahia and all the other organizations, record companies, producers and individuals who made a special effort to make this wonderful experience a reality.

Last, but not least, I give my heartfelt appreciation to all the Brazilian musicians, who always tried the best , and are the ones that give us inspiration and a livelihood.

About BM&A

Brasil Música & Artes (BM&A) is a non-profit organization with the objective of encouraging and organizing the promotion of Brazilian music abroad, working with artists, record companies, distributors, exporters, collection societies and cultural entities. It carries out activities on behalf of the whole sector, including organizing seminars, and workshops, carrying out international market studies and trade fairs, and promotion. A promotional site is available at www.bmatools.com.

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Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.

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