#esperanzo spalding

[protoslacker]

Milton + esperanza

The release of this record prompts a wagon load of links. First, the introductory notes and video at the link above are great.

Second NPR's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert is really nice. And a wonderful reprise to it is the music video of Outubro.

Spalding first heard Nascimento on Wayne Shorter's collaborative 1975 record Native Dancer. My most memorable hearing of Milton Nascimento was his song Anima on David Byrne's 1989 compilation Beleza Tropical - Brazil Classics !. That record made quite an impression on me. It's hard to believer it's been 35 years, but the album is still in print and worth listening to. There's alsoi s short documentary on the record on Youtube.

In the early 1970's before my sister married her Brazilian husband they lived with us for a short while. He had some albums and among them were a few by Chico Buarque. At the time I reacted to hearing them rather like I imagine I'd have reacted hearing Frank Sinatra records. But on Beleza Tropical is the song Cálice written by Chico Buarque and Nascimento. I was living near my sister and brother in law when I discovered Byrne's compilation. My brother in law explained the the double entendre key to understanding the song: Cálice is a chalice or cup and in spoken Portuguese the word sounds almost exactly like word for "shut-up." There was a slight catch in his throat as he told me and that made me realize that his is a freedom song.

For historical context the Wikipedia article, Military dictatorship in Brazil is very good. And a blog post, Cálice – Humming Against the Dictatorship captures a concert performance where Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil who were forbidden to sing the lyrics to the song. So hummed them and still had to flee into exile. Here is a video of Buraque and Nascimento performing the song.

On the Manhattan Transfer's 1987 album Brazil is a song Hear The Voices (Bahia De Todas As Contas). The lyrics on that album are mostly in English, so i grokked a lot more. And this song seems to reference Gilberto Gil. His songs were banned on the radio but his popularity popularity increased. People were taking their record players out on the street and cracking up the volume.

Luaka Bop has eight Brazil Classic releases. And there are many ways nowadays to explore music from across the globe. Caetano Veloso"s book Tropical Truth: A Story Of Music And Revolution In Brazil helped me to understand the music on Beleza Tropical a little more than ten years after first hearing the record. The book also was a touchstone in my opposition to the Iraq War. And is still relevant with the current rise of right-wing authoritarianism.

Music and language can be liberating. Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding's collaboration is beautful and inspiring.