The course of Brazilian widespread music within the latter half of the twentieth century might be broadly break up into two main overlapping currents. From the late 50s, bossa nova grew to become the dominant style, fronted by artists like João Gilberto and Nara Leão. However from the mid-’60s, a brand new style emerges from artists searching for a extra eclectic, extroverted sound. Below the banner of MPB (Música Widespread Brasileira), musicians like Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, and Edu Lobo merged bossa nova, rock, samba, jazz, and regional people music into an expansive style of their very own.
The beginning of MPB is usually situated in a 1965 reside efficiency at a TV Excelsior music competitors. The winners of that contest had been songwriter Edu Lobo and an expressive younger singer named Elis Regina. However lengthy after her rise to fame within the 60s, Regina would as soon as once more reveal the ability of her reside performances in a staggering 1978 reside album known as Transversal Do Tempo.
Hearken to Elis Regina’s Transversal Do Tempo now.
The recording begins with two stirring ballads. “Fascinação,” initially penned by Italian songwriter Fermo Dante Marchetti, exhibits Regina’s capability for each delicate, smooth passages, and highly effective, operatic crescendos. The next “Sinal Fechado” would be the album’s spotlight, a haunting, melancholic rendition of Paulinho da Viola’s composition. The lyrics element two associates coincidentally assembly at a stoplight and promising to fulfill sooner or later. Written on the top of the Brazilian dictatorship, da Viola’s track mirrored the alienation of the period. Regina’s rendition retains the sense of disquiet, however provides a romantic undercurrent. Pianist Crispin Del Cistia deserves credit score right here, backing Regina’s vocals with unimaginable sensitivity.
After this opening descent into melancholy, we abruptly emerge right into a kind of funky prog-rock with “Deus Lhe Pague.” It’s an explosive, surprisingly heavy hear, Regina tapping right into a caustic aggression on stage. It’s ironic that Regina was reportedly a perfectionist; right here, she is refreshingly uncooked. After pop balladry and progressive rock, we transfer into the bossa-nova-infused rhythms of “O Rancho Da Goiabada.” Nonetheless, these acquainted tones quickly dissolve into uncomfortable discordance earlier than lastly rising into a short jazz-funk outro. Regina is giving us an unapologetic tour via MPB’s diversified influences.
One other spotlight comes with a medley of “Meio Termo” and “Corpos.” We begin with the light tones of Lourenço Baeta’s composition earlier than segueing right into a prog-rock interpretation of Ivan Lins’ “Corpos.” The nearer, “Cartomante” diverges into poppier territory, ending the present with an lively crowd-pleaser.
It’s price diving into Elis Regina’s whole catalog, however Transversal Do Tempo is probably the very best show of her skill as a performer. And, given its launch close to the tip of MPB’s zenith, Transversal serves as a strong send-off to an period of exuberant eclecticism.
Hearken to Elis Regina’s Transversal Do Tempo now.
