Celeste "Cinco E Triste Da Manha" (Tapecar, 1978)
A competent, though unenthralling, version of the dominant MPB sound of the mid-1970s... Originally from Bahia, Celeste Vanuchi had a nice enough voice, and sounds like a fair approximation of Gal Costa; what this album lacks, however, is the radical spark that set MPB's pioneers apart from their imitators. This disc is noteworthy, however, for the inclusion of several songs by an up-and-coming composer named Djavan, who at the time was barely on the radar. This is probably one of the first records to feature cover versions of his work. Again, it's nice enough, and not in any way an unpleasant record... I'm not sure there's anything here I need to come back to, though...
Celeste "Laco De Cobra" (Tapecar, 1979)
Celeste "Celeste" (Selo Pentegrama, 1983)
Vicente Celestino "Vincente Celestino" (Revivendo)
One of Brazil's earliest recording stars, Vicente Celestino made his first record in 1916, although he was mainly known as a song stylist until decades later, when he started to write his own material. He remained popular throughout his life, and near the time of his death in 1968, he was honored in a tribute concert by no less than tropicalia firebrands Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. (Caetano later recorded Celestino's "Coracao Materno," which is included here in its 1937 version...) This disc collects some of his best 1930s material on the RCA label -- corny, romantic and really appealing. Nice stuff, but more in the operatic tango and bolero camp than the samba-centric material of the time.
Vicente Celestino "In Memoriam" (BMG-RCA, 1999)
This single-disc collection tilts heavily towards Celestino's more Italianate, operatic leanings, and may be too bombastic and corny for the average listener... The sound quality is pretty good, but the music is kind of hard to take. No indication of when, specifically, these recordings date from, but they clearly overlap with the early work in the Revivendo collection reviewed above, just with even less of the samba influence to be heard.
Vicente Celestino "Em Suas Cancoes Celebres" (RCA, 1961/2001)
Horrendously schmaltzy later recordings by this legendary singer. This stuff is super-brega-plus; swooping and operatic, to an explicitly Italian degree. I had hoped that, like other volumes in BMG's "100 Anos" series, this CD would be a higher-fidelity collection of some of Celestino's classic work from the 1930s and '40s, but instead it's an ultra-florid, highly formalized set of Brazilian boleros. May be of interest to the historically-minded, but I think this lacks the spontaneity of his early work.
Chico Cesar "Aos Vivos" (Velas, 1995)
Great live album by one of Brazil's best-beloved manguebeat rock artists. Here, he's on more of an acoustic-based, Dave Matthews-y tip, except that unlike Matthews, he doesn't suck. This fab debut got a lot of airplay, and the charisma and warmth that Cesar exudes goes a long way to explain his continuing popularity, despite the flaws of his more high-tech later releases. Recently reissued domestically in the US.... Recommended!
Chico Cesar "Beleza Mano" (PolyGram/MZA, 1997)
The first few tracks on here are brilliant, and you think to yourself, "hey... alright!!" But on the fifth track, "Onde Estara O Meu Amor", there's this irritating addition of a soprano sax (yikes!), and it's all downhill from there. Even with the wide variety of styles and influences, this album goes from vigor to torpid predicability, and more's the pity. There are plenty of interesting, nuanced ideas... Cesar has a lot of presence, but mostly it's buried in glossy, over-stylized production.
Chico Cesar "Chico Cesar" (Putumayo, 2000)
As one of the most important artists in a new generation of Brazilian rockers, Chico Cesar has incorporated a healthy dose of funk into the mix, though sometimes with iffy results. This collection concentrates on more recent recordings, from 1996-97, and largely omits his most challenging and vigorous material in favor of more accessible, soft-pop outings. He does have an impressive stylistic range, though, especially when incorporating more exotic Brazilian folk styles -- his flat-out pop rock orientation is also in some ways refreshing, though after a while guitars that initially seemed brazen begin to suggest Beverley Hills 90120 more than, say, Jimi Hendrix. This disc is a good introduction to his work; if you like what you hear, I recommend you also hunt up some of Cesar's old albums so you can get a fuller picture of his work.
Chico Cesar "Millennium" (Polygram, 1998)
A strong best-of covering his work up through 1998... It has its iffy moments, but still definitely worth checking out.
Charlie Brown, Jr. "Preco Curto, Prazo Longo" (EMI, 1999)
Ye gods. Loud, wanky, corporate "alt rock" with a wide variety of styles, all of them uniformly irritating. The best parts are the fast, flashy metal-raps (which are horrible and obnoxious) and the the Green Day-ish power-chord punk; the worst are the hard rock guitar numbers with the shrill, note-heavy leads... I dunno, I'm sure this was exciting to Brazilian rock fans, but pretty much in the same way that 14-year old mall rats here in the States think that Linkin Park and Korn are rilly bitchin' bands, man. I'm an old-school punker, and I don't like this kind of paint-by-numbers aggro-rock when it's sung in English. And in this case, the novelty of hearing it sung in Portuguese doesn't do much to make it more interesting. They're big in Brazil, but they don't do much for me.
Charlie Brown, Jr. "Bocas Ordinarias" (EMI, 2002)
Skillfully produced, if tremendously generic alt-rock, of the commercialized "hard" variety practiced in the USA by bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Crunchy guitars, thumpy drums, simple, slightly proggish chord progressions, and a sad sort of desperation to appear offensive and edgy, even as one is being sold as a corporate commodity. I don't listen to this kind of stuff in English (I prefer my punk from the '70s and early '80s, when I was still a kid and they didn't package for television) but I can recognize that this is a well-made record. If you're a fairly adventurous "alt" fan who'd like to check out something from far-off lands, then you'd probably really dig this disc. Heck, it even won a Latin Grammy, so it must be good. Still, to quote a wise man I once knew: I prefer Foghat.
Erlon Chaves "Em Tempo De Samba" (RCA Victor, 1961)
Erlon Chaves "Sabadabada" (Copacabana, 1965)
Erlon Chaves "Banda Veneno De Erlon Chaves" (Philips, 1971)
Erlon Chaves "Banda Veneno Internacional" (Philips, 1972)
Erlon Chaves "As Dez Cancoes Medalha De Ouro -- Erlon Chaves E Paul Mauriat" (Philips, 1973)
Erlon Chaves "Banda Veneno Internacional, v.2" (Philips, 1973)
Erlon Chaves "Banda Veneno Internacional, v.3" (Philips, 1973)
Erlon Chaves "Banda Veneno Internacional, v.4" (Philips, 1974)
Erlon Chaves "Banda Veneno Internacional, v.5" (Philips, 1974)
Erlon Chaves "Millennium" (Universal, 2002)
Luiz Chaves e Seu Conjunto "Projecao" (RGE, 1963)
Swank, nightclubby big band versions of recently-minted bossa nova standards, with bassist Luiz Chaves and pianist Hamilton (Amilton) Godoy, of the Zimbo Trio. This is well-performed, though unoriginal -- still, it's a good example of how high-class Ellingtonian jazz motifs filtered into the Brazilian scene. Like Ellington, Chaves straddled the classical, jazz and pop worlds, although modern listeners may find his approach little more than competent and professional. The tinkly piano work by Hamilton Godoy is the most distracting element, otherwise this has some nice moments, in a "Harlem Nocturne" kinda way; Chaves and Godoy went on to co-found the long-lived Zimbo Trio.
Chiclete Com Banana "Chiclete Com Banana (Fe Brasileira)" (Continental, 1987)
Tacky, manic, incredibly irritating pop from this long-lived, popular Bahian party band. The unrelenting tempo, jittery, tinny guitars and cheesy synthesizer tones -- accented by the nails-on-a-blackboard vocals of lead singer "Bell" -- all combine to make this a truly taxing listening experience. But what do I know? Have I ever gotten drunk and sweaty, dancing the night away while listening to these guys play their mile-a-minute beach boogie? No, I have not. So I am outside looking in, an unwelcome guest at a big private party. I am also taking this record back to my local used record store, as fast as my little feet can take me... Tchau!
Chiclete Com Banana "Os Sucesos Do Chiclete Com Banana" (Continental, 1991)
Eww! Cumbia-flavored latin pop hits Brazil... in a big way. Yeah, I guess they were kind of breaking away from the rest of Brazilian pop and all, but this is a little too manic and Miami for my tastes. Plus, that guy has a really irritating voice.
Chiclete Com Banana "Chiclete Com Banana" (RCA-Ariola, 1993)
More manic, super-perky, super-shallow pop... Folks must have loved dancing to this band, but they sure are irritating to listen to! Carlinhos Brown co-wrote a couple of these songs, but even with the Afro-Brazilian percussion, they don't really stand out. It all sounds pretty much the same: too hyper, too pop.
Os Choroes "Chorinhos Da Pesada" (Serie Choro -- Grandes Solistas) (Odeon, 1971)
A disappointing set of modernized choro music, churned out and given a glitzy, slightly Vegas-y, big-bandish sheen. This jazz/gafieira supergroup included flautist Altamiro Carrilho, trombonist Raul De Barros, clarinetist Abel Ferreira, pianist (and grise eminence) Radames Gnattali and others... Lots of instrumental talent, but the tone of the album is a too brisk and prefab, a bit too controlled. Didn't work for me, at least.
