Jose Bispo Clementino Dos Santos, aka Jamelao, played old-school gafiera jazz -- swinging samba, but with an unusual, almost un-Brazilian twist. He was also closely associated with the fabled Mangueira samba school, and recorded regularly from the late 1950s through the dawn of the 21st Century... Here's a quick look at his work (most of which is still out of print... though a few gems have made it into the digital era...)
Jamelao "A Voz Do Samba" (Warner, 2002)
A three-CD box set (also for sale as single discs) that outlines Jamelao's work across the decades... It's a fine, comprehensive look at his career, and it's packed with some mighty fine music.
Jamelao "Noventa Anos Do Samba" (Tumi, 2005)
Jamelao "O Samba Em Noite De Gala" (Continental, 1958)
Jamelao "Escolas De Samba" (Continental, 1958)
Jamelao "O Samba E Bom Assim: A Boite E O Morro Na Voz De Jamelao" (Continental, 1959)
Jamelao "Desfile De Campeas: Jamelao E Escolas De Samba" (Continental, 1960)
Jamelao "Jamelao E Os Sambas Mais" (Continental, 1961)
Jamelao "Canta Para Enamorados" (Continental, 1962)
Jamelao "Sambas Para Todo Gosto" (Continental, 1963)
Jamelao "Aqui Mora O Ritmo" (Continental/Warner, 1964)
Jose Bispo Clementino Dos Santos, aka Jamelao, played old-school gafiera jazz -- swinging samba, but with an unusual, almost un-Brazilian twist. The punchy, big band-ish horn charts have a density that's similar to Stan Kenton and other highbrow jazzmen of the 'Fifties; Jamelao's vocals have a throatiness that has more in common with Cuban guaracheros such as Cascarita and Beny More than with homegrown heros like Dick Farney or Lucio Alves. Jamelao's affinity for muscular, jazzy arrangements would remain constant throughout his life, but this is a fine example of his work in the first half of the '60s. Recommended!
Jamelao "Cuidado Moco" (RCA, 1969)
Once again, an interesting mix of intimate samba and schmaltzy, bombastic big-bandish vocals. This was Jamelao's first album after a six year hiatus, and ably showcases his affection for the archaic vocal style of the "radio singers" of the 1940s and '50s... Indeed, he even covers artists such as Tito Madi and Lupicinio Rodrigues, whose heyday had been years earlier. Old-fashioned, but entirely enjoyable -- similar to early work by Jair Rodrigues.
Jamelao "Jamelao" (Continental, 1970)
Jamelao "Interpreta Lupicinio Rodrigues" (Continental, 1972)
Jamelao "Jamelao" (Continental, 1974)
Jamelao "Os Melhores Sambas Enredos '75" (Continental, 1974)
Jamelao "Jamelao" (Continental, 1975)
Jamelao "Samba-Enredo: Sucessos Antologicos" (Continental, 1975)
Jamelao "Folha Morta" (Continental, 1977)
Jamelao "Jamelao" (Continental, 1980)
Jamelao "Mangueira, A Super Campea" (Continental, 1984)
Jamelao "Recantando Magoas -- Lupi, A Dor E Eu" (Continental, 1987)
Jamelao "Minhas Andancas" (RGE, 1994)
Jamelao "Por Forca Do Habito" (Som Livre, 2000)
An unusual album, to say the least. Jamelao is a samba old-timer, whose career dates back to the 1940s, and who helped popularize and define the Carnaval samba-cancao style, as well as compose many of the best-known themes of the Mangueira samba school. Here, though, he takes a Tony Bennett-ish turn, with sinuous, though sometimes sluggishly heavy horn arrangements and a sleek pop vocals styling. Certainly not what I expected when I spotted this album, and not entirely to my tastes, but certainly very intriguing. If you're looking to explore a very different avenue of Brazilian pop, check this out. Might make a nice compliment to Dick Farney's stuff, for example.
For more info on Jamelao's early career, check out Brazilianmusic.com
