One of the giants of the "radio singer" era, Orlando Silva (1915-1978) was a real crooner, as befitted an artist whose initial heyday was in the late 1930s and '40s. He was one of the golden voices of Brazil's Radio Nacional, and one of the few rivals on par with the great Francisco Alves; however he fell prey to substance abuse in the early '40s, and lost much of his career momentum early on. Like many of the great, classic samba-cancao singers, Silva had a revival in the 1950s and '60s, and he made several fine records later in life as well. Here's a quick look at his work...
Orlando Silva "Sempre Sucesso!" (RCA Victor, 1962) (LP)
An old best-of set from 1962, with material from Silva's early years. Like many artists from the radio singers era, a large amount of his work originally came out on 78rpm singles, in the years before albums or LPs had been invented, or widely produced, so it may be worth looking for "best of" collections rather than the albums he released in the 'Fifties and 'Sixties. (Also, if you ask me, the earlier work may have a little more snap to it, as Brazilian musical tastes -- and orchestrations -- became a bit stuffier and more sluggish during the hi-fi era.)
Orlando Silva "O Cantor Das Multoes -- Gravacoes Originais: 1935-1942" (Box Set) (RCA, 1997)
Awesome! This 3-CD box set covers his earliest work, and has the advantage of being mastered off the original tapes in the BMG vaults, so the sound quality is bright and compelling. Deliciously rich, romantic material, with the smooth vocal style that inspired Joao Gilberto, hero of the bossa nova generation. Lovely stuff... I could listen to it for months on end! Probably the single best collection of his work yet assembled.
Orlando Silva "Serie Bis - Cantores Do Radio" (EMI-Brasil, 2000)
This is a swinging collection which starts a little late in the game (1943) -- after Silva's fall from grace, and a change to a new label. The set continues on until the late 1960s, when production styles had changed greatly, and with them, much of the public taste. Even though these were not his glory years, this is still a great collection which dips only lightly into pop vocals corn. Mostly it's great stuff -- if you're only familiar with Silva's early work, this 2-CD set is also worth checking out. You might be surprised by how charming and effective his later recordings are.
Orlando Silva "Orlando Silva" (Revivendo Records)
Magesticly schmaltzy, tango-tinged romantic ballads, with just a touch of samba to balance things out. Silva was one of Brazil's true greats, on a par with Cuban and South American bolero singers such as Carlos Gardel and Antonio Machin. This CD collects some of his best work from his peak years -- it only scratches the surface, but that's why we can be thankful that Revivendo has a bazillion other Silva collections to check out as well. Recommended!
Orlando Silva/Odete Amaral "Jornal De Ontem" (Revivendo)
Orlando Silva "Cancao Do Amor Que Eu Ihe Dou" (Revivendo Records, 1993)
Orlando Silva "Quero Beijar Te Ainda" (1994)
Orlando Silva "Preferencia Nacional" (EMI, 1999)
Orlando Silva "Maxximum" (Sony-BMG, 2005)
Orlando Silva "...Canta Musicas De Ary Barroso" (Musidisc, 1953) (10")
Though he'd been recording singles since the late 1930s, this was Silva's first album, a tribute to the great Ary Barroso, author of "Aquarela Do Brasil, and arguably the greatest composer of Brazil's samba-cancao style during the 1930s and 'Forties. These tracks were combined with the album below (a tribute to Custodio Mesquita) to make one of Orlando Silva's first full-length LPs, in 1958.
Orlando Silva "...Canta Musicas De Custodio Mesquita" (Musidisc, 1953) (10")
An homage to a now-obscure but once-great arranger composer from the radio singer era... Custodio Mesquita de Pinheiro (1910-1945) worked on various radio programs and was a highly successful samba-cancao songwriter, known in part for several songs recorded by Carmen Miranda and by her sister, Aurora Miranda, as well as by crooner Mario Reis, Joao Petra de Barros, Lourdinha Bittencourt, and others. He died tragically young at age 34, from complications of hepatitis. These tracks were later combined with the Ary Barroso album on a LP release in 1958.
Orlando Silva "Serenata" (Odeon, 1957) (LP)
Orlando Silva "Musicas Famosas De Ary Barroso E Custodio Mesquita" (Audiola Records, 1958) (LP)
This LP gathers together the material from Silva's two 10" albums listed above...
Orlando Silva "25 Anos Cantando Para As Multidoes" (Odeon, 1959) (LP)
Orlando Silva "Carinhoso" (RCA Victor, 19--?) (LP)
Orlando Silva "Ultimo Estrope" (RCA Victor, 19--?) (LP)
Orlando Silva "Por Ti" (RCA Victor, 19--?) (LP)
Orlando Silva "Quando A Saudade Apertar" (RCA Victor, 19--?) (LP)
Orlando Silva "Enquanto Houver Saudade" (RCA Victor, 1966) (LP)
Orlando Silva "O Eterno Seresteiro" (RCA-Victor, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Rildo Hora)
Old-fashioned crooner Orlando Silva gets sympathetic, sweet backing by bandolim master Jacob do Bandolim and his band Epoca Do Ouro. The music is impossibly drippy (as are all of Silva's "seresta"-style recordings), but it must be said that the high-power backing does take things up a notch. If you wanted to hear this style of romantic melodrama at its best. this album would be an ideal starting place. Beautiful flute, as well. A magnificent album; also magnificently corny.
Orlando Silva "A Voz De Orlando Silva" (Discos Marcus Pereira)
