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Músicas sem Fronteiras, Jazz, Etnic, Tango Fado & Recital de Guitarra Portuguesa
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JORGE
FERNANDO
«MEMÓRIA E FADO»
The
great lyrical vocals and composer Jorge Fernando was Amália Rodrigues'
guitarist for six years and produced her final recordings. With prior Jazz,
Brazilian and Pop interludes intersecting his performance career, Fernando's
“Memória e Fado” – that celebrates his 30 years in show business - is not
your typical Fado affair limited by narrow conventions and concerns over
stylistic purity. Still, the spirit of the thing is uppermost on everyone's mind
and the international musicians attached to this venture are the “crème de la
crème” of the genre: the notable Italian singer and composer Lucio Dalla, the
remarkable prolific Brazilian artist’s Egberto Gismonti, André Dequech and
Zeca Assumpção, as well the great harmonica American player William Galison
and Portuguese guitarist Custódio Castelo. Add the voices of Amália (an old
recording finally edited) and Aside
from a duet with Fado diva Amália Rodrigues in “Vida” to a fabulous
“Minha História» (Lucio Dalla / Chico Buarque) and Charles Aznavour
“Mourir pour toi” transformed into an achingly sad Fado elegy sung in the
original French, the remaining eight numbers are all original compositions and
particularly fetching examples of the Portuguese Blues liberated from its
neo-baroque stiltedness. There are touches of Parisian bistro life well outside
the Aznavour tribute, the Brazilian touch of “Memória e Fado” (Geraldo
Carneiro/Egberto Gismonti) and ample evidence of advanced songwriter's craft. It
simply finds itself enveloped in Fado predominantly by virtue of Castelo's
crying guitar and far less so by adherence to classical patterns. Rather
than feeling misappropriated as so much world music is guilty of by
superficially raiding other cultures' coffers, Fernando's deep immersion in the
genre allows him to transcend its constrictions while remaining true to its
innate glory. The affectedness is gone, the patterns of uptight conduct relaxed.
What's left is a universal appeal to poetry and a rare gift for memorable
melodies of “tristesse” and “saudade”, similar to Cesaria Evora's best
work. With the current revival of traditional Fado at the hands of Marisa and
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