tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88504538336066516592024-03-13T00:37:20.058-04:00Fado TodayA blog about things happening now in the fado of Lisbon.
<br><i>Nota: faça um clique no botão de Google Translate (à direita) para aceder uma versão deste site em português.</i>DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-25155253048255560882020-06-07T15:27:00.004-04:002020-06-07T15:27:54.534-04:00Fado VADIOJust today, the viola player <b>Vítor Tiago</b> had some really touching things to say about FADO VADIO ("wandering fado"), which in general refers to the people (usually singers) who wander from fado house to fado house and.... Well, I'll let Vítor explain it (in my translation):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;"><b>Vítor Tiago<br /></b></td></tr>
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<b>My friends, today I want to communicate my simple, sincere and profound tribute to the amateur fado artists, those who, with some disdain, are called by some people within our world as the "fadistas of the fado vadio," those who "might even pay to sing". I say this because realistically, without them, and particularly in this period of pandemic, the fado itself would be in a state of recuperation and/or it would simply be reduced to half-a-dozen online performances. Courtesy of these amateur fadistas, the fado houses have once again offered fado <i>by</i> the Portuguese and <i>for</i> the Portuguese who are not bothered by needing to pay in order to sing one or two fados. It is for you, the " AMATEURS OF THE FADO VADIO", that I applaud, with humility and thankfulness for demonstrating the difference between LIKING the fado and NEEDING the fado. Thank you for the love that you show in holding fast to the fado. And, I believe, it is thanks to you that the genuine "fado of the people and for the people" will never die, even if it is sung with an imperfect rhythm or poor diction or errors in the lyrics. Your genuineness will never die even when confronted with the ever-increasing general degradation [in fado] that has been witnessed in the last few years.</b><br />
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<b>I congratulate you for lifting the fado from the darkness in which it was submerged in the past months, and for helping to ensure that a number of houses do not close their doors before the tourists who previously sustained them return with stuffed wallets. When they (the tourists) return, you will return to the "fado vadio", to the customary places, where you will always be welcome.</b><br />
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<b>Thank you to the community of the "AMATEURS OF THE FADO VADIO".</b><br />
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<i>Amizades,hoje quero aqui deixar a minha mais singela , sincera e profunda homenagem aos amadores de fado,áqueles a quem ,com algum desdém, algumas pessoas do meio chamam "fadistas do fado vadio",aqueles que "até pagam para cantar", porque realmente sem eles o fado,provavelmente, nesta altura da pandemia, estava ainda "de molho" e,ou, simplesmente reduzido a "meia dúzia" de intervenções cibernautas. Graças a esses fadistas amadores já as casas de fado ( nalgumas das quais esses amadores eram "personas non gratas"...) voltaram a ter fados de portugueses para portugueses que não se importam de pagar para cantar um ou dois fadinhos. É para vocês, "AMADORES DO FADO VADIO" que vai o meu aplauso de humildade e gratidão p'la demonstração da diferença entre o GOSTAR de fado e o PRECISAR do fado. Obrigado p'lo amor que demonstram ter ao fado e graças a vocês acredito que o genuino "fado do povo e para o povo" nunca irá morrer, mesmo cantado com pouco compasso ou má dicção e bacuradas nas letras a genuidade não morrerá em face da quantidade crescente da degradação genérica que se tem verificado nos últimos anos.</i></div>
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<i>Bem-hajam por erguerem o fado das trevas em que está mergulhado há uns meses e por permitirem que algumas casas não fechem de vez as suas portas até que os turistas que as sustentavam regressem com as carteiras recheadas. Quando eles (turistas) voltarem então lá vão ter de regressar ao "fado vadio" ,aos lugares do costume,onde serão sempre bem recebidos.</i></div>
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<i>Obrigado comunidade dos "AMADORES DE FADO VADIO".</i></div>
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I thank Vítor for letting me do this. Any problems with the translation are of course my responsibility!DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-56601836888704430192019-05-09T21:14:00.000-04:002020-02-29T18:42:30.556-05:00WHAT FADO IS THAT?<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"What is this one called?"</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Cabaré."</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Right. So it's 'Fado Cabaré'?"</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I believe so..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">--"Cabaré", from "Canta Marceneiro" by Camané</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>In fado, the whole issue of what to call "the thing that people sing" is enormously confusing and not even remotely obvious, but there is an answer.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each sung performance of traditional fado has two identities: the music (which is what the musicians and the singer need to know), and the lyric (which only the singer needs to know). The music is "THE FADO"; the lyrics are just lyrics. Both a given lyric <u>and a given music</u> have names, some of them quite bizarre, and often with interesting stories attached.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Daniel Gouveia</i><br />
4FadoLisbon</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first thing to note is that traditional fado is <i>strophic</i>: there is no chorus, just verses. So while pop music might have an AABA structure, traditional fado is AAAAA... As a result, the form is endlessly malleable in terms of the number of stanzas, though there are very strict rules about the length of a metric foot and the number of lines of verse that the music will accommodate. Some older lyrics in particular can be very long indeed. A great example is "O Bêbado Pintor" (the drunk painter). Here it is sung live in its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxZkrwXYmiQ" target="_blank">complete form</a> by Daniel Gouveia at Restaurante Niní in Lisbon.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Camané</i><br />
2019 NY Fado Festival<br />
Photo by Ryan Muir</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As shown by Daniel's explanation (in Portuguese, but he could do it in English too), "O Bêbado Pintor" is a bit complicated. The first stanza (the <i>mote</i>) has four lines, and the remaining four stanzas have 10 (!) lines each, for a total of 44 verses. Moreover, the last line of the second verse is the first line of the mote; the last line of the third verse is the second line of the mote; etc. until the end. The beginning is sung over the <i>Fado Laranjeira</i>, the middle is <u>spoken</u> over the <i>Fado Menor</i>, then the end is sung over the <i>Fado Laranjeira</i>. Again, these are different musics, but they all accommodate the lyric in question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_auH9IF-WLg" target="_blank">version</a> recorded by <b>Alfredo Marceneiro</b> has a fewer number of stanzas than the original (evidently this is what the producer, Valentim de Carvalho, demanded in order to fit the performance on a single record). To do so, Marceneiro sang the <i>mote</i>, then only the third and fourth stanzas. The contemporary fadista <b>Camané</b>, on the CD "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3bT1YK635hVMax4wtBnP7u?si=JU5sqJ1PQHy9T3ycdkzWMQ" target="_blank">Camané Canta Marceneiro</a>" (Camané sings Marceneiro), sings the stanzas in a different order from the original. Almost nothing in the fado is as it seems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two compendia that suggest the stunning breadth of pairings between music and lyric are the sites </span><a href="http://www.4fadolisbon.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">4FadoLisbon</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (perhaps better--the corresponding </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/4FadoLisbon" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and <a href="http://fadosdofado.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">FadosDoFado</a>, but to understand the possibilities and limits of these pairings you have to read between the lines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the </span><a href="http://www.fadofestival.net/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">2019 New York Fado Festival</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, for example, </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fado Pedro Rodrigues</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> was performed in sets by both </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Ana Sofia Varela</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hélder Moutinho</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">--though it was sung to different lyrics. Hélder sang the lyric "A Minha Cor" with this fado, and it is under this name (and not "Pedro Rodrigues") that it appears on </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sete Fados e Alguns Cantos</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, his 2004 record. Ana Sofia sang the lyric "Duas Lágrimas de Orvalho", and again this is how it's listed on her eponymous debut album. As <b>Rodrigo Costa Félix</b> rightly pointed out to me recently, "A minha cor" has four lines (verses) per stanza, while "Duas lágrimas de orvalho" has six (and the <i>Pedro Rodrigues</i> can accommodate five verses per stanza as well). I should also note that Pedro Rodrigues is one of the fados that Professor Ellen Gray discusses in landmark book, <i><a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/Fado-Resounding" target="_blank">Fado Resounding</a></i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The total number of different lyrics that can be sung with <i>Pedro Rodrigues</i> is large. For an idea, see </span><a href="http://fadosdofado.blogspot.com/search?q=pedro+rodrigues" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some recent performances of <i>Fado Pedro Rodrigues</i> can be seen after running</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/4FadoLisbon/search?query=pedro+rodrigues" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">this query</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And <i>Pedro Rodrigues</i> is just one of maybe 200 or so fados in current circulation. A solid list of traditional fados is </span><a href="http://fadosdofado.blogspot.com/2008/07/indce-geral-de-fados-tradicionais_06.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Fairly recently, the guitarist António Parreira released <i>O Livro dos Fados</i>, which contains the music for 180 fados (and an excellent introduction by Rui Vieira Nery). José Manuel Osório, at the time of his death, had compiled a list of more than 400 traditional fados.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ana Sofia Varela</i><br />
2019 NY Fado Festival<br />
Photo by Feligénio Medeiros</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hélder Moutinho</i><br />
2019 NY Fado Festival<br />
Photo by Ryan Muir</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The number of fado/lyric combinations can therefore be very, very large.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As mentioned, the names of the fados are sometimes unusual, even inscrutable. <i>Corrido</i> means "running". <i>Mouraria</i> shares a name with a neighborhood of Lisbon. <i>Laranjeira</i> is an orange tree (long story). And <i>Pedro Rodrigues</i>? That was the name of the person who wrote it. Rui Nery discusses these and many other fados in his book (now available in English), <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9722720244/" target="_blank">Para Uma História do Fado</a></i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>José Fernandes Castro</i><br />
FadosDoFado</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The site <a href="http://fadosdofado.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">fadosdofado</a> is organized by lyric, so it always shows the lyricist's name first, then the name of the fado (if it's traditional fado)–along with the composer's name (if known)–so you have to dig a bit to find the different lyrics associated with a given fado. A really great, somewhat rare, collection of CDs entitled <i>Todos os Fados de A a Z</i> (<i>All the Fados from A to Z</i>, edited by the late <a href="http://www.avante.pt/pt/1968/pcp/115902" target="_blank">José Manuel Osório</a>) has–you guessed it–examples of around 150 different fado musics (ISBN 9896121532, 9789896121532)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. It's pretty indispensable if you really want to dig in–and you can find it. There is a similarly themed YouTube </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSLGbpeIXdCgQ_jWNETxDXhTb9RJucjNl" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">channel</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and a web </span><a href="https://fadotradicional.wixsite.com/fadotradicional/z" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">site</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Interestingly (though not at all uncommon), the lyric "A Minha Cor" is probably most closely associated with a different fado, which is <i>Fado Meia-noite</i>. <i>Meia-noite</i> (midnight) has a completely different vibe from <i>Pedro Rodrigues</i>. So, telling the musicians "A Minha Cor" doesn't help them, since "A Minha Cor" can be sung over <i>Pedro Rodrigues</i>, <i>Meia-noite</i>, and many other fados. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The musicians just want to know which music they need to play, and in what key. The public, on the other hand, naturally latches on to lyrics--so that's what appears in liner notes, and it's what people typically talk about (e.g., while "Duas Lágrimas de Orvalho"–which is very closely associated with Carlos do Carmo–is typically in </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Pedro Rodrigues</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, no one files it under </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fado Pedro Rodrigues</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> since it can be sung with other fados).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOiD0TNw-7zUs4vhGqx1RvKrAAnkmLJQ788GG09OJiac-bC5INc12Qd_q-ECiZse3j_2xirjKjvSlHSDzLGamvMfLnsY_VEoA10sfejlHzvPDX5gln-KZFxrjKBpJ6le3IyABa3URrPjq/s1600/musicos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOiD0TNw-7zUs4vhGqx1RvKrAAnkmLJQ788GG09OJiac-bC5INc12Qd_q-ECiZse3j_2xirjKjvSlHSDzLGamvMfLnsY_VEoA10sfejlHzvPDX5gln-KZFxrjKBpJ6le3IyABa3URrPjq/s400/musicos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>André Dias (gp), André Ramos (v), Rodrigo Serrão (vb)</i><br />
2019 NY Fado Festival<br />
Photo by Ryan Muir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This makes perfect sense when you consider the fact that many singers might pass through a <i>tasca</i> (tavern) on any given night, and each one wants to sing "their" lyric over a particular fado before moving on to the next <i>tasca</i>. The musicians therefore just need to know the name of the music (and the key) in order to provide accompaniment. If that fado has already been played, then the musicians will likely want to improvise a bit to keep things fresh. This helps keep the enterprise afloat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To make things even more confusing, there are the occasional fados where the name of the fado and the name of the lyric are the same, or nearly so. "Loucura" (also performed by Hélder in NYC) is probably the best example. Of course, in Hélder's set list it is written as <i>Fado Loucura</i>, since the music is now in the canon and there are various lyrics that have been put to it. But in his case he sang the original lyric.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The obvious answer to the question "What is the fado?" is, therefore, the name of the music (if it's a traditional fado). The less obvious answer is yet another question: "Who's asking?" </b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If it's the <b>singer</b> or <b>musician</b> accompanying the singer, then the answer is the name of the music <i>plus</i> the key in which the music is to be played (e.g., "O Corrido em fá", which means "Fado Corrido in the key of F").</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If it's the artist's <b>record label</b>, then the answer is "Who cares??!! Put the name of the lyric on the liner notes and let's get this thing out the door!"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If it's an <b>audience</b> in Portugal (or anywhere where people care), then the answer is the totality of the thing that's about to be sung, which means the answer (if it's traditional fado) has four elements: the name and composer of the music and the name and writer of the lyric. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And if it's <b>anyone else</b>, then the answer from the fadista could be any combination of the above things.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are two <i>postscripts</i> to this discussion: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, fadistas will typically announce some or all of the complete information from the stage before or after they perform a fado. It's usually something like "In the music of <i>Fado Pedro Rodrigues</i>, I'm going to sing 'Fria Claridade' by Pedro Homem de Melo" (the composer of the music may or may not be mentioned). This happens with some regularity in Portugal; in the US, less so. When it doesn't happen in Portugal, the intelligentsia tend to get annoyed. Sandro Costa sometimes calls these people the Ayatollahs of the fado.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second, (and I feel this is now very rare), you will sometimes hear "...criação de..." (literally, "creation of...")–then the name of a singer–added to the announcement of the music and lyric. According to Daniel Gouveia, this means that this combination of music and lyric was first sung by the referenced fadista <i>and</i> that it was a hit. For example, "Por Morrer Um Andorinha" was first sung by Francisco Stoffel, but is now associated with the singer who made it a hit–Carlos do Carmo. But this is a topic for another day! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Acknowledgments</i>: Many thanks to <b>Daniel Gouveia</b> and to <b>Rodrigo Costa Félix</b> for the helpful pointers and information. I claim all the shortcomings of this article for my own, though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Liner Notes</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consistent with the above explanation, I'm listing the lyrics separately from the music.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>LYRICS / lyricist</i></b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">O Bêbado Pintor</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Linhares Barbosa</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Fria Claridade</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"> / Pedro Homem de Melo</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A Minha Cor</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Manuel de Andrade</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Duas Lágrimas de Orvalho</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Linhares Barbosa</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Loucura</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Frederico de Brito</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>FADOS / composer</i></b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Corrido</i> / Unknown</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Laranjeira </i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/ Alfredo Duarte, "O Marceneiro"</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Meia-noite</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Filipe Pinto</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Loucura</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Júlio de Sousa</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Pedro Rodrigues</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> / Pedro Rodrigues</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Some sources:</i></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gray, Lila Ellen (2013). <i>Fado Resounding: Affective Politics and Urban Life</i>. Duke University Press.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nery, Rui Vieira (2017). <i>Para Uma História do Fado</i>. Corda Seca & Público. (There is also an earlier edition, and one in English).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parreira, António (2014). <i>O Livro dos Fados. </i>Museu do Fado<i>.</i></span></li>
</ul>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-48448435950182334412018-09-24T23:26:00.001-04:002018-09-26T22:22:26.560-04:00Forgotten fadistas--or notThe Fado Internet is filled with people working tirelessly to get out the word (and content) about fado music, community and culture (and every once in a while a few dollops of jealousy, envy and outright animosity). One of those on the strictly positive side is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/joaquim.silva.1232" target="_blank">Joaquim Silva</a>, a man with a large supply of high quality connections to the riches of fado's deep history.<br />
<br />
In thanks and in honor of Joaquim's work, I want to draw attention to his series "Fadistas esquecidos...ou não" (forgotten fadistas...or not) that he has highlighted in recent weeks. Some of the videos are taken from the deep archives, and all have something strong to recommend them.<br />
<br />
Joaquim is pure class. Each of the entries on his Facebook page gives the names of the singer, the musicians, the fado (plus its composer), the lyric (and its author) plus usually a couple of historical nuggets.<br />
<br />
Some of these artists can be found on the series "Fados do fado" (reissued in reduced form a few years ago), "Fados do Alvorada" (written about elsewhere on this blog), as well as on the original recordings (often very difficult to find)<br />
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See how many of the singers and musicians you recognize.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP5xbjrCHvY" target="_blank">César Morgado</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVaDaSDTnys" target="_blank">Benvinda Cruz</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w9zQmOnN6w" target="_blank">Fernando Gomes</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhrlRzQepSI" target="_blank">Adelina Ramos</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq4Cyh0azOY" target="_blank">Lino Manuel</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmt9yd2ls4Y" target="_blank">Maria José Ramos</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnuBsGNSay0" target="_blank">Natalino Duarte</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-qff1q8V5M" target="_blank">Romy Barra</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMXpzDGBVXc" target="_blank">Maria Portugal</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ROQfcDVoA" target="_blank">Manuel Domingos</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=levnM92UZTs" target="_blank">Lídia Ribeiro</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOSn-NtjApw" target="_blank">Ada de Castro</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrqBIlTjgGU" target="_blank">Eurico Pavia</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71WQgYc81rI" target="_blank">Estela Alves</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-pAeyfG2VE" target="_blank">Dina do Carmo</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HrM3r3fisQ" target="_blank">Eduarda Maria</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaGwjTpAtzM" target="_blank">Moniz Trindade</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMbFDOdh3ck" target="_blank">Ivete Pessoa</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4__MVa0iKpA" target="_blank">Eulália Duarte</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyUc2Zv4ZY8" target="_blank">Julieta Brigue</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eaMkavQDzs" target="_blank">Francisco Stoffel</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMbEJ7gTEF0" target="_blank">Márcia Condessa</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr1gfpz5JBo" target="_blank">Lucilia Gomes</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EB31SqEW64" target="_blank">Julieta Estrela</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zoAZZr0pPE" target="_blank">Jorge Martinho</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNCN7uQIK8I" target="_blank">Raul Pereira</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtyUQJmUHVQ" target="_blank">Natércia da Conceição</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQIklHPqtfQ" target="_blank">Odete Maria</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg75p0RL4BY" target="_blank">Valdemar Vigário</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr-pXx6G6Vo" target="_blank">Vicência Lima</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH1X0_LDduc" target="_blank">Zé Freire</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlmwQvRspQE" target="_blank">Deolinda Maria</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M408wjThhA0" target="_blank">Carlos Duarte</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4sodoeBG2k" target="_blank">Carlos Barra</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFc_gRkp4Tk" target="_blank">Cândida Ramos</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhUjIrUbFyg" target="_blank">Beatriz Ferreira</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z5uYFHQm00" target="_blank">Ana Rosmaninho</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYWmXStSFYI" target="_blank">José Manuel de Castro</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6YEVmvf93M" target="_blank">Maria do Céu Crispim</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2E_fdXUQVQ" target="_blank">Manuel Netto</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2yB3DjYkM" target="_blank">Mariana Correia </a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07K0ZEfGdxE" target="_blank">Pedro Lisboa</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnrtSAjgSNU" target="_blank">Orlando Duarte</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TgnDIIhqao" target="_blank">Leonor Santos</a><br />
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I hope you enjoy these fados--and thanks to Joaquim and to all the YouTube users who put the music out there.<br />
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<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-21942539711036730552015-08-27T17:44:00.000-04:002015-08-27T17:46:33.416-04:00Ana Laíns and Pedro Galveias--US Tour<div class="MsoNormal">
This October, Portuguese fado singers <b>Ana Laíns</b> and <b>Pedro Galveias</b> will be
touring the northeast US, with concert
dates, workshops and other appearances scheduled in New York, Massachusetts and
Rhode Island. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcPIyHTYCQcC2_pGk1u8c3eDnlVpAoJShXpHo8OexyzMGemcUaSesaxc0JAp5x2FcYqMDbDjWaZ4qE8TtC1HTpnF_Jr3C4VPg7YAk2mY_hlFhMrivafCxKgwmzOnEx6It7DZ1amgSjXi2/s1600/AnaHS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcPIyHTYCQcC2_pGk1u8c3eDnlVpAoJShXpHo8OexyzMGemcUaSesaxc0JAp5x2FcYqMDbDjWaZ4qE8TtC1HTpnF_Jr3C4VPg7YAk2mY_hlFhMrivafCxKgwmzOnEx6It7DZ1amgSjXi2/s320/AnaHS.jpg" width="235" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ana Laíns</b>’ music
spans the full depth and breadth of Portuguese fado music, an art form recently <span id="goog_153382402"></span><span id="goog_153382403"></span>recognized by UNESCO for its profound importance to world culture. Ana’s music
has achieved wide critical and artistic acclaim, as well as various prizes
(including best young female singer in Lisbon’s Grande Noite de Fado (Grand
Night of the Fado), the country’s top fado competition). She has released two
CDs (<i>Sentidos</i> and <i>Quatro Caminhos</i>) and performed extensively
both within and outside Portugal. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcUEQv2c9etHSF0pi6gYh34-2h4fuWZsGSY75oH-L-UcsnB39OHpLj3f9uSSTUUrw4gBgkkR18M353MLu81t3evHzxaZAlx9cqZE8ZPAq6OM1m7aeyNKpwhuhBkWwrxezoqSav49AKa_x/s1600/PedroHS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcUEQv2c9etHSF0pi6gYh34-2h4fuWZsGSY75oH-L-UcsnB39OHpLj3f9uSSTUUrw4gBgkkR18M353MLu81t3evHzxaZAlx9cqZE8ZPAq6OM1m7aeyNKpwhuhBkWwrxezoqSav49AKa_x/s320/PedroHS.jpg" width="219" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pedro Galveias</b> is one of the most
established and storied voices of Lisbon’s traditional fado scene. Pedro has
released two CDs (Assim se Canta and Loucuras de um Fado) and was twice a winner in the category of best male singer in
Lisbon’s Grande Noite de Fado. He was <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/01/pedro-galveias.html" target="_blank">profiled</a> on Fado-Today after the release of his second album.</div>
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Accompanying the singer are two master
musicians, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sandro Costa</b> (on the
Portuguese guitar) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tô Neto</b> (on
the <i>viola do fado</i>), both of whom have performed widely at all levels of the
fado, from Lisbon’s hidden taverns to the worldwide stage. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Together, the music of this group embraces traditional and
contemporary expressions of Portuguese fado, with stories of heartache, joy and
longing conjuring images of Portugal’s centuries-old history and of our shared
human condition.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The tour kicks off with a concert at <i><a href="http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3ARPO%3A2016E%3AEW1016%3A&linkID=rpo&shopperContext=&pc=&caller=&appCode=&groupCode=ESMW&cgc=" target="_blank">Eastman School of Music</a></i> in Rochester, NY on 16 October, and includes shows at <i><a href="http://www.alumni.uml.edu/fado" target="_blank">University of Massachusetts Lowell</a></i> on 23 October and at the <i><a href="http://www.lusitanoroyalgardens.com/" target="_blank">Lusitano Restaurant and Gardens</a></i> in Fall River, Massachusetts on 24 October. <b>Further information on tickets and concert dates is <a href="http://www.pacefado.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></div>
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As part of the tour, the group will be holding university
workshops, school visits, and other activities to introduce a wide range of
people to fado music in particular and to Portuguese culture in general. The
tour is organized by <a href="http://www.pacefado.com/" target="_blank">Portuguese/American Cultural Exchange, Inc. (PACE)</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a Massachusetts not-for-profit whose mission
is to bridge US and Portuguese cultures through the fado. The tour follows
previous highly successful PACE programs, including tours by Ricardo Ribeiro,
Rodrigo Costa Félix and Duarte Coxo, with extensive participation from US-based
fado performers.<br />
<br />
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-68803565740576829252015-03-02T20:56:00.000-05:002015-03-03T12:23:21.993-05:00Looking to the future with Camané<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Camané</b> will be topping a double bill of fado this Saturday, 7 March, at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he will be joined by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carminho" target="_blank">Carminho</a>.<br />
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Even after more than 25 years of performing the fado, Camané continues to work at an intense and trend-setting pace. A comprehensive exposition on his work opened at the Fado Museum in 2011, and in 2014 he was the subject of a documentary film ("<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA3-noRvW_o" target="_blank">Fado Camané</a>", directed by Bruno de Almeida). He recently released a career-spanning retrospective CD ("O Melhor 1995-2013") and is currently hard at work on finishing a new CD slated for release in April of this year.<br />
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Camané has always been an enigmatic artist. His rerecorded output is vast and includes longstanding collaborations with the composer José Mario Branco and lyricist Manuela de Freitas, documented in "Fado Camané" and revealed through his ongoing collaborations with the guitarist <a href="https://vimeo.com/115565921" target="_blank">José Manuel Neto</a>, the violista <a href="http://www.museudofado.pt/personalidades/detalhes.php?id=390" target="_blank">Carlos Manuel Proença</a>, the contrabaixista Paulo Paz (the same trio which will join him in performance at the Zeiterion) and Carlos Bica on the contrabass. His performances, including "Já não estar"--recognized as a pre-selection for the <a href="http://portuguese-american-journal.com/2012-oscars-fado-by-camane-nominated-for-best-original-song-award/" target="_blank">2011 Oscar for Best Original Song</a>--are slow burns through an open landscape of human emotion.<br />
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Yet off-record he is quiet and restrained, not inclined to talk about his personal life. Details of his background have come through in bits and pieces over the years, and even so are little known outside Portugal. Not only are two brothers, Helder and Pedro Moutinho, singers in their own right, so too his mother and father. And the heritage of fado in their family stretches back further, at least to his paternal great grandfather--José Júlio--who is known to have recorded in the early twentieth century.<br />
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These two sides of Camané--the very public singer and the very private individual--came face-to-face recently and by pure coincidence. A Portuguese record collector was on Portuguese radio to talk about a collection he'd recently purchased from a collector in the USA. He mentioned that one of the records was by Júlio César and, when he learned of the connection, called Camané with the news. According to Camané, "I had never heard the voice of my great grandfather. I had some material associated with his career, but I had never heard his voice. He was from Murtosa, near Aveiro. He was a friend of Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, and performed at the ceremonial dinner after their transatlantic flight."<br />
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About his great grandfather's record itself, Camané adds "One of the two fados on the record has the air of Lisbon fado, a traditional decasyllabic fado; the other, Fado Espanhol, is a mixture of the Coimbra and Lisbon styles." In tribute, Camané performs both of these fados on his new CD, with lyrics by Machado de Assis and Fernando Pessoa, respectively.<br />
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Given the long history of his family within the fado, it is perhaps not surprising that Camané began singing very early, at age eight at the fado house <a href="http://lisboanoguiness.blogs.sapo.pt/218290.html" target="_blank"><i>A Cesária</i></a> in Alcântara, near Lisbon. By ten years of age, he says, "I had the privilege to learn a lot from the fadistas I knew, including Alfredo Marceneiro, Carlos do Carmo, João Ferreira-Rosa, João Braga and many others. I say 'luck' because my parents would take me, even though I was only ten, to hear the fado. All these people who I've mentioned were already older, but they were alive. I would listen to them talk and sing, and I would learn from them."<br />
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Camané's professional career began in earnest at the fado house <i>Fado Menor</i>, courtesy of an invitation from the great Tony de Matos. He has since released a total of eleven CDs and played innumerable concerts in Portugal and throughout the world.<br />
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The huge burst of current international recognition for the fado, most recently from UNESCO, recalls for Camané a time when the music held very little appeal to Portuguese youth. "My friends did not listen to the fado, but I believed in it. With time, their attitudes changed. After many years and I eventually re-encountered my generation through the fado. I always held on to the belief that the fado was a music of deep quality, something that could touch people."<br />
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His new CD--and the concert at the Zeiterion--will look both to his own history and to his future. The CD was recorded and mixed at the storied studios of Valentim de Carvalho, where he recorded his first CD, <a href="http://www.camane.com/engine.php?cat=47" target="_blank">Uma Noite de Fados</a> (EMI, 1995), with the support of Amália Rodrigues. The latest work includes both traditional and new fado music, with lyrics he has never before recorded. The singer says that last year's visit to New Bedford made a strong and very positive impression on him, and those who attend the show at the Zeiterion are likely to hear some of these works performed live in the US for the first time.<br />
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Camané retains his passion for the fado. "The fado is a music for the world. It is something that will endure in the history of the world, along with other great musics." But can the fado live and thrive outside of Portugal? "The fado can be sung and lived in any part of the world," he says. Recalling the many fine fado singers and musicians he has heard on his travels, he continues: "Wherever there are Portuguese, there can be fado. The ability to sing the fado is something that is inside of us."<br />
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<i>Camané performs at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford, Massachusetts on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 8pm. Joining Camané is the fadista Carminho. For ticket information, visit <a href="http://www.zeiterion.org/">http://www.zeiterion.org</a>.</i><br />
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-21053434943081708082014-05-29T09:35:00.005-04:002014-06-05T15:27:11.714-04:00I have some explaining to do!Since starting the organization "<a href="http://pacefado.com/" target="_blank">Portuguese/American Cultural Exchange</a>" with my friend <a href="http://fadonight.com/" target="_blank">Feligénio Medeiros</a>, my time has shifted away from writing about the fado. Now, I am mainly involved in organizing cultural exchange based on the fado. Last year was great: we hosted the singers <a href="http://rodrigocostafelix.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rodrigo Costa Félix</a> (with Marta Pereira da Costa and Pedro Pinhal) and <a href="http://www.ricardoribeiro.pt/" target="_blank">Ricardo Ribeiro</a> (with Pedro Joia), and helped organize two university lectures (at Rutgers University and Brown University) by the iconoclastic writer, singer and composer <a href="http://danielgouveia.com.sapo.pt/" target="_blank">Daniel Gouveia</a>. We are now working on programs for the coming academic year (one in fall, one in spring), which we expect will cover both the east and west coasts. Rodrigo Costa Félix will also be in the US for a brief visit this July--including a visit to <a href="http://www.ensembleiberica.org/page9/index.html" target="_blank">Kansas City</a> on 12 July (more on that visit is <a href="http://pacefado.com/" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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But I still find some time for writing. Here are a few recent articles of mine that might be interesting:<br />
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An <a href="http://portuguese-american-journal.com/fado-gisela-joao-in-concert-at-the-new-jersey-performing-arts-center-newark-nj/" target="_blank">interview</a> with <b>Gisela João</b> on the eve of her first concert in the US.<br />
No one bifurcates the fado cognoscenti like Gisela. Her first "real" CD (2013's "Gisela João") was an instant hit. But for many people, it was a hit for all the wrong reasons (cue the Converse High Tops, nonstop cigarettes, and patented tough girl attitude). Yet some of the hardest of the hardcore fado people I know have confessed to me privately that, while Gisela João certainly stretches the limits of the acceptable, hers is a protean talent--particularly live. After interviewing her, I think I can see her trajectory more clearly--though I'm still not sure where the person ends and the singer begins, or even if such a distinction is meaningful. I'll be in Newark to hear her on this tour.<br />
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A <a href="http://portuguese-american-journal.com/fado-camane-live-in-concert-at-the-zeiterion-theatre-new-bedford-ma/" target="_blank">preview</a> of <b>Camané</b>'s show at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford.<br />
It's no secret that this show was not particularly well attended, but this has nothing to do with Camané's immense accomplishments. My feeling is that Camané--along with a few other singers such as Ricardo Ribeiro--is too much a fadista (despite a few ill-advised forays into the syrupy side of the fado) to fill such a large place. Maybe venues like the Zeiterion will only continue to work for the Marizas and Ana Mouras of the world--I don't know. As an aside, Camané has recently given up smoking and is on a certifiable health and fitness kick. Good! That voice needs to be preserved for subsequent generations!<br />
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A short article on the fado for a <i>National Geographic</i> travel book called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Locals-Go-Places-Celebrate/dp/1426211945" target="_blank">Where the Locals Go</a>."<br />
This is a book covering more than 300 locations worldwide, so I am especially happy that my article is one of only two full-length about Lisbon (the other is about <i>azuleijos</i>--Portuguese tiles--which is great). In fact, the article came about due to a post on this blog, <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-night-at-sr-fado-in-alfama.html" target="_blank">One Night at Sr. Fado</a>. The path to publication was absurdly circuitous: the text went from a shortened, still personal version of the blog post, to an annotated list of fado joints, to a pap story about the origins of the fado (courtesy of one copywriter's overanxious hand), then back to a personal story--albeit one that touched on other locations besides Sr. Fado.<br />
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Thanks for reading this blog!DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-80275569502345066852013-12-28T19:26:00.002-05:002014-06-11T07:50:11.751-04:00First Report from Lisbon...2013"Sr. Vinho", you say. "But don't they charge 50 euros per person?" Maybe they do, but we got there late and so the conditions were quite reasonable. <a href="http://www.srvinho.com/" target="_blank">Sr. Vinho</a> is one of the more storied fado houses of Lisbon, even among the <i>cognoscenti</i>. It is now run by <a href="http://www.museudofado.pt/personalidades/detalhes.php?id=339" target="_blank">Maria da Fé</a> and her husband, <a href="http://lisboanoguiness.com/116273.html" target="_blank">José Luís Gordo</a>. She is one of the current grand voices of the fado, as well as the muse of Gordo, who has written countless lyrics for her. The house was originally co-owned by them and the late <a href="http://lisboanoguiness.com/tag/ant%C3%B3nio+melo+correia" target="_blank">António Melo Correia</a>, until his untimely death. It's out in the middle of comparative nowhere, south of the Assembly of the Republic, on a street with impossible parking. I've been saying "no" to going there for about five years. Big mistake.<br />
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Tonight we were in the company of <a href="http://www.cristinanobrega.pt/" target="_blank">Cristina Nóbrega</a> and her husband (and manager), Manuel Rodrigues. I have had the opportunity to meet many singers. The first time I heard Cristina speak, I thought wow, this woman has a voice. Despite some personal hiatuses, her career is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkzsy1S1ntM" target="_blank">blazing forward</a>. Manuel makes things happen. No parking? No problem, we will use the human system to manufacture a parking space and ensure we do not get a ticket. Need to put together a CD? Yes, we will find the musicians, writers and composers to get the work done in advance of the deadline.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joana Amendoeira</td></tr>
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Back to the Rua do Meio à Lapa. We arrived and stood outside waiting for a table while Duarte sung in the background. Inside, the space was somehow smaller than I imagined, with not a ton of fado iconography. <a href="http://joanaamendoeira.blogspot.pt/" target="_blank"><b>Joana Amendoeira</b></a> sang first. The magic number was four (not three) fados. Joana did fine--a fairly standard and eminently digestible repertory. With Joana, at times I feel she could bang out an evening of deeply obscure, very affecting fado (see her <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/amor-mais-perfeito/id602656013" target="_blank">most recent album</a>), but I haven't heard her enough to know if that actually happens.<br />
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Maria da Fé keeps her singers waiting in a small alcove in the back of the restaurant, tucked behind a large floral arrangement. Who was in there? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KntKPfAq3j0" target="_blank">Gisela João</a>? Aldina Duarte? I had no idea.<br />
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It was <b>Aldina</b>. She is unquestionably one of my favorites. Where others go for the easy hits, Aldina hews to the obscure, the idiosyncratic, the deeply personal, the introspective. My contact with her has been sporadic: she was working with some director on a film about Beatriz da Conceição; she was doing a <a href="http://www.museudofado.pt/calendario/detalhes.php?id=251" target="_blank">series of interviews</a> for the Museu do Fado; she was writing again. I tried to get an interview. No dice.<br />
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She belongs to a tradition of psychologically intense singer/lyricists, tied inextricably to the "fado fado"--a music based on strophes, and not on a verse-chorus-verse structure. Lyrically, you can draw a straight line from <a href="http://lisboanoguiness.com/274766.html" target="_blank">Gabriel de Oliveira</a> through to <a href="http://carlosconde.blogs.sapo.pt/" target="_blank">Carlos Conde</a> and then to <a href="http://aldinaduarte.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Aldina</a>--despite their (apparently) wildly different themes. With Aldina, the barroom brawls of Gabriel de Oliveira are swapped out for scenes of domestic (or post-domestic) turmoil. It's a rich, infinitely reflective territory that, over the years, she has mined to devastating effect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-gvY11yCE9yHljyQ54swAjT-U7Tx8Jz3OfM-aEX05O-1EMp8QJqzSz06nUvWUokTahLcWUZ8eviAvf-4qJTQX6BiCfipGrUYAyTVzRF_MCZ3fe36EtVbakYHvYRFsnSEzdEyf_8ae4c_/s1600/Aldina02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-gvY11yCE9yHljyQ54swAjT-U7Tx8Jz3OfM-aEX05O-1EMp8QJqzSz06nUvWUokTahLcWUZ8eviAvf-4qJTQX6BiCfipGrUYAyTVzRF_MCZ3fe36EtVbakYHvYRFsnSEzdEyf_8ae4c_/s320/Aldina02.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aldina Duarte</td></tr>
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She came on very strong. Stylistically, lyrically and musically, she opened new vistas through her own work and those of others. <i>Antes de quê</i>, like other lyrics she has written, spoke directly to some enigmatic third party (we were the interlocutors): to a lost love but one who should remain so.<br />
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Manuel and I practically jumped out of our seats when, after a brief musical introduction, Aldina dived into <i>De Loucura em Loucura</i>--a work identified unambiguously with the towering presence of <a href="http://www.museudofado.pt/personalidades/detalhes.php?id=219" target="_blank">Fernanda Maria</a>. Aldina turned the lyric around for all of us to reconsider, inviting new and deeper interpretations. Her next two fados, both with lyrics by her--<i>Xaile Encarnado</i> and <i>Espelho Meu</i>--put the natural contradictions of the fado front and center: a jumpy, almost joyous music paired with unfiltered saudade. More than this I could not want. Then there was an <i>intervalo</i>: ten minutes or so to think it over.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duarte</td></tr>
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The place cleared out--a reflection of the hour (close to 12:30am) and not the quality of the fado. This is most always a special moment, when the artists stretch out knowing the true intentions of the remaining patrons. <b>Ana Marina</b> sang two brave fados, raising visions of the Alentejo. Behind her--and behind all the other singers--were three exceptionally competent musicians: <b>Rogério Ferreira</b> on the viola; <b>Paulo Pereira</b> on the guitarra portuguesa, and the singer <b>Duarte</b> on second viola.<br />
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I knew about <a href="http://www.duartefadista.com/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Duarte</a>'s singing from his work on the title song for the film "<a href="http://www.misteriosdelisboa.com/" target="_blank">Mistérios de Lisboa</a>", as well as his earlier recordings. In the intervening years, he has preserved the sentiment of this work but grown earthier, ready to take on less esoteric themes. Two notable fados were <i>Fado Escorpião</i> and <i>Arraial</i>--both eminently believable and professionally done. It's trivially easy to imagine him singing for a broad public, particularly outside Portugal: his timing and delivery are impeccable, and he is disarmingly handsome.<br />
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He finished, and that was it: time to pack it up and head home. The next day, all of this music--and all of these artists--provoked more reflection and emotion than I could possibly jam into this single blog entry.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-60203341852685749502013-09-18T17:58:00.001-04:002013-10-15T08:52:55.915-04:00You and me and fado<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V5IaA9JIwb-i5TwLqMVcx2-fXNflWiKVZToUTG4Tub98TOb9BF3boiqpYu7PPRXWCt8PeSfeto6m8bEE3THdvBKlxgIQbCMmqJTaq9j3O3bMYapDLN-nNkbpHstZpnmIL_SLXbu8gOA7/s1600/detail_1_Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5V5IaA9JIwb-i5TwLqMVcx2-fXNflWiKVZToUTG4Tub98TOb9BF3boiqpYu7PPRXWCt8PeSfeto6m8bEE3THdvBKlxgIQbCMmqJTaq9j3O3bMYapDLN-nNkbpHstZpnmIL_SLXbu8gOA7/s320/detail_1_Web.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O Fado em Movimento<br />
Nuno Saraiva</td></tr>
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I wanted to make more fado happen in the US, and I convinced my friend <a href="http://fadonight.com/">Feligénio Medeiros</a> to help. The consequences of this decision pushed all my fado writing (including this page) to the side for months. But now our efforts are close to bearing fruition. We've secured a number of sponsors, and have just launched a <a href="http://kck.st/1aTYYOl" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> campaign to help raise funds.<br />
<br />
We began with very lofty aims: the fado as a bridge between communities--especially Portuguese communities--in the US and in Portugal. Neither of us was interested in making money off the endeavor. My own inspirations are the many individuals in Lisbon (like <a href="http://fado-hoje.blogspot.com/2011/04/entrevista-com-tony-loretti.html" target="_blank">Tony Loretti</a>) who organize fado events because they feel the fado brings people together like nothing else. Along the way Feligénio and I have come face-to-face with some hard (but not insurmountable) financial realities, but we have also found that there are lots of other like-minded people who want to make the fado happen because it should.<br />
<br />
Feligénio and I formed a nonprofit corporation, "<a href="http://pacefado.com/" target="_blank">Portuguese/American Cultural Exchange</a>," specifically for this purpose. We wanted to reach and people and help them connect through fado performances and lots of other activities, like workshops and appearances at schools in the areas where the artists are performing. <a href="http://sousamendesfoundation.org/luis-pires/" target="_blank">Luís Pires</a> and <a href="http://www.museudofado.pt/personalidades/detalhes.php?id=240" target="_blank">José Pracana</a> graciously agreed to serve on our board.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzs8_K_OFDwsLU4CThHJZmPiQ557Hi6cLFv5cOSvZpEs43X4NyfcEQKkAAc2GsjIXpNtfWpigmGEgEbiapxezVsgHiPmYNNbSDsqCh7z654jLpq8OOgRB8CXJuvtmREyweJ1gEbzwwMj_/s1600/RodrigoCostaFelix_Interior_Contracapa_1_JS_2012-6930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzs8_K_OFDwsLU4CThHJZmPiQ557Hi6cLFv5cOSvZpEs43X4NyfcEQKkAAc2GsjIXpNtfWpigmGEgEbiapxezVsgHiPmYNNbSDsqCh7z654jLpq8OOgRB8CXJuvtmREyweJ1gEbzwwMj_/s200/RodrigoCostaFelix_Interior_Contracapa_1_JS_2012-6930.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rodrigo Costa Félix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We convinced <a href="http://rodrigocostafelix.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rodrigo Costa Félix</a> to be the first fadista to work with us. He is a <a href="http://portuguese-american-journal.com/fado-rodrigo-costa-felix-generating-plenty-of-interest-interview/" target="_blank">dynamic guy</a>: driven and modern, but also deeply versed in the tradition of the fado. He is coming with a fado dream team: <a href="http://martapereiradacosta.com/" target="_blank">Marta Pereira da Costa</a> on the guitarra portuguesa and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1B3abRJg6w" target="_blank">Pedro Pinhal</a> on the viola do fado. Marta is a classically trained musician--and former professional civil engineer--who decided to pursue the fado full time. The complementary female voices are the US-based fadistas <a href="http://www.nathaliepires.com/" target="_blank">Nathalie Pires</a> (who has written previously <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/03/nathalie-pires.html" target="_blank">for this blog</a>), <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boQd8CT_gnY" target="_blank">Catarina Avelar</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h1aKzwR3RM" target="_blank">Kimberly Gomes</a> and <a href="http://www.fatimasantos.com/Fatima_Santos/Events..html" target="_blank">Fátima Santos</a>. All four are accomplished singers, with different histories and tastes, suggesting that the fado can indeed flourish outside Portugal. Marta and Pedro will be joined by one more US-based artist, the musician <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pedro.pimentel.7796" target="_blank">Pedro Pimentel</a> on the viola baixa. All of us look forward to hearing the dynamic that emerges within this small nucleus of artists as they play throughout the northeast US.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoRrM7nvlcjh-qROX6JQPc7F2Men3TVI_BXeyB1UgfupuW_av8bhXT2BFp62BTjKkRlQTPILkkaOKOJChQi7Cklpyg6tXGRt8JispssP1ASUfTEI-YRKmRL_P74JIYvbPPfhC4S3sOoXd/s1600/Marta_JS_-4270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoRrM7nvlcjh-qROX6JQPc7F2Men3TVI_BXeyB1UgfupuW_av8bhXT2BFp62BTjKkRlQTPILkkaOKOJChQi7Cklpyg6tXGRt8JispssP1ASUfTEI-YRKmRL_P74JIYvbPPfhC4S3sOoXd/s320/Marta_JS_-4270.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marta Pereira da Costa</td></tr>
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As word has gotten out about this endeavor, we have received help from a wide range of people and organizations--despite my many missteps! The <a href="http://web.uml.edu/gallery/index.php/Events/New-Saab-Pedroso-Center-for-Portuguese-Studies-and-Culture-3-28-13" target="_blank">Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture</a> at University of Massachusetts/Lowell saw how our mission complemented theirs and agreed to host the kickoff concert. The Boston office of the <a href="http://www.secomunidades.pt/web/boston">Portuguese Consul-General</a>--together with the <a href="http://www.instituto-camoes.pt/" target="_blank">Camões Institute</a>-- helped us make connections in Portuguese diplomatic circles and beyond. <a href="http://www.sata.pt/en" target="_blank">SATA airlines</a> agreed to sponsor the artists' transatlantic travel. The illustrator <a href="http://nunosaraivaillustration.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nuno Saraiva</a> developed our logo and official poster. And then there are all the people who want to help simply because they love the fado. Despite all the help, this is a complex and expensive endeavor. If you want to contribute (and receive some nice benefits), please consider making a donation through our <a href="http://kck.st/1aTYYOl" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign</a>.<br />
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These artists will be performing in alot of different places, from Portuguese social clubs and restaurants to high profile nightclubs. All the dates and venues currently booked are <a href="http://pacefado.com/events.html" target="_blank">here</a>--with more to come.<br />
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Feligénio has done this sort of thing before, but not me. Normally, I am sitting in my office. If I go to Lisbon and hear the fado, I try to be as unobtrusive as possible. But I am excited at the prospect of seeing people at the shows, how they react, and how the artists react to them and to each other. It'll be two intense weeks, but I hope the first of many more.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-82631395712765837342013-04-29T07:59:00.002-04:002013-04-29T07:59:25.664-04:00Where to hear fado in the US?Ask Feligénio--he is on the case.<br />
<br />
I've had the pleasure of many months of contact with Feligénio Medeiros: Açorean by birth, and a man with a voracious appetite for the fado. I first met him in person during a recent visit by the fadista Sonya da Silva to the US (see the <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2013/02/fado-at-tabacaria-acoreana-fall-river-ma.html" target="_blank">post</a> from this blog, with photos by Feligénio). This past month he brought Sara Correia from Lisbon to Massachusetts to perform in a variety of venues (report coming soon).<br />
<br />
But his major contribution to the fado to date is his web site: <a href="http://fadonight.com/" target="_blank">FadoNight</a>. The site is a collection of information on upcoming and prior <a href="http://fadonight.com/noites-de-fados.html" target="_blank">fado shows</a>, particularly the more intimate ones, that are happening in the US and Canada. The site also contains a large and ever-growing list of restaurants that offer fado.<br />
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This is an indispensable service to those (expecially in New England) who are looking for fado. The site is updated regularly. And if you know of some fado happening in the US that is not listed on the site, send him some email: <a href="mailto:info@fadonight.com">info at fadonight dot com</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuAgLjKmeIoPiZ6ywXhcoDk23OhFcVHSjjEtrWV26eBCOAPORnCWYAhmm4esaFV4L29B-w2Wbm-5psfOXkOtqjTrJut2VuBJe1O0Zk5D_c_6hChwxwjuFKvsfOZMQTwN6FIKYMmqIVpmF/s1600/fado+night+-+noite+de+fados-5590-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuAgLjKmeIoPiZ6ywXhcoDk23OhFcVHSjjEtrWV26eBCOAPORnCWYAhmm4esaFV4L29B-w2Wbm-5psfOXkOtqjTrJut2VuBJe1O0Zk5D_c_6hChwxwjuFKvsfOZMQTwN6FIKYMmqIVpmF/s640/fado+night+-+noite+de+fados-5590-3.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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P.S. Feligénio and I are also both steady contributors to the group "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/fado.usa/">Fado in the US</a>" on Facebook, where you can go for additional background and reviews of fado shows in the US. The group is open. If you want to post, simply request permission to join.<br />
<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-22579238736206327582013-03-26T21:58:00.003-04:002013-03-26T21:58:29.963-04:00Carlos Macedo and Anita Guerreiro in the US<b>Anita Guerreiro</b> and <b><a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/04/fado-in-newark-clube-dos-acores.html" target="_blank">Carlos Macedo</a></b> will be performing on 30 March in Newark, NJ. Tomorrow (27 March) at 2:00 EDT on Rádio Amália (www.amalia.fm) you can hear Carlos Macedo live. These programs are always worth listening to. So, tune in--and be sure to go see them this week!<br /><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqb2xEFbYRbC1-nac_Gr8bq_fhvjjrpabL4sV33CK-9wIiAW4EP9wYy3xLcj4TXaI-fKpQzHY7gNifbU5VcXFExdKB81v_RpJxQVdr3WeRpmfwLEap_EQLO-Z0hBpe39v1YokP2lKMtSD/s1600/862981_4366635495219_522410956_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqb2xEFbYRbC1-nac_Gr8bq_fhvjjrpabL4sV33CK-9wIiAW4EP9wYy3xLcj4TXaI-fKpQzHY7gNifbU5VcXFExdKB81v_RpJxQVdr3WeRpmfwLEap_EQLO-Z0hBpe39v1YokP2lKMtSD/s640/862981_4366635495219_522410956_n.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-76439215595569537002013-03-04T09:42:00.001-05:002013-03-04T10:12:34.484-05:00Interview with Rodrigo Costa Félix<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMa0bgiZ2Rk/UJE8-Ox4IbI/AAAAAAAAIzc/6ajacq1qxKk/s1600/7166833390_f0b8c7ab79.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMa0bgiZ2Rk/UJE8-Ox4IbI/AAAAAAAAIzc/6ajacq1qxKk/s320/7166833390_f0b8c7ab79.jpg" width="317" /></a>The fadista <b>Rodrigo Costa Félix</b> will be performing on 16 March 2013 in Toronto, Canada at the Casa do Alentejo, where he will be joined by the musicians Marta Pereira da Costa (the two are married), Pedro Pinhal, and Rodrigo Serrão.<br />
<br />
Both Rodrigo and Marta are fiercely hard working. In the last year, they have been thundering through various European venues, and continuing to communicate their work via traditional and new media. While these activities may not be particularly novel, they are noteworthy for coming from two performers whose work is deeply grounded in the traditional fado. I corresponded recently with Rodrigo (in English) about his life in the fado, and he offered some sparkling insights into his formative years, current activities, and thoughts on the fado in general, including its growing profile.<br />
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He was raised in a family that was deeply connected to the fado: his father co-owned a fado house in Cascais with the great fado guitarist José Pracana, and his family's circle of friends included the fadistas João Ferreira-Rosa, Ricardo Novaes, António Noronha, Carlos Zel, Manuel de Almeida, and others. As a young boy after the 1974 Portuguese revolution, Rodrigo moved with his family to Brazil, staying there for five years (even now, he feels very much at home in the country). About these early days he says:<br />
<br />
"My mother's taste for Fado was a great influence. And because both my parents knew many fadistas and musicians, I began socialising with them relatively early. But I only really began understanding fado at 16 or so. I think you have to have some kind of maturity to fully understand a music that speaks about deep emotions and serious matters. My greatest influences at the time were Carlos Guedes de Amorim, António Melo Correia, Carlos Zel, João Braga, Manuel de Almeida and, of course, Amália Rodrigues. But I was also influenced by amateur singers that I began to know. Back then you didn't have the amount of young people in fado houses that there are today. So my friends--apart from our little group of 8 or 10--were all 50 or 60 years old. And that was a good thing. I learned a lot."<br />
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He continues:<br />
<br />
"The first time I ever sang in public was at Nuno da Camara Pereira's <i>Nove e Tal</i> near Santa Isabel church, in Lisbon. I was with a group of friends who knew I had been singing Fado lately at private parties, among friends and family, and they challenged me to get up there and sing. I sang the two or three songs I knew at the time: 'Canoas do Tejo, 'Fado Rosita' and 'Fado do Estudante.' My first contract as a fado singer was with the fado house <i>São Caetano</i>, in the Lapa neighborhood of Lisbon, one or two years later. I was 18."<br />
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In the 20 or so intervening years, he has been singing steadily, most recently at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeU9ygRBnFI" target="_blank">Mário Pacheco</a>'s <a href="http://www.clube-de-fado.com/" target="_blank"><i>Clube de Fado</i></a> in the Alfama neighborhood of Lisbon, but also, earlier in his career, at the legendary <i>Taverna do Embuçado</i> (then owned by Teresa Siqueira). A key person during this early period was the fadista <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDICfdd1Yk" target="_blank">João Braga</a>:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrMg_kBLeQ0JLYcXINPPFEgx9WRrQY4lc6_lVaSto7YQywKWdhm_9y9qIEBAllJk1LDWrqXQuwupTQmuMpCQ_PFCubD6AnHtmic02Hkzw7CqeYE7sL-KcgEmuXen7U-yO7F7Bw5IaVNF7/s1600/315471_10151707012161992_213745834_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrMg_kBLeQ0JLYcXINPPFEgx9WRrQY4lc6_lVaSto7YQywKWdhm_9y9qIEBAllJk1LDWrqXQuwupTQmuMpCQ_PFCubD6AnHtmic02Hkzw7CqeYE7sL-KcgEmuXen7U-yO7F7Bw5IaVNF7/s320/315471_10151707012161992_213745834_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Marta Pereira da Costa</td></tr>
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"With <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoR5RMtSuGQ" target="_blank">João Braga</a> I had my first stage experience (at <i>Teatro Garcia de Resende</i>, in Évora) and some of my most amazing travels (Newark, NJ twice; as well as France, Luxembourgh, and Spain). He was one of the people most responsible for the visibility of my generation of fadistas. The CD 'Alma Nova' (Strauss, 1994)--the first of the 90's generation--was his idea, and many fadistas, such as Katia Guerreiro, Mariza, Mafalda Arnauth, Gonçalo Salgueiro, António Zambujo, Maria Ana Bobone and many more had their first stage appearences with him. This is something that one day will be acknowledged more than it has been."<br />
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At 40 years old, Rodrigo is therefore already something of a veteran. With time he has witnessed a number of changes in the fado, including those brought about by new communication technologies and new media. As shown by his heavy presence on the web, he has helped usher <a href="http://rodrigocostafelix.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">new technologies</a> into the fado, yet his approach to his repertory is very much traditional. Discussing the changes of the past twenty years, he says:<br />
<br />
"There's a huge difference between then and now, of course," he says. "Back then things were taken more lightly and in a more amateur way, with a few exceptions. Now it's easier to show the world what you do, and the communication between artists and fans is easier and faster. But I think we also lost a bit of the ingenuity we had then, maybe even some authenticity. Fadistas are now more professional, more cerebral, more cautious of what they say or do, and this affects the way they interact with each other and others. There's a good and a bad side for all things, I guess."<br />
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Rodrigo is now roughly the same age as some of the people who were in his family's circle of fado. In reference to the young (i.e., teenage) singers of today, he says:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qTXcJSSQ1hk59Rucd7TSkq9GO0HYHfQSw0jJa3AHETn8oVcu6EINaZXeRZ8Js1xeGFlPxVvXbefxQWsFYOqJx7xjGz1PKtHSc6U4locnVtkBsIjjyQFDCazhBcyTzzHKo5GE3tlck6XO/s1600/Rodrigo_JS-5478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qTXcJSSQ1hk59Rucd7TSkq9GO0HYHfQSw0jJa3AHETn8oVcu6EINaZXeRZ8Js1xeGFlPxVvXbefxQWsFYOqJx7xjGz1PKtHSc6U4locnVtkBsIjjyQFDCazhBcyTzzHKo5GE3tlck6XO/s320/Rodrigo_JS-5478.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">In recital…(photo by Jorge Simão, used with permission)</span></span></td></tr>
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"I see that many singers evolve very quickly, sometimes too quickly. One thing we might have lost with this boost in Fado was that genuine sharing of experiences and knowledge with the elders. As a younger singer, I dealt daily with artists a lot older than me and learned alot from them. Now, youngsters jump very quickly from singing in their shower to the big stages. And you lose something in the middle that is needed."<br />
<br />
"I tend to appreciate many of the new singers and players, and I also learn from them. The likes of Carminho, Ana Moura, Marco Rodrigues, and also less known people like Lina Rodrigues, Carlos Leitão, Vanessa Alves and Gisela João really impress me. I have no idea what they'll be singing in the coming years, but what I always try to do and say is: keep genuine and true to yourself. Sometimes I think some people use fado as a mean to go somewhere else...but I guess that happens with other kinds of music with these characteristics, like Flamenco or Tango, or even Blues or Country...but Fado goes on and keeps getting stronger and livelier than ever."<br />
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As he suggests, another important change has been UNESCO's recent designation of the fado as Immateral Patrimony of the World. This has generated plenty of discussion about whether the designation is making the fado "more fado," or watering it down:<br />
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"I would say both. I hope it will help to define and explain to foreigners what the Fado really is, and to help them distinguish real Fado from what is not. But of course it has attracted loads of people from other genres, people that maybe before this visibility either diminished the fado or spoke poorly about it, but who are now profiting from its increased media exposure. Some artists have brought good things, others have not. The problem is that this confuses people. But I guess, like always, time will manage to separate what to keep and what to dispose of--and I believe that quality will be the decisive factor."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marta Pereira da Costa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Of course, the designation has led to an increased profile for the fado worldwide. He says:<br />
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"I think Fado is flourishing well internationally. There are artists from the Netherlands, Croatia, Japan, Brazil and several other countries singing Fado, people that don't speak the language. Disregarding the lack of quality of some, the point is that Fado is becoming a worldwide recognised music style. But I continue to think that Fado needs to flourish and establish itself in the country of Portugal: there are still loads of anti-bodies against Fado, although some people now feel forced to speak well of it, because it's in fashion."<br />
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In various interviews, Rodrigo has spoken about the importance of fado's lyrical content (and of poetry in general) to his work and career, both as a singer and lyricist. He says:<br />
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"I have a great passion for poetry, and it has been a guide throughout my career. Normally the process of creating a fado performance begins with me choosing a poem with which I identify, and I then try to find a Fado that will do it justice. Either that, or I will ask someone to compose original music for the lyric, like I did with Tiago Bettencourt, who composed the music for 'Amigo Aprendiz,' and previously with Mário Pacheco on my first solo album."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYqp5o-O2pbxRtOMcw6Z4hbNjcdsV-c3jLAtY9PJTmJq9-i8L3Z_-RECigIoed9I8tUkHURXrS9FbiQaMRbyZh0wYciaQBq44Q83K9aHvdy7QO6CoPcPe6j0phGrIrpoB8tT4N3kFCa5L/s1600/capa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYqp5o-O2pbxRtOMcw6Z4hbNjcdsV-c3jLAtY9PJTmJq9-i8L3Z_-RECigIoed9I8tUkHURXrS9FbiQaMRbyZh0wYciaQBq44Q83K9aHvdy7QO6CoPcPe6j0phGrIrpoB8tT4N3kFCa5L/s320/capa.jpg" width="320" /></a>"I also like to write a few verses, which I don't dare to call poems, for poetry is a much more profound and mysterious thing, and my lyrics are plain and simple. But I started writing a long time ago: the first poem I recorded was "Ainda te quero" and that was back in 1994 for the album <i>Alma Nova</i>, the first Fado CD from my generation (with Maria Ana Bobone and Miguel Capucho). Later, in <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Rodrigo+Costa+F%C3%A9lix/Fados+d'Alma" target="_blank"><i>Fados d'Alma</i></a> I also wrote a couple of lyrics: '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2gBiq9RUwE" target="_blank">Balada ao meu amor</a>,' with original music by Fontes Rocha, and 'Mãe,' an adaptation of a song by Zeca Afonso."<br />
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His latest release, <i>Fados de Amor</i>, has generated plenty of interest inside and outside Portugal. Indeed, the song "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZi9v7VAPf8" target="_blank">Amigo Aprendiz</a>" was voted one of the 12 best ballads of the year the <i>The Atlantic</i> magazine in the US--a rare feat for a fado recording. The record also represents his further exploration as a lyricist:<br />
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"With <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fados-amor-feat.-aline-frazao/id527565072" target="_blank"><i>Fados de Amor</i></a>, I went a bit further and wrote two lyrics ('Canto Breve' and 'Partida') and composed one song ('Partida'). There's also a song written by the four of us (Marta Pereira da Costa, Pedro Pinhal and Rodrigo Serrão) for a poem by Rodrigo Serrão, called 'As palvras que eu procuro.'"<br />
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The invitation to perform in Canada was a consequence of a previous visit by Marta Pereira da Costa:<br />
"My wife Marta went to play at Hugh's Room in Toronto, in a festival called Proud to be Portuguese-Canadian. The director of Casa do Alentejo, Mr. Armando Viegas. met her and invited her to return with me for this concert, which will celebrate the 30th birthday of this iconic and exemplar institution of the Portuguese diaspora."<br />
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<i>Rodrigo Costa Félix will be playing at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/362030603912849/" target="_blank">Casa do Alentejo de Toronto</a> (1130 Dupont Street, Toronto, Ontario M6H 2A2) on 16 March 2013 at 7:30pm as part of the "GRANDIOSA GALA DO FADO." He will be accompanied by the musicians Marta Pereira da Costa, Pedro Pinhal and Rodrigo Serrão. Also performing that evening are local fadistas Tonny Gouveia and Jennifer Bettencourt, accompanied by Hernâni Raposo, Eduardo Câmara and Pedro Joel. Reservations at ++1 (416) 537-7766.</i>DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-55624592440358337962013-03-02T14:18:00.000-05:002013-03-04T12:11:16.835-05:00Reissues from Ovação Records<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepzc7MfWU6sQ5V4_n87c5xeV0PZ0R86kCUF73k0hw-13ebpXRiaFHlC2eJMwz2BUgN_anzvYf6QfPL9fkzCNPCUdHJR3-refq0vp48Wl8u35hRepGt3Ly-B7qlNuWBqMjow_jvjUutjb1/s1600/fernanda-maria-fados%257El_234506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepzc7MfWU6sQ5V4_n87c5xeV0PZ0R86kCUF73k0hw-13ebpXRiaFHlC2eJMwz2BUgN_anzvYf6QfPL9fkzCNPCUdHJR3-refq0vp48Wl8u35hRepGt3Ly-B7qlNuWBqMjow_jvjUutjb1/s320/fernanda-maria-fados%257El_234506.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The music label <a href="http://www.ovacao.pt/" target="_blank">Ovação</a> is beginning to release a number of fado recordings that were originally released by the label <i>Polysom/Discos Estúdio</i> in the 1970s and 1980s. Included among these are three recordings reviewed here by Fernando Maurício (<i>Fernando Maurício</i>), by Fernanda Maria (<i>Fados</i>) and by a group of performers associated with the fado house "A Severa" entitled <i>Wellcome to Severa</i>.<br />
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As the promo materials state, these are reissues of the original recordings, down to liner notes. Judging from these three, the sound quality is merely good, but far short of that achieved in, say, the uniformly excellent <i>Fados do Alvorada</i>. The audio quality on the <i>Fados</i>, for example, is shockingly bad: it is full of pops and crackles and deeply buried highs and lows. This is the kind of work that I'd expect out of a fado chop shop (there are many), but not Ovação. In contrast, the sound on the other two is reasonable, though still far murkier than it should be (after all, Ovação is in possession of the masters).</div>
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This is a good place to mention that the <b>Smithsonian Institution</b> has a number of excellent fado records available online. These are impeccably curated reissues. For example, I have a digital copy of the Fernanda Maria record that is completely clean and strong (it is available <a href="http://www.folkways.si.edu/" target="_blank">here</a> if you search for "Fernanda Maria" and look for the title "Portugal's Great Fado Singer"). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0BrMMyYo9mx2-M79a30yHSiFyPMsSdlXx4m37jWlFxMKeXujaVqHfpt1yfhFk9fYRhCw3HTHetN3ytGhgKL6ch1qVXMw80Ev6tc_5NQ0I1n2goVIa2yxmI0bsQ24gqTrEk2RkWt2-7PQ/s1600/fernando-mauricio%257El_234512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0BrMMyYo9mx2-M79a30yHSiFyPMsSdlXx4m37jWlFxMKeXujaVqHfpt1yfhFk9fYRhCw3HTHetN3ytGhgKL6ch1qVXMw80Ev6tc_5NQ0I1n2goVIa2yxmI0bsQ24gqTrEk2RkWt2-7PQ/s320/fernando-mauricio%257El_234512.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back to these recordings.... <i>Wellcome to Severa</i> is a time capsule portrait of touristic fado and folklore of the 1970s, with some very good singers but a conventional repertory. <i>Fernando Maurício</i> and <i>Fados</i>, on the other hand, capture some glorious moments of recorded fado. You can hear excerpts from the tracks on Ovação's web site. Despite the diminished audio quality, the Maurício is worth seeking out, particularly at this <a href="http://www.ovacao.pt/en/" target="_blank">price</a>. Indeed, with just a couple of exceptions (including compilations such as <i>Saudade de Fernando Maurício - Antologia 1961-1995</i>, which is still available on Amazon), those interested in the recorded work of this great fadista have to suffer through the soulless production quality of his <i>Metro-Som</i> recordings (Branco de Oliveira is the culprit there). If there is one artist whose discography is in urgent need of re-editing an re-distribution, it is certainly Maurício.</div>
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As for Fernanda Maria, hers was a protean power of fado (she is still alive, but has retired from performing). As with Maurício, she was a consummate stylist: able to sing the same lyric in many different ways, even when that lyric was paired with the same music (her various versions of "A candeia" are a good example). Unlike Maurício, she recorded prolifically (those interested in her earlier work can check out any of the recordings available on the Smithsonian site). There are also many, many videos of her on YouTube (again, in contrast to Maurício). Put Fernanda Maria and Fernando Maurício together and you will be looking into two of the fado's most blinding lights.</div>
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DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-49162273190773052092013-02-24T15:56:00.002-05:002013-02-25T05:52:48.006-05:00Fado at Tabacaria Açoreana, Fall River, MA<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUEj6HlB8abqScsGtVMqbkU3sZjcY1jaLPh_qF-_fBsKG5Inrz7Ny_eiVng1VChAicGPUDdtEPwRwO41ovpQnyc5MGvXdgHMoYrfQY_UW3Mlg9P2gxRKQ-XX4i70Ipp0msrMDBUUITV7Z/s1600/Sonya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUEj6HlB8abqScsGtVMqbkU3sZjcY1jaLPh_qF-_fBsKG5Inrz7Ny_eiVng1VChAicGPUDdtEPwRwO41ovpQnyc5MGvXdgHMoYrfQY_UW3Mlg9P2gxRKQ-XX4i70Ipp0msrMDBUUITV7Z/s320/Sonya.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonya da Silva</td></tr>
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The Portuguese fadista <b>Sonya da Silva</b> is in the US for a series of performances in the New England area, beginning yesterday (24-Feb-13) at the Tabacaria Açoreana in Fall River, MA. The evening showed the re-emerging nucleus of the fado in this area, and particularly how a number of local fado stalwarts--including the Luso-American fadistas <b>Ana Vinagre</b> and <b>Rosa Maria</b>--are maintaining the fado tradition despite the long distance to Portugal. The three singers (plus a surprise fourth, Ana Vinagre's husband, <b>José Vinagre</b>) were joined by the musicians <b>José Silva</b> (guitarra portuguesa) and <b>Viriato Ferreira</b> (viola) of the group Guitarras do Atlântico.<br />
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Sonya da Silva is a a member of the Lisbon fado scene, performing at many of the typical fado houses in Alfama and Bairro Alto, as well at other locations in Portugal. As she discussed during an interview before the show, her current repertory draws on classics of the modern fado, and is now expanding to include lyrics written specifically for her and set to the music of traditional fado. It's likely to be a winning recipe: the influx of new lyrics (and, occasionally, musics) keeps the fado vibrant but also true to its tradition. Sonya da Silva has firsthand knowledge of the fado's inner workings: her father was a dancer with the great fadista Maximiliano da Sousa (Max) of Madeira; he was also a cousin of the fadista/guitarist Carlos Ramos. It was Sonya's father, in fact, who impressed upon her that her voice was made for the fado.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMQf-W4Sj6ajqmtV_e_QcWmFLMfQk6aFI0iCJqlejpFayQLP82o5f3335x9SZRUlwUzb6hRdhvJpCoiGdqtKyt32ff6BRC1gY6bWwvV_AZib12qqH7ZYjbykt4GFiOIrIv6otOhOJz71g/s1600/desgarrada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMQf-W4Sj6ajqmtV_e_QcWmFLMfQk6aFI0iCJqlejpFayQLP82o5f3335x9SZRUlwUzb6hRdhvJpCoiGdqtKyt32ff6BRC1gY6bWwvV_AZib12qqH7ZYjbykt4GFiOIrIv6otOhOJz71g/s320/desgarrada.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">José and Ana Vinagre</td></tr>
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The program brought together not only two distinct generations of the fado, but very different approaches to performing it. After an opening guitarrada, Rosa Maria opened the evening. She is a singer with an uncompromising, even iconoclastic approach to her repertory. Ana Vinagre--a full-voiced singer with lots of crowd appeal--opened with a lively Fado Pedro Rodrigues ("Amor não é pecado"), before hitting both newer and older mainline fado. On taking the stage, Sonya da Silva confessed to a bit of opening night jitters, but no worry: she demonstrated throughout the evening an ability to work closely with her material and to reach her audience, despite not having performed previously with these musicians. This is is the kind of exchange between Portuguese communities that, judging by this evening, could and should happen much more often.<br />
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Some of the livelier points during the night (and there were plenty) happened during duets: Sonya and Ana on "Tudo Isto É Fado, Ana and José Vinagre on "Só nós dois", followed by the same couple again on an upbeat and humorous desgarrada--a series of back-and-forth challenges between two singers. The strength of the voices of all the singers, as well as the relative quiet in the crowd, made me question again the use of amplifiers for this music, particularly when the performance space is not large. Perhaps some future shows will drop the electronics and go fully acoustic--which is how it happens in the most typical fado houses of Portugal. My own feeling is that, when the fado is unamplified, the evening has the best chance to turn into a real conversation between audience and performers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOORSineDM6KeFj44kFNJQm0mhrXXP3jLCphM3eeqdj7nUxdUqsgmWbbbSDvy2jzm1yZamsz2BbMwkLLdmdR36GaCdeTuENA9NH2a_5uimPRNHtxEApC2PtxjMv4_wLrBuJ7Scv7xEvwh/s1600/elenco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOORSineDM6KeFj44kFNJQm0mhrXXP3jLCphM3eeqdj7nUxdUqsgmWbbbSDvy2jzm1yZamsz2BbMwkLLdmdR36GaCdeTuENA9NH2a_5uimPRNHtxEApC2PtxjMv4_wLrBuJ7Scv7xEvwh/s400/elenco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">José Silva, Rosa Maria, Sonya da Silva, Ana Vinagre, Viriato Ferreira (l-r)</td></tr>
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The evening's common denominator was the musical duo of José Silva and Viriato Ferreira. As fado guitarists, they have to be ready for the singer to "call" any one of a large number of fado musics in any number of keys (e.g., "fado meia-noite em ré"). In a given night, the same fado music (here, the Fado Pedro Rodrigues) can be called numerous times. The challenge, then, is to present the music in a way that is true to its form, but that says something different from what has been said earlier. This is an improviatory side of the fado that, much like the ongoing invention of fado lyrics, keeps the fado experience moving forward. Silva and Ferreira kept the music fresh, and more. In fact, at one point in the second set, the singer Ana Vinagre turned around to face the musicians and said to them and thus, "I let them play what they want, and I then sing."<br />
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According to the singer José Vinagre, the Tabacaria Açoreana (or "TA") once held regular fado nights, and it is easy to see why. The community of singers is strong and tightly-knit, the performance space (downstairs in the restaurant) is intimate but not small, and the food (typical Portuguese) is excellent. Tonight the room was full with a distinctly Portuguese crowd, and the service timely.<br />
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Sonya da Silva continues to perform in the area with upcoming appearances at Restaurante Dinis Paiva in East Providence, RI (with Rosa Maria) (25 February), and two more dates in New Bedford: Tilia's Café (3 March) and Inner Bay Café (4 March).<br />
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Many thanks to Feligénio Medeiros of <a href="http://fadonight.com/">FadoNight.com</a> for permission to use his photographs. Be sure to check out his site as well as the Facebook group <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/fado.usa/" target="_blank">Fado in the US</a> for more information on fado events in this country.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-902351448437717322013-02-08T09:45:00.001-05:002013-04-11T21:33:42.961-04:00Fado at Alfama restaurant, New York CityThere's a warm and winning group of singers and musicians evoking the fado in Manhattan, at the Alfama restaurant on E 52nd St. While Newark, NJ is the place to hear big, bustling fado--in larger venues, with lots of singers--Alfama gives you a chance to hear and feel this music up close.<br />
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The upstairs restaurant at Alfama is known for high quality food and a classy atmosphere. Downstairs, where the fado happens, the space is more intimate: when I was there on 6 February with five other friends and family, about 25 people were enough to fill it. As in a classic Portuguese fado house, the musicians and singers perform from the corner, without microphones. The effect--so important for the fado--is that you are keenly aware of the fact that you're all in the same space, part of the same conversation. Amazingly, there was not a peep from anyone as the music played--something that, even in Lisbon, is a rarity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathalie Pires</td></tr>
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The singers, particularly the luminous <b>Nathalie Pires</b>, provided background on many of the fados they played, describing the lyrics, sometimes the people behind the music, and what the fado means to them and to Portuguese culture. However, this is NOT tourist fado: what you'll hear at Alfama is actually closer to the "real" fado than some of the fado you might hear in Lisbon (particularly if your tour bus is parked outside).<br />
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Nathalie Pires is tireless in her devotion to the fado, singing both in the US and abroad (including gigs at Mario Pacheco's <i>Clube do Fado</i> in Lisbon). Her impact in the US has been enormous, so it was a pleasure to hear her in this more intimate space. It appears that, as her career evolves, she is branching out--exploring new lyrics and new sensibilities. I particularly appreciated her more upbeat performances, such as "Nunca há silêncio vão" ("Silence is never in vain"). I look forward to hearing how far she is willing to push this new direction: she certainly has the personality and technical skills to pull it off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tarcísio Costa</td></tr>
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<b>Tarcísio Costa</b>, a co-owner of Alfama and also one of the singers, brought a romantic sensibility to the fado, notably on the lovely Vielas d'Alfama. His singing was as confessional and as unpretentious as one might find in the actual Alfama quarter of Lisbon. He is the kind of singer who obviously has many stories to tell, not the least of which is trying to make a "real" Portuguese restaurant happen in NYC. In a strange twist that shows just how tight the fado's grip can be, he began singing after his mother--who, Tarcísio says, instilled in him a affection for the fado--died in 2009. But his mother wasn't of Portuguese descent, but Italian. And Tarcísio isn't from Portugal, but from Brazil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV94ZHckUjrxNjXqB68njes_EbsUuH-OkqZ22RMTuYpDDbu-GDqQOW9E9Lg6EI_WSLNK2GHVcW6kUqBprhLd1PC_BKwSoN_O9FqBB0Hpl9ZWzOrBdoO31XSFd6DmULcbbKQ_hAuWPIaPh7/s1600/photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV94ZHckUjrxNjXqB68njes_EbsUuH-OkqZ22RMTuYpDDbu-GDqQOW9E9Lg6EI_WSLNK2GHVcW6kUqBprhLd1PC_BKwSoN_O9FqBB0Hpl9ZWzOrBdoO31XSFd6DmULcbbKQ_hAuWPIaPh7/s320/photo1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francisco Chuva</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A night of fado would not be complete without a few surprises. The first was the unannounced appearance of the young fadista <b>Pedro Botas</b>, a fixture of the Newark fado scene. Pedro has a rich vibrato to his voice. He worked his way confidently through "Acordem as Guitarras" and "Lisboa Menina e Moça", both valentines to the city of Lisbon. The second surprise was the musicians, both of whom brought a bright, vibrant playing to the evening. The guitarist, <b>Pedro Henriques da Silva</b>, built a rich dialogue with each singer. He led the way through the music (including a notable Fado Pedro Rodrigues) and, in the final set, a <i>guitarrada</i> centered on the traditional fado. The viola player, <b>Francisco Chuva</b>, laid an immense foundation for all of the fados performed tonight. His is the kind of playing that leads singers (and guitarists) to take risks, knowing that the beat will be there to provide a soft landing.<br />
<br />
FADO at <a href="http://www.alfamanyc.com/" target="_blank">Alfama restaurant</a> happens every other Wednesday during most of the year. Best to call ahead and confirm. Given the size of the space, a reservation is essential. They are located at 214 E 52nd St New York, NY 10022; Phone (212) 759-5552.<br />
<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-20493088383755054842013-01-17T09:41:00.005-05:002013-01-17T09:41:54.088-05:00Rodrigo Costa Felix (and more) in Toronto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23iqV_pDoX9gMnh4VupdJRN0HPrYMpQBATZ7wi_sOqbyJXC90oOmalthIemgfc1Yi236d1qxHknMVMZCcCB8qnU2at7mWP5EYTnW6u0PDLTKH2AoBKS1JnyN4S6CPVsUmxrEEMB-aAoVY/s1600/30+anniversario+gala+de+fado_02_proof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23iqV_pDoX9gMnh4VupdJRN0HPrYMpQBATZ7wi_sOqbyJXC90oOmalthIemgfc1Yi236d1qxHknMVMZCcCB8qnU2at7mWP5EYTnW6u0PDLTKH2AoBKS1JnyN4S6CPVsUmxrEEMB-aAoVY/s640/30+anniversario+gala+de+fado_02_proof.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-17211745890779658202013-01-06T18:06:00.001-05:002013-01-06T21:11:52.079-05:00Fado Radio on the Internet--Something new<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thanks to a recent post by <a href="http://www.ricardoribeiro.org/" target="_blank">Ricardo Ribeiro</a>, I learned about a new fado program on Internet radio, and it sounds great. The station is <a href="http://radiosim.sapo.pt/" target="_blank">Rádio Sim</a> (Radio Yes). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuBztx5gvgR8P87WY9EZsdCMPOoI7NsqZEOHkKu_0a5cFZv4L5hofS4F508KEQRN-aj_c5XM5pPMe1vvOEpGfUa1WYmBlVviskRAEJk2zP_gVh3oXDJwgFfV13KxCdfpob8X75NSxSpkm/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuBztx5gvgR8P87WY9EZsdCMPOoI7NsqZEOHkKu_0a5cFZv4L5hofS4F508KEQRN-aj_c5XM5pPMe1vvOEpGfUa1WYmBlVviskRAEJk2zP_gVh3oXDJwgFfV13KxCdfpob8X75NSxSpkm/s320/logo.png" width="320" /></a>The station broadcasts fado every day between 22:00 and 24:00. They promise "the most important music taken from the history of fado, as well as the best new work of this distinctly Portuguese musical genre." Follow <a href="http://radiosim.sapo.pt/" target="_blank">this link</a>, then click on <b>Ouvir Emissão</b>.<br />
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Check them out!<br />
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<br />
<br />
<i>And here are some other alternatives:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.amalia.fm/" target="_blank">Rádio Amália</a>: the pre-eminent station. 24 hours/day<br />
<a href="http://www.rtp.pt/play/direto/antena1fado" target="_blank">RTP Fado</a>: a relative newcomer with a wide range of programming, including live concerts. 24 hours/day.<br />
<a href="http://popularfm.com/" target="_blank">Popular FM</a>: Wednesdays, 21:00-23:00. You can always check out the homepage of the DJ, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/josenobre.nobre" target="_blank">José Nobre</a>.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-67622229384878389872012-12-22T23:12:00.000-05:002012-12-30T08:13:23.528-05:00Fado Favorites 2012The fado is holding steady, even flourishing, through Portugal's fiscal crisis. In addition to plenty of music, there have been films, a play, books, and a number of notable events. Last year's UNESCO designation of the fado as "world immaterial heritage and patrimony" has helped, as has a wave of solid fado records. But the successful UNESCO bid has also created some divisions.<br />
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These are my personal favorites from a very busy year in the fado. An important caveat: I am not living in Portugal (though I did spend a couple of weeks there last year), and--despite the fado's ever increasing global profile--I am sure I failed to hear or read about many excellent works. If you feel there's something I missed, please drop a comment and let me know about it!<br />
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<b>Notable Records</b><br />
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<b>Saudade no Futuro. Fados Dos 8 Aos 17 Anos</b><br />
This year's sentimental favorite: fado sung and played exclusively by kids between 8 and 17, all of them hugely competent, and all singing fados that are completely right for their ages. Highest recommendation.<br />
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Most of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwGt3oc447c" target="_blank">group</a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/rAw6GqMh9YM" target="_blank">Beatriz Felício</a><br />
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<b>Aldina Duarte. Contos de fado</b><br />
Aldina Duarte returns! Many lyrics written by her, and performed as always with top-flight musicians. Erudite but passionate.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6XLz9B9EVE" target="_blank">Live</a> at the Fado Museum<br />
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<b>Helena Sarmento. Fado Azul.</b><br />
A classic fado record, with solid musical performances and fresh lyrics, delivered in a tight and individualistic style. An excellent introduction to the modern fado.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJN40CjhxUY" target="_blank">Live</a> in Porto<br />
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<b>Sandra Correia. Ao Vivo</b><br />
Passionate and intimate. The repertory reflects the core of fado as performed in many of the houses of Lisbon and, in Sandra Correia's case, the city of Porto, where she is a regular performer at the <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">Casa da Mariquinhas</span>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXaGXrPh8GI" target="_blank">Live</a> in Estoril<br />
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<b>Rodrigo Costa Felix. Fados de Amor</b><br />
A pensive follow-up to his more sprightly first record, this is the only disc by a man on the list. Unlike many other singers, Rodrigo Costa Felix is willing to explore the bizarre trajectories of modern love, but also to recognize the base emotions that bring us together--sometimes against our will. (Rodrigo is coming to the Casa do Alentejo, Toronto, Canada on 16 March 2013.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-xRltDUgA" target="_blank">Amigo Aprendiz</a> (voted one of the 12 best ballads of the year the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/the-epic-ballads-that-the-worlds-listening-to-from-chile-to-thailand/262798/" target="_blank">The Atlantic</a> magazine in the US)<br />
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<b>Joana Amendoeira. Amor Mais Perfeito</b><br />
Joana Amendoeira was part of a vanguard of fadistas who bridged the time between the end of Amália Rodrigues' career and the beginning of the new wave of fado. Anything she releases is worth listening to. Here, she offers a series of both deep and playful reflections on her long association with one of Amália's most important guitarists, José Fontes Rocha. The beauty of this record transcends our listening to it.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMukIy1iMbg" target="_blank">Live in 2006</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVU8M3PYzgI" target="_blank">Live</a> at Rádio Amália in 2012<br />
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<b>Carminho. Alma</b><br />
Carminho is on a non-stop burn through the fado. Her beauty, her voice, and her uncompromising approach to her repertory enable her to engage the past of fado and to challenge the shape of its future. She is a bold and forthright singer, with a compelling live presence. This record, as well as her first release "Fado", are both modern classics.<br />
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Carminho's <a href="http://www.carminho.net/" target="_blank">web site</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26ZyDuXAPKA" target="_blank">Live</a> in Lisbon<br />
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<b>Digital Fado</b><br />
This is unquestionably the year that fado jumped headlong into the digital age. While there continue to be various homegrown web sites devoted to the fado (like this one), it's only recently that the artists are getting out there in earnest. The record label "<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Saudade.Records" target="_blank">Saudade Records</a></b>" is a trailblazer in this regard. The label represents fado artists who, generally speaking, have a lower international profile than those on, say, Sony. But the label has promoted its artists through a range of digital media, including Amazon, iTunes and Facebook. Those lucky enough to purchase the physical copies of the CDs will find that they are lovingly and carefully made, with plenty of documentation. In the last 1 1/2 years, the label has been on a roll, with records by <b>Pedro Galveias</b>, <b>José Manuel Barreto</b>, and <b>Saudade no Futuro</b>. Next year promises more.<br />
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Another digital highlight was <b>Carminho</b>'s promotional campaign for her second CD, <i>Alma</i>. She published one video per week on YouTube in the time leading up to the release, with each video telling the story of one track on the album and featuring samples of the song (ex., <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI2KjCcdNmY" target="_blank">Lágrimas do Sul</a>). This was an enormously successful endeavor (<b>Ana Moura</b> followed suit before the release of her latest album, <i>Desfado</i>). Other artists, such as <b>Rodrigo Costa Felix</b>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6w2AAHAWyI" target="_blank"><b>Maria Ana Bobone</b></a> and <a href="http://youtu.be/rAw6GqMh9YM" target="_blank"><b>Ricardo Ribeiro</b></a> began to emphasize Facebook and YouTube over MySpace to publicize their work. Rodrigo Costa Felix also showed up with his wife in a flashy photo spread, and Carminho was in some kind of promo campaign for watches. Definitely interesting.<br />
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<b><a href="http://rodalamusic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Aldina Duarte</a></b> continues to stretch and stretch. In addition to a new album, this year, in cooperation with the Fado Museum, she produced a <a href="http://www.museudofado.pt/calendario/detalhes.php?id=251" target="_blank">series of interviews</a> spanning a variety of fado-related themes, all of which can be seen on the museum's web site. She continues to write lyrics for herself and other fadistas. She has also been acting for film. Duarte is a wide-ranging artist who has yet to find her limits. She is defintely one to watch.<br />
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The video stalwarts of YouTube continue to document the fado as it happens outside the main venues. Here are some standout singers they captured during the past year:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69z05bTYmZE" target="_blank">Rogério Silva</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65TnXvO75PY" target="_blank">Artur Batalha</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD8ulkNAvL0" target="_blank">Clara Sevivas</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u0kNuLt8hQ" target="_blank">Sónia Santos</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URO-M6QnUUs" target="_blank">Jaime Dias</a><br />
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And some great channels:<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/jorgeferreirafado" target="_blank">jorgeferreirafado</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/casadofado" target="_blank">casadofado</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/4FadoLisbon" target="_blank">4FadoLisbon</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fadotv.com/" target="_blank">FadoTV</a><br />
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The director <b>Diogo Varela Silva</b> released the documentary "<a href="http://vimeo.com/43152749" target="_blank">O Fado da Bia</a>", a close-up look at the iconoclastic fadista, Beatriz da Conceição. Unlike his documentary of the fadista Fernando Maurício, this one is short on head shots and long on voyeurism, capturing Beatriz da Conceção in performance and in conversation with other fadistas, where she speaks intimately of her life in the fado. The filmed performances testify to her towering presence in the fado, while the conversations reveal some of the internal contradictions, flaws and strident views that--until now--have been expressed mainly in her music and sporadic interviews. It's a captivating psychological portrait<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxutVkFwI5UGwfEycX8dddEFQIQwzeebvRTKrTiTLmNS20jZLAKPTVnYXVYYdGkyBRgq6Ngw2dBSX9UsXuUv1wnBTru-1HmMgY3jqdXSCyv1iNV8A58pfdeMoHtDe5KLa9RbHxuEZiY4_J/s1600/Cachine%CC%81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxutVkFwI5UGwfEycX8dddEFQIQwzeebvRTKrTiTLmNS20jZLAKPTVnYXVYYdGkyBRgq6Ngw2dBSX9UsXuUv1wnBTru-1HmMgY3jqdXSCyv1iNV8A58pfdeMoHtDe5KLa9RbHxuEZiY4_J/s320/Cachine%CC%81.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O Julgamento do Chico do Cachiné</td></tr>
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A rare piece of fado theater made it to the stage this year. "<b>O Julgamento do Chico do Cachiné</b>" was written by Linhares Barbosa in 1945, first performed in its entirety the same year at the Adega Machado, then only sporadically and incompletely until this year, when it was resurrected by the singer and scholar <a href="http://lisboanoguiness.blogs.sapo.pt/78625.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Daniel Gouveia</a>. I was lucky to be in Lisbon during its run at the Teatro Ibérico in Lisbon. The Chico in question is on trial to determine whether he is a scoundrel or an honest man--and there are plenty of colorful characters ready to testify either way. The production merits its own complete entry (which I expect to write soon), but was notable for the heavily improvised performances of the three fadistas (Gouveia, <b>Nuno de Aguiar</b>, and <b>Maria Eméilia</b>) who took on all the roles, and for the top-notch playing of the two musicians, <b>Sidónio Pereira</b> and <b>José Clemente</b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZZS67g4cy37d9mvC5DnWfLCkEsATEpN9ER1u_cl3lUIh7ppTIe9IlnRGm9y6dQ_2igst-lVqdrpKAjrS-FA1EHERkk5LhfaRNuvVxM7bP4qr5ORYgmzTZ0J-YF4tlLDT3a_Q1LMlzbfV/s1600/Raul+Nery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZZS67g4cy37d9mvC5DnWfLCkEsATEpN9ER1u_cl3lUIh7ppTIe9IlnRGm9y6dQ_2igst-lVqdrpKAjrS-FA1EHERkk5LhfaRNuvVxM7bP4qr5ORYgmzTZ0J-YF4tlLDT3a_Q1LMlzbfV/s200/Raul+Nery.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raul Nery</td></tr>
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Among the losses in the fado this year were two stalwarts, the incomparable <a href="http://youtu.be/u4pizavtsE8" target="_blank"><b>Raúl Nery</b></a>, who played on countless important fado records from the 1940s until his professional retirement in the 1990s, and <a href="http://www.portaldofado.net/content/view/2771/275/" target="_blank"><b>José Lá Féria</b></a>, an indefatigable promoter of the fado on radio.<br />
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The poetry of the fado--and the poets of the fado--jumped into the fray over the worsening state of the Portuguese economy and the resulting threats to the Portuguese way of life. <a href="http://fado-hoje.blogspot.com/2012/03/conversas-com-poetas-do-fado-tiago.html" target="_blank"><b>Tiago Torres da Silva</b></a> published a poem per day (on Facebook, of course) that cut to the bone of the issues facing the Portuguese people. <a href="http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rio_Ra%C3%ADnho" target="_blank"><b>Mário Rainho</b></a> put aside his work organizing fado at the Pérola do Fado in order to devote his time to writing for musical comedy on the stage ("farce" is probably the better term). This one, entitled "Humor com Humor se Paga!", is a sly and winning commentary on Portugal's current economic and social situation. In Porto, the enigmatic <a href="http://www.facebook.com/antonio.torredaguia" target="_blank"><b>António Torre da Guia</b></a> continued to churn out poetry--combined with his own inimitable graphics--on a diverse range of topics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJIKI4Ll5Xd5T-JXh-0O4Lzud1vKBlj6Jjw0z9MGOnCdMjco5qvg2vbiCGksSJM2iNNAxKT9ycPp9TaOhBKG6kRZiHmlA9vWnFfosS25p05PVR8rN2FCwHf7gajXeiZljDPKq_V2SWUVP/s1600/Ama%CC%81lia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJIKI4Ll5Xd5T-JXh-0O4Lzud1vKBlj6Jjw0z9MGOnCdMjco5qvg2vbiCGksSJM2iNNAxKT9ycPp9TaOhBKG6kRZiHmlA9vWnFfosS25p05PVR8rN2FCwHf7gajXeiZljDPKq_V2SWUVP/s200/Ama%CC%81lia.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>
The UNESCO designation has certainly created lots of opportunities for bringing more fados to the masses--but also for making a buck. In the former camp, are two excellent initiatives, the <b>fado school</b> in the Lisbon neighborhood of the Mouraria, and a small, very precious book called "<a href="http://www.portaldofado.net/content/view/3038/67/" target="_blank">My first Amália</a>"(available on wook.pt). In the latter, there have been countless collections of "fado" available in stores and through magazine promotions, as well as many singers and groups who are now "fado". In the wake of this commercialization, some singers and musicians have simply headed for the hills, perhaps to wait until the furor blows over. Somewhat surprisingly, some of the stalwarts of the fado--including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKCJgDCA5Bo" target="_blank">Ana Moura</a> and Lenita Gentil--released records that were barely (Moura) or not (Gentil) fado at all. Having said this, both singers continue to promote the fado like few others: Moura through nearly continuous touring worldwide; Gentil through her steady appearances at O Faia in Bairro Alto.<br />
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Finally, big-time fado in the US continues to happen, although at a rate that belies the level of interest in the music here. Among the concerts this year was a marquee event at <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2011/12/fado-at-carnegie-hall-on-january-24.html" target="_blank">Carnegie Hall</a>, which included the fadistas <b>Celeste Rodrigues</b>, <b>Jorge Fernando</b>, <b>Fábia Rebordão</b> and <b>Filipa Cardoso</b>. <b><a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/02/ana-moura-in-concert-in-new-bedford.html" target="_blank">Ana Moura</a></b> stopped here on an international tour, as did <b>António Zambujo</b>. Meanwhile, <b>Manuela Cavaco</b> and <b><a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/04/fado-in-newark-clube-dos-acores.html" target="_blank">Carlos Macedo</a></b> visited Newark, NJ--a continuing center for fado in the US. A new <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/fado.usa/" target="_blank">Facebook group</a> is publishing ongong news about upcoming fado events in the US, whether led by Portugal- or US-based artists.<br />
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<b>My wishes for the New Year? Very simple! Visits to the US by Carminho, Ricardo Ribeiro and Rodrigo Costa Felix. All of these (and others) are singers in their prime, with repertories that are continually evolving and music played by some of the best fado musicians the country has to offer.</b>DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-30999452195386127002012-12-19T18:39:00.003-05:002012-12-19T18:39:36.116-05:00Coming soon... Best of Fado in 2012What are these kids waiting for (and who are they?)--find out soon when this year's "Best of Fado" list is published here!<br />
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<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-78732281834821752832012-12-18T19:07:00.000-05:002012-12-18T19:09:41.897-05:00Essential Fado<br />
The Facebook group "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/fado.usa/" target="_blank">Fado in the US</a>" is a good place to find information on fado performances in the US (though we are always looking for new contributions!). I asked the group's members for their essential fado recordings. Here are the responses, with the writer of the lyric and, sometimes, the singer who was mentioned*):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Carlos Conde</i><br />
(follow the link for more)</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><i>Porta do coraçao</i> (Carlos Conde)</li>
<li><i>Oiça lá Ó Senhor Vinho</i> (Alberto James; as sung by Amália)</li>
<li><i>Barco Negro</i> (David Mourão Ferreira)</li>
<li><i>Casa Portuguesa</i> (Reinaldo Ferreira)</li>
<li><i>Primavera</i> (David Mourão Ferreira)</li>
<li><i>Povo Que Lavas No Rio</i> (Pedro Homem de Melo)</li>
<li><i>Canção do Mar</i> (Ferrer Trindade; as sung by Dulce Pontes)</li>
<li><i>Coimbra </i>(José Galhardo)</li>
<li><i>Bairro Alto</i> (Nuno de Aguiar or Carlos Neves; as sung by Carlos do Carmo)</li>
<li><i>Lisboa, Menina e Moça</i> (Ary dos Santos)</li>
<li><i>Fado da Sina</i> (Amadeu do Vale; as sung by Hermínia Silva)</li>
<li><i>Rosa Enjeitada</i> (José Galhardo; as sung by Hermínia Silva)</li>
<li><i>Mariquinhas</i> (probably Casa da Mariquinhas, or maybe Leilão da Casa da Mariquinhas, or Mariquinhas Vai à Fonte,...)</li>
<li><i>Pomba Branca</i> (Vasco de Lima Couto; as sung by Max)</li>
<li><i>Cabelo Branco é Saudade</i> (Henrique Rego; as sung by Alfredo Marceneiro)</li>
<li><i>Ó Gente da Minha Terra</i> (Amália Rodrigues; as sung by Mariza)</li>
<li><i>Tive um Coração, Perdi-o</i> (Amália Rodrigues; as sung by Cristina Branco)</li>
</ul>
Thanks everyone! And please do join the group "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/fado.usa/" target="_blank">Fado in the US</a>" if you'd like to get plugged in to live fado in the US.<br />
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*More complete information is available at José Fernandes Castro's site, <a href="http://fadosdofado.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fados do Fado</a>.<br />
<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-17911886768766326902012-10-30T16:04:00.001-04:002012-11-03T19:32:39.482-04:00Prémios Amália<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Every year, the Amália Prizes (Prémios Amália) are awarded to a selection of artists "in" or "out" of the fado. The jury is filled with some very good people. Below are the results from this year. Many of the names are recognizable from this blog, including <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/01/fado-at-carnegie-hall.html" target="_blank">Fábia Rebordão</a>, <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/03/now-for-some-music.html" target="_blank">Rodrigo</a>, <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-new-stuff-at-radio-amalia.html" target="_blank">Rádio Amália</a>, <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/02/watch-out.html" target="_blank">Carminho</a>, and <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/02/ana-moura-in-concert-in-new-bedford.html" target="_blank">Ângelo Freire</a>. </div>
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The categories are roughly as follows ("<i>dentro</i>"="in", "<i>fora</i>"="out"): (A) Revelation ("new discovery") within the fado (voice, Portuguese guitar, viola), then outside the fado; (B) Album in and out; (C) Composition; (D) Poetry; (E) Career in and out; (F) Scholarship; (G) Dissemination; (H) Singer in and out; (I) Musicians (as above); (J) Fusion; (L) Discographic production; (M) Prestige; (N) International dissemination; (O) Tribute to Amália.</div>
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There's alot of great talent on this list. I'm not sure I agree with all the choices (half of the album by Alvim is not fado), but others are spot-on. Cidália Moreira and Rodrigo do not necessarily get the attention they deserve (E); Sardinha's book is controversial but interesting (F); Rádio Amália (G) and Carminho (H) are both excellent choices, as are those for the musicians (I)--all of whom are fairly young. Mísia was a surprise, as she has wandered for many years out of the fado (and out of Portugal), but tours tirelessly (N). Gonçalo--I don't know what the prize is for, but the guy has a good voice (O).</div>
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<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-64305476658329018892012-10-11T14:47:00.003-04:002012-10-12T12:45:42.426-04:00If you're traveling soon to Lisbon...Here is an event worth attending if you will be in Lisbon over the next couple of weeks. Fátima Fernandes is a stalwart of the fado scene, and on 28 October 2012 she'll be celebrating 40 years in the fado (as well as a new CD). The list of singers and musicians for this event is testimony to her renown: there are so many great artists on this list, it's mind-boggling. The event will take place at the <a href="http://www.vozoperario.pt/" target="_blank">Voz do Operário</a>. This is a biggish hall (maybe a couple of hundred people)--but don't worry, it'll be full and homey. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv_NEDJS6Qk" target="_blank">Here</a> is Fátima at the Grupo Desportivo de Mouraria. Yes, approximately everyone is singing along to this. Parabéns Fátima Fernandes! Mereces isto e muito mais!<br />
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<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-53429563302575101522012-09-26T14:21:00.003-04:002012-09-30T10:57:04.210-04:00Manuela Cavaco coming to New Jersey on 6 October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbD2JBbDcP2TxadPQA2eQdqjTdKE7D8og37c0sE996EaWLQihgdLwyogtg9CEjQBP4HsqZcncQ8Mca1Z8brYqc6L9Bacq63iMaYOwCPj6pzniEBNZn6qt-FIUoaYHLSz9VMLGu-D6wmod/s1600/ManuelaCavaco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbD2JBbDcP2TxadPQA2eQdqjTdKE7D8og37c0sE996EaWLQihgdLwyogtg9CEjQBP4HsqZcncQ8Mca1Z8brYqc6L9Bacq63iMaYOwCPj6pzniEBNZn6qt-FIUoaYHLSz9VMLGu-D6wmod/s320/ManuelaCavaco.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
The Portuguese fadista <b><a href="http://fado-meu.blogspot.pt/" target="_blank">Manuela Cavaco</a></b> will be bringing the fado from Montijo, Portugal to Elizabeth, New Jersey on Friday, 6 October 2012. The concert is organized by the Fundação Amália USA, and will take place at the Salão Nobre next door to Nossa Senhora da Fátima (Our Lady of Fátima) church, which is located at 403 Spring Street in Elizabeth. The event begins at 6:30pm. Cost is $60 per person and includes dinner.<br />
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In addition to Manuela Cavaco, fadistas based in the Elizabeth area will perform, among them Pedro Botas. Accompanying these singers will be José Silva (guitarra portuguesa), Viriato Ferreira (viola), and Pedro Pimentel (contra bass), all of whom played early this year when <a href="http://fado-today.blogspot.com/2012/04/fado-in-newark-clube-dos-acores.html" target="_blank">Carlos Macedo visited here</a>. I was there and they were great. The evening will also include a tribute to the late Cora d'Abreu, a fadista who performed for many years in and around Newark.<br />
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In a brief interview, Manuela spoke about her past and present contact with the Portuguese community in the USA. During one memorable visit, she got involved in an Açorean-style desgarrada--a sort of competitive back-and-forth between two or more singers--that lasted until four AM. She was so tired due to the time difference that every once in a while she would take a rest on the couch--but she never lost her place.<br />
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Her visit this time came about with a phone call to her home, and the person on the other line asking "Do you want to come to the US?" "What time is the flight?" she responded. The concert will benefit the Fundação Amália USA (named for Amália Rodrigues).<br />
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My recommendation is get your tickets now: Manuela was supposed to have come earlier this year but could not due to a travel snafu. For reservation and more information, call Margareth de Jesus (973) 332-3776 or Lídia Maio (908) 334-6640.<br />
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If you are on Facebook, look for Manuela. In addition to her <a href="http://fado-meu.blogspot.pt/" target="_blank">web site</a>, you can see and hear performances of hers on YouTube. Here is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdCDIt03C94" target="_blank"><i>O Vento</i></a> (The Wind), <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKxwKnUDXaQ" target="_blank"><i>Avé Maria Fadista</i></a> (Hail Mary, Fadista), and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixmtxifoL8U" target="_blank"><i>Fadista Louco</i></a> (The Crazy Fadista). You want pure fado? Go!<br />
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<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-58489321121118365102012-08-23T18:24:00.006-04:002012-08-23T18:24:58.413-04:00Good-bye to a good friend<i>A good friend and fadista from Portugal, José Maria Fernandes, died very recently. I wrote this short piece about him, our friendship, and the fado. I'm going to try to find time to translate it, but in the meantime (knowing that some of you speak Portuguese), here it is (text is taken from my other blog, http://fado-hoje.blogspot.com).</i><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Venho por aqui falar de um grande amigo e fadista, José Maria Fernandes, que faleceu há uma semana. A nossa amizade foi criada juntamente com o fado, ou talvez seja melhor dizer que quanto mais que conhecíamos, mais que compreendi sobre o fado e a bondade que pode ser criado dentro do âmbito fadista. Quando vim com a minha família à Lisboa há alguns anos--sem saber nada do fado actual--foi ele que me introduziu ao mundo fadista que agora faz parte imutável da minha vida.</span><br />
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Na altura quando lá vivíamos, frequentávamos a Baiuca em Alfama. Pouco a pouco, eu ia conversando com os fadistas, os músicos e as outras pessoas que por ali passavam. Gostei de ouvir o José Maria cantar, mesmo que os clientes conversassem tanto durante o fado. O José Maria cantava os clássicos, os fados associados com os fadistas que ele apreciava mas que se encontrou fora da moda, como o Fernando Farinha ou o Tony de Matos. Ele cantava de amor e de solidão. Era romântico, sem desculpas.<br />
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Comigo não queria falar da sua vida privada. Um dia perguntei-lhe" "Aonde trabalha?" Respondeu enigmaticamente: "Trabalhava em Alcântara..." Percebeu perfeitamente o que eu tinha perguntado, mas não queria entrar no assunto, nem me ofender. Para muito tempo, só sabia que era "da outra banda."<br />
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Ele vadiava de casa em casa em Alfama, uns dias por semana. Encontrei-o muitas vezes na Baiuca, e anos depois também frequentava o Sr. Fado. Como muitos outros fadistas, não queria ganhar dinheiro, só queria era cantar e conversar com amigos durante os intervalos ou quando esperava por sua vez. Fomos uma vez a um território distante–a Graça–para visitar a Tasca do Jaime. Pôs-se em pé, introduziu-se com humildade, agradeceu a dona, depois cantou dois fados do coração. Gostou, mas percebi que o seu povo, e os seus lugares de hábito, eram todos de Alfama. Por outro lado, sempre ia conosco por qualquer lado: às outras casas de Alfama, à Mouraria.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">A manter a ordem à porta da Baiuca</span></td></tr>
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Uma vez telefonei-o, e atendeu ao telefone bruscamente, como sempre. "Ó Zé, aonde está?" Estava na casa do Sr. Henrique, no sul do país. "A fazer o que?" perguntei eu. A ajudar nisto ou naquilo, depois ele ia regressar à noite para trabalhar no dia seguinte. Outras vezes, estava indo para Angola. Sempre a vadiar...<br />
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Queria que nos fôssemos portugueses: eu, a minha esposa, e os meus filhos. Ajudou-me com a burocracia portuguesa, inventou planos fantásticos para que eu conseguisse manter uma presença permanente em Portugal ("compre um apartamento", "troque o seu trabalho", etc.). Fizemos percursos de pê e de carro por várias zonas de cidade. Não era jovem, mas andou sempre velozmente, cheio de vontade para chegar.<br />
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Uma vez que visitamos Lisboa, queria buscá-nos no aeroporto. Disse-me que tinha um carro que servia. Não acreditava. "Cabe, cabe. Não se preocupe", respondeu o meu amigo. Chegou com um Citroën antiquíssimo, que não foi nada grande. Mas ele não queria saber nada das minha dúvidas. De uma magia qualquer, conseguiu meter tudo lá dentro--cinco pessoas e todas as malas. Depois da visita, ao regressar ao aeroporto, ofereceu-me uma caixa de discos do fado. Não o queria, mas disse "Trago sempre uma commigo, e vou dando-a quando me apetecer, depois compro mais uma." Assim, o fado e ele andava sempre a par.<br />
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Quando eu estava fora de Portugal, telefonava-o por Skype, e por isso ele não reconhecia o número. Quando atendeu ao telefone, dizia "Alô", duma maneira brusca, que transmitiu uma mensagem clara: "Como é que vais explicar esta intrusão?" Eu respondia, "Ó José Maria, é David Mendonça." "Ó David, como está amigo!" E depois era tudo alegria. Mesmo na rua, eu nem sempre percebia quando ele sentia pró ou contra alguém, pois resmungava à frente de todos.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Na Tasca do Jaime</td></tr>
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O José Maria vivia com o fado sempre no peito. Quando falávamos, às vezes exprimia os seus sentimentos em termos fadista, sem pretensões e como se fosse a sua própria linguagem. Queria ensinar-me toda a história do fado que conhecia, a qual assisti com toda a minha atenção. Introduziu-me ao mundo ocupado por aquelas pessoas que vivem para o fado, e não através do fado. O fado do José Maria era um fado puro, que refletia uma sensibilidade profundamente humana, cheia de honestidade, e que não aceitou a falsidade.<br />
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A última vez que o vi foi recentemente. Estávamos em Lisboa para uma curta visita. Já tinha percebido que não estava bem. Falamos brevemente por telefone, mas foi preciso confirmar os pormenores com a filha dele. (Logo descobri que ele sofreu bastante só para lá chegar.) Estava sentado à porta da Baiuca, com muitos amigos ao seu redor. "Vou cantar" disse ele. A filha protestou, também eu. "Quero." Pediu desculpas da minha esposa por não ser capaz de cantar "Leio em teus olhos", que sempre cantava para ela. Ia cantar outra coisa, então pôs-se de pé. Num instante, a Baiuca e tudo que não era o meu amigo evaporou. Cantou "Senhora da Nazaré" do fundo da alma, com toda a força da vida, com muito mais força do que o corpo tinha. Depois saiu subitamente: estava gasto. Depois falamos para uns minutos, mas foi a última vez que o vi. Era tudo pelo fado, e tudo por amizade.DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-22542981003605439792012-08-21T14:25:00.003-04:002012-08-21T14:25:59.069-04:00Backlinks...For about the past year, two news outlets--the Luso-Americano and the Portuguese-American Journal--have been publishing some of my writing about the fado (and, occasionally, other Portuguese-related themes). Both have mentioned this fado blog, as well as the one I write in Portuguese. So, it's only fair that I say a bit about each of them!<br />
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The <a href="http://lusoamericano.com/" target="_blank">Luso-Americano</a> is a Portuguese language print newspaper, founded in 1928 and published in Newark, New Jersey. With the widest print distribution of any Portuguese-language newspaper in the USA, it covers Portuguese and Portugese-American news items. Lately, the journalist Ricky Durães has been writing some great stuff about the fado, particularly in the NY metro area, covering many of the area's larger and smaller fado performances and related events. Indeed, the <i>Luso-Americano</i> is probably the first best place to look for news and upcoming events on the fado (and other Portuguese music) along the east coast. For example, did you know that Ana Moura is coming to Durham, North Carolina on 29 March 2013, or that Deolinda will be in Chicago on 24 September?<br />
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I should also note that, in addition to news, the <i>Luso-Americano</i> publishes various essays and opinion pieces. These include an excellent, very long-running series written by Ferreira Moreno, centered on Portuguese culture and folklore. The paper also has an English language section. You can subscribe to receive it by post, or read a slightly delayed copy online. I am currently working on a Portuguese-language essay for them on the topic of contemporary poets and the fado.<br />
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The <a href="http://portuguese-american-journal.com/" target="_blank">Portuguese-American Journal</a> is a fairly recent endeavor, published in English. The journal is "dedicated to the Portuguese-American heritage with the purpose of informing and offering an insight into the Portuguese-American experience."Its editorial scope is broad, with new articles published frequently. It's available through Google News <a href="site:portuguese-american-journal.com" target="_blank">feed</a>, as well as through its own web site. The most recent article I wrote for them is a review of Sandra Correia's new album, "<a href="http://portuguese-american-journal.com/fado-sandra-correia-reviving-nostalgic-old-porto-review/" target="_blank">Ao Vivo</a>".DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850453833606651659.post-79285719848182371382012-08-11T07:41:00.004-04:002012-08-11T07:41:59.601-04:00More on "Fado&Piano"<br />
<i>Here's a very informative comment on the latest Maria Ana Bobone record, written by one of the readers of this blog, Aldemar Fernandes Parola. (Note: version in Portuguese is below.) I hope you enjoy it!</i><br />
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'In my opinion fado for voice and piano is not a new hypotesis. What is new in “Fado & Piano” is the fact that Maria Ana Bobone plays piano and sings simultaneously. Few singers have the knowledge, the ability and the art to play piano and sing simultaneously. Since fado and the majority of the portuguese traditional songs are a kind of ritual music, transmiting feelings and emotions, the control of the cadence is extremely important and to have control on the cadence nothing better than to have one person playing and singing.<br />
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'Piano was already used in her second CD, “Senhora da Lapa” as an accompaniment for the majority of the tracks but it was played by João Paulo, another virtuoso, composer of the beautiful melody of “Senhora da Lapa” score.<br />
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'In the first CD of Maria Ana Bobone, named “Luz Destino”, published in 1996, which was more audacious than “Fado & Piano” due to the arrangements with a barroque sonority made by Ricardo Rocha, she was accompanied at the harpsichord by João Paulo, at the portuguese guitar by Ricardo Rocha himself and in some scores at the contrabass by Mário Franco.<br />
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'May be “Fado & Piano” will be more popular than the previous CDs because at first sight it looks less sophisticated. But in my opinion this is not true. In spite of sophistication and simplicity being considered as opposed, all Maria Ana's CDs, including “Fado & Piano, are simultaneously simple and sophisticated. Is there something simpler than fado and piano? On the contrary is there something more sohisticated than voice conveing both excitement and joy in a quiet way accompanied on the piano with a harmonious arrangement ? Schubert's “lieder” are certainly good examples of the combination of simplicity and sophistication and I believe “Fado & Piano” is also another good example.'<br />
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--Aldemar Fernandes Parola<br />
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<span style="background-color: #edeff4; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Versão em português: Na minha opinião fado para voz e piano não é uma hipótese nova. O que há de novo no "Fado & Piano" é o fato de Maria Ana Bobone tocar piano e cantar ao mesmo tempo. Poucos cantores têm o conhecimento, a habilidade e a a</span><br />
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rte de tocar piano e cantar simultaneamente. Como o fado e a maioria das canções tradicionais portuguesas são um tipo de música ritual, transmitindo sentimentos e emoções, o controle da cadência é extremamente importante e para ter o controle sobre a cadência nada melhor do que ter uma pessoa tocando e cantando.<br /><br />Piano já foi usado como acompanhamento em seu segundo CD, "Senhora da Lapa" tendo sido interpretado por João Paulo, outro virtuoso, compositor da bela melodia da canção "Senhora da Lapa".<br /><br />No primeiro CD de Maria Ana Bobone, chamado "Luz Destino", publicado em 1996, que foi mais audacioso do que o "Fado e Piano", devido aos arranjos com sonoridade barroca feitos por Ricardo Rocha, ela foi acompanhado ao cravo por João Paulo, à guitarra portuguesa pelo próprio Ricardo Rocha e em algumas das canções por Mário Franco ao contrabaixo.<br /><br />O CD Fado & Piano de Maria Ana Bobone certamente será mais popular dos que os anteriores por uma única razão: aparenta ser menos sofisticado. Mas, na minha opinião isso não é verdade. Embora sofisticação e simplicidade sejam considerados como opostos, todos os CDs de Maria Ana, incluindo "Fado & Piano, são ao mesmo tempo simples e sofisticados. Existe algo mais simples do que voz acompanhada ao piano? Haverá algo mais sofisticado do que a voz transmitindo tanto emoção como alegria de uma forma serena acompanhada ao piano com um arranjo harmonioso? Os "Lieder" de Schubert são certamente bons exemplos da combinação de simplicidade e sofisticação e eu acredito que "Fado e Piano" também é outro bom exemplo.</div>
<br />DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11435336041889339368noreply@blogger.com0