Too Tasty Martinho
At 58, with 29 discs to his credit, and a prestigious record of service to Brazilian music, Martinho da Vila has given Brazil another gift of talent and musicality with Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso. The whole country has been humming the tunes of his latest album. The recording is a milestone to be celebrated by all who love samba.
Bruce Gilman
Never before has Martinho da Vila made a recording whose title was so strong an indicator of what awaited the listener. Coming at a time when many were beginning to think that Martinho's time had passed, Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso (It's Delicious, It's Tasty) climbed the charts with the same trajectory of his greatest hits. Competing side by side with the new artists of sambanejo (Raça Negra-like groups), Martinho had been all but forgotten by the public, as were other artists faithful to the rhythm and instrumentation of traditional samba: Paulinho da Viola, João Nogueira, Beth Carvalho, and Grupo Fundo de Quintal.
Lacking the philosophy, poetry, and harmony of "real samba," the visionless invasion of sambanejo had been a thorn in the side of samba for some time. Leader of the group Raça Negra, Luiz Carlos, stated recently that Martinho's problem was that he talked too much about politics. Martinho has for many years demonstrated his empathy for African culture and its origins, often denouncing the situation of Blacks in Brazil. Carlos felt that it was time for Martinho to come back to the theme of a woman, the constant theme in the music of Raça Negra.
Martinho's long-awaited reaction to that lineage of samba was resoundingly celebrated by his fans and colleagues at his bar, "Butiquim do Martinho," in Rio's Vila Isabel neighborhood. Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso is expected to sell over a million and a half copies and guarantee the sambista a Duplo de Platina (Double Platinum). Sales like these are unprecedented for traditional samba today, a genre that had been retired from the best selling lists. The recording is a milestone to be celebrated by all lovers of samba.
This 12 track synthesis of Martinho's work is sheer joy. Vivid cover art by Elifas Andreato once again delights the eye and sets the tempo for what lies inside the jewel case.All tunes flaunt the type of instrumentation preferred by those who oppose sambanejo. There is a profusion of percussion and string instruments, but just a hint of keyboards -the favorite refuge of those who play sambanejo. The arrangements, clear and with little elaboration, were crafted by the band members themselves.
And Martinho's choice of musicians was not accidental. We find him surrounded by familiar friends and family. Rildo Hora, one of Brazil's top samba producers is on board again as are other Martinho regulars like Claudio Jorge, violão; Alceu Maia, cavaquinho; Gordinho, Ovídio, and Paulinho da Aba, percussion. The backing vocalists are noteworthy not only for their collective cohesion and their individual contributions, but also because three of the singers are Martinho's gifted children from his first marriage to Anália: Martinho Antônio, 33; Analimar, 30; and Mart'nália, 26. Mart'nália and Tunico Ferreira also perform with the bateria. There is no nepotism here; all are formidable musicians.
The plum, however, is the presence of João de Aquino. Aquino's violão playing reflects the intelligent absorption of a variety of influences. He has been one of the lesser known but more influential players, composers, and arrangers on the fringe of the big time for some years and is a familiar and welcome figure at the most demanding recording sessions. It is no small feat to synthesize Martinho in 12 tracks, and long-time fans may argue that some of the forms, rhythms, and sounds Martinho has been identified with for years: samba-enredo, vibrant African influences, and his familiar signature, the samba de partido alto (a type of samba with short, light refrains that the singer follows with improvised verses) are missing. Yet the relaxed warmth of Martinho's voice, the very tight arrangements, and the high caliber of musicianship that gives the entire project its unruffled, solid groove, establish Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso as a pinnacle for traditional samba and Martinho as a permanent resident of the best seller's charts.
For this project, there was considerable pressure exerted upon Martinho by his record label to come up with a hit. Martinho, viewing his career as a type of religion, resisted at first. Like any religious devotee he needed to have more than just the catechism. Martinho has always believed that artists who started the recording process with the illusion of making big money were lost. Enjoying the recording process had always been his key to success, not the other way around. He was hesitant also because efficient marketing and promotion has always been essential, even for established artists with high quality recordings and music that appeals to the public at large. And Sony had backed off in the past after initially promising to promote several of Martinho's releases that could have done very well.
Taking his time developing the concept, Martinho selected a repertoire of themes and lyrics that would not only reconquer his public, but also the fans of sambanejo. Of the 12 compositions, each has its own individual attraction, so much so that it is more difficult than usual to predict which will turn out to be the one with the greatest popular appeal. Although Martinho's own compositions have dominated his 29 album discography, one important distinction marks this recording as a turning point in his career of almost 30 years: Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso is his first work primarily as an interpreter.
Of the 12 tunes, 3 have already become hits, and 5 others are potent contenders. One of these challengers is "O Gurufim Do Cabana." The tile, reflecting a play on the slang word bacana, translates in favela-speak to "Wake of the Playboy." A samba medley with an unstoppable groove and burning cavaquinho, it is an ode to the ginga malandra and to the characteristic flair of the people living in Rio's favelas (shanty towns).
The next in line for hit status is the only track that was co-written by Martinho, "Por Favor Me Ajude" (Please Help Me). This tune will remind his fans of past hits like "Pequeno Burguês" (A Little Bourgeois), the romantic mockery from the 60's in which Martinho made fun of the vestibular (university placement exam) and exhibited his wit and talent for wry interpretations.
The poignantly beautiful poetry of Toninho Geraes, coupled with Rildo Hora's passionate piano and string arrangement on "Mulheres" (Women), assured a success from the beginning. The tunes syncopated cavaquinho, violão, and bateria accentuate its formal symmetry while the interplay between tension-building patterns and sudden releases reinforce the structure and transports the listener.
After the success of "Mulheres" the disc's title track, "Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso" climbed the charts. Its suggestive lyrics, seductive refrain, impressive backing vocals, and enticing string arrangement by Jorjão Carvalho made it an immediate hit.
Although "Devagar, Devagarinho" (Slowly, Very Slowly) cries for a whisper of cuíca, its impromptu feel and textual richness overshadow this omission. With my foot tapping on automatic pilot to the same staccato cavaquinho and riveting surdo as "Mulheres," it became immediately obvious why the whole project triggered into an explosive success when this track started getting air-play.
These first three hits from Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso are almost confessional summaries that catalog the changes in Martinho's personal life. Fans tend to see artists as magical figures with envious lives. In reality, it is not like this. Like most sambistas, Martinho, comes from humble origins and has been vulnerable to exploitation. He was raised in the favela and lived among its crooks and drug dealers. For each one of his discs that was sold, Martinho saw his small percentage only months after the release. When his first record became a hit, he was the most famous penniless person in Brazil.
Today, with wide recognition, promoters still believe he deserves prestige and respect, but not the large sums of money pop artists receive. Thus, he understood what was happening when Paulinho da Viola, the godfather of his daughter, was slighted at the 1995 New Year's Eve tribute to Tom Jobim; an artist's fee is based on his current status on the sales charts. Sales of traditional samba were down, and Paulinho hadn't recorded in years.
Another misconception for many is that composers whose enredos are chosen for Carnaval become rich. There are, in fact, many composers who have had 5 to 10 winning samba-enredos whose lives were no better afterwards. The hard life of the sambista amplified Martinho's drinking. He was involved in a number of automobile accidents. The largest accident fractured his skull, his legs, and two fingers on his right hand. Afterwards, he was interned in an alcohol detoxication clinic. His marriage to a beautiful woman named Clediomar (33 years his junior) and the birth of their son, Preto, may have been the catalyst that convinced Martinho it was time to get serious, curb his drinking, and start focusing on what was important.
With his head in order, he worked extremely hard last year to insure the new disc's success. Traveling all over Brazil to dozens of TV and radio stations, giving interviews and a marathon of shows, Martinho promoted the project. He performed entire shows without repeating a single type of samba, launching into samba-choro, samba-canção, samba de partido alto, samba de terreiro, samba-enredo, sambalanço, samba de breque… He carried on with the energy of a musician just beginning his career. The success of Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso is for Martinho no secret. Coming back to the front line of media attention was the most trying period of his entire career.
Today he thanks God that his life has entered a new era, and he is looking forward to spending time with his family, a family that literally plays together. Additional plans include recording with João Bosco and the realization of a dream that has been on the back burner for years, the opening of a venue that will be dedicated to the performance of first rate music and plays alternatively, the Teatro Martinho da Vila, in his beloved Vila Isabel. Martinho joined this lower income neighborhood's escola de samba over 30 years ago and even modified his name to express his allegiance.
After pulling off his success as an interpreter, Martinho recently saw another shining facet of success when Simone recorded an entire disc of his compositions on her Polygram/Mercury release Café com Leite. For those who missed the beautiful duet "Ex Amor" with Simone and Martinho that appeared on Polygram's samba compilation Casa de Samba last year, here is an even better opportunity to grab a copy of this title as well as 11 other classic Martinho compositions. Simone's tribute to Martinho, also produced by Rildo Hora, has already sold over 500 thousand copies and was chosen by readers of the music magazine Musicalidade as the best new release of 1997.
Probably the only setback for Martinho last year was the defeat of his samba-enredo for his escola de samba, Vila Isabel. The episode generated a controversy involving the directors of the escola (those who approve the enredos and choose the best sambas submitted) and the drug traffickers. Anytime a composer loses, he experiences the typical sour grapes symptoms. He refuses to go to Carnaval and complains that the chosen samba is trash. As Carnaval nears, however, the same composer swallows his pride and concedes that his escola's samba is the best.
Over time, Martinho has won more than he has lost with Vila Isabel. In fact, almost every time Martinho entered an enredo, he has won. Some of his sambas lost, but they are eternal: "Iemanjá Desperta" (Goddess of the Waters Wakes Up), "Tribo dos Carajás" (Tribe of the Carajá Indians), and "Minha Vida Tá Legal" (My Life is Okay). Next year the composer of such classic Carnaval pieces as "Carnaval de Ilusões" (Carnaval of Illusions), "Sonho de Um Sonho" (Dream of a Dream), and "Raízes" (Roots), and who started the trend toward more concise and colloquial lyrics in samba-enredos, promises to be on the floats of the escola dear to his heart.
At 58 years old, with 29 discs to his credit, and a prestigious record of service to the Black movement and to Brazilian music, Martinho José Ferreira doesn't appear to regret the decision he made after his release from the army in 1971 to dedicate himself to an artistic career. His hits came one after the other. In 1991 he was recognized with the Prêmio Shell award. And while the names of some of his colleagues dropped from the charts, the name Martinho da Vila never left the front line of samba artists, demonstrating it has enough strength to bear any low tide in the market. Today people are talking about Martinho's rediscovery. It's a good day for samba to push the Raça Negras to a different market niche.
Mulheres
Toninho Geraes
Já tive mulheres de todas as cores
De várias idades, de muitos amores
Com umas até certo tempo fiquei
Pra outras apenas um pouco me dei
Já tive mulheres do tipo atrevida
Do tipo acanhada, do tipo vivida
Casada, carente, solteira, feliz
Já tive donzela e até meretriz
Mulheres cabeça e desequilibradas
Mulheres confusas, de guerra e de paz
Mas nenhuma delas me faz tão feliz
Como você me faz
Procurei em todas as mulheres a felicidade
Mas eu não encontrei e fiquei na saudade
Foi começando bem, mas tudo teve um fim
Você é o sol da minha vida, a minha vontade
Você não é mentira, você é verdade
É tudo que um dia eu sonhei pra mim
Women
I've already had women of all colors
Of various ages, of many loves
With some I stayed for a while
For others I gave just a little
I've had very arrogant women
And others very shy of experience
Married, poor, single, happy
I've had a virgin and even a prostitute
Women with good sense and flaky women
Confused women, women of war and peace
But none of them made me as happy
As you do
I looked for happiness with all the women
But I couldn't find it and kept longing for it
Everything started well but everything had an end
You are the sun of my life, my desire
You are not a lie, you are the truth
(You) are everything that I dreamed for one day
Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso
Zé Catimba and Alceu Maia
Assim como adolescente
O cupido me pegou
Me apaixonei por seu beijo
Sem você eu nada sou
Vem me salvar boca a boca
tô morrendo de amar
Vem fazer amor bonito
Vem pra se deliciar
Você é fêmea no cio
Deixa seu macho dengoso
Quando diz no meu ouvido
Tá delícia, tá gostoso
Tá, tá, tá
Tá delícia, tá gostoso
É amor é paixão
É você a dona do meu coração
It's delicious, It's tasty
As an adolescent
Cupid shot me
I feel in love because of your kiss
Without you I'm nothing
Come to save me mouth to mouth
I'm dying of love
Come make beautiful love
Come to please me
You are a bitch in heat
Let go and make your man relax
When you tell me in my ears
It's delicious, it's tasty
It is, it is, it is
It's delicious, it's tasty
It is love, it is passion
It is you the owner of my heart
Devagar, Devagarinho
Eraldo Divagar
É devagar, é devagar
É devagar, é devagar, devagarinho
Devagarinho
É que a gente chega lá
Se você não acredita
Você pode tropeçar
E tropeçando
O seu dedo se arrebenta
Com certeza não se agüenta
E vai xingar
É devagar, é devagar
É devagar, é devagar, devagarinho
Eu conheci um cara
Que queria o mundo abarcar
Mas de repente
Deu com a cara no asfalto
Se virou, olhou pro alto
Com vontade de chorar
É devagar, é devagar
É devagar, é devagar, devagarinho
Sempre me deram a fama
De ser muito devagar
E desse jeito
Vou driblando os espinhos
Vou seguindo o meu caminho
Sei aonde vou chegar
Slow, Very slow
Slow, slow
Slow, slow, very slow
Very slowly, we get there
If you don't believe that
You will trip
And tripping
You'll stub your toe
And surely you won't put up with that
And you're going to swear
Slow, slow
Slow, slow, very slow
I met a guy
Who wanted to do everything in the world
But suddenly
He fell on his face
He turned, eyes to the heights
And felt like crying
Slow, slow
Slow, slow, very slow
I was always known
As being very slow
And in this way
I hurdled life's thorns
I'm following my own path
I know where I'm going
Recommended Discography
Release dates have been omitted as the conversion from LP to CD modified the issue dates.
Label......................Title
Sony .......................Tá Delícia, Tá Gostoso
Columbia................ Ao Rio de Janeiro
BMG...................... Casa de Bamba
Columbia................ Samba do Trabalhador
Sony....................... Vai, Meu Samba, Vai
BMG ......................O Carnaval de Beth Carvalho e Martinho da Vila
Sony .......................O Canto das Lavadeiras
Sony .......................Festa da Raça Brasileira
RCA...................... Coração Malandro
BrazilOid ................Batuqueiro
RCA...................... Canta, Canta, Minha Gente
BMG .....................Acervo Especial
BMG..................... Acervo Especial 2
BMG..................... Série Aplauso
Sony...................... Martinho da Vila
BMG..................... Tendinha
BMG..................... Samba de Enredo
Tropical Music........Meu Samba Feliz
Bruce Gilman plays cuíca for Mocidade Independente Los Angeles, received his MA from California Institute of the Arts, and teaches English and ESL in Long Beach, California. You can reach him through his E-mail: cuíca@interworld.net
