Cametá,
a historical little Amazonian town on the shores of the river Tocantins, is the
birthplace of the scorching music known as “Siriá”; a cross pollination between
the music of the inhabitants of the quilombos, a Brazilian hinterland
settlement founded by escaped slaves of African origins, and the indigenous
people of the Amazon rainforest. It is a breathing, pulsing, emphatic beat, and
the modernised version of this local music, created by Mestre Cupijó, has been
igniting street parties and traditional festivals across the state of Pará in
Northern Brazil for decades. And at last in 2014, the combustible sound of
Siriá will be celebrated internationally as the feverish, tropical sound of the
summer!
Foretelling
his talent to flow between cultures, Cupijó was named after a local river when
he was born in 1936, into a family of musicians. His father, Mestre (Master)
Vicente Castro, was also known as Mestre Sicudera, the musical director of
Centennial Euterpe, one of Brazil’s oldest bands, founded in 1874. At 12,
Cupijó started to play the clarinet. He also became proficient at the piano,
mandolin and guitar, although the instrument that came to personify his sound
was the alto saxophone. Waltz, bolero, cha cha cha and an assortment of dance
hall music became part of Cupijó’s repertoire, but it was Carimbó and Siriá,
the music played by the black communities of Pará, that had the strongest
impact on the young musician.
To grasp
the soul of this music, Cupijó went to its source and lived with the
quilombolas (maroon) community of the Amazon. Upon his return, enriched by this
life-changing experience, he founded the band “Jazz Orquestra os Azes do Ritmo”
with the goal of reinventing Siriá and modernising Samba de Cacete, Banguê and
other folkloric music of the state of Pará. Airwaves from the Caribbean and
Latin America had also brought the cumbia sound of the mighty Colombian
orchestras, Merengue from the Dominican republic and Cuban music to the Amazon,
all of which had an impact on the music of Northern Brazil, Mambo especially!
Mestre Cupijó took these influences and mixed them in with the ingredients he
had studied in the Quilombos. That fusion – as we are witnessing on this record
– had explosive effects.
His
fresh new sound became the soundtrack to Cametá’s legendary Carnival and soon
his troupe were invited to other festivals along the river. Transportation to
these concerts was via small boats, where three or four musicians would share a
vessel with their instruments tucked between their legs. In those days there
were no posters or radio adverts to promote the shows in any way, yet Cupijó’s
shows became notorious. In an interview one of his band members explains:
“Whenever there was a party – on a Saturday for example – and it was known that
Mestre Cupijó would play, the news would spread incredibly fast, just by word
of mouth. We didn’t understand how that was possible, but it certainly was
amazing.”
After
the initial wave of enthusiasm, the first two LPs were recorded with
rudimentary equipment in a dance club in Cametá. However, it was the third
attempt, recorded in a studio in Belém, which would trigger a phenomenal
success. “Caboclinha Do Igapo” and “Mambo do Martela”, included on this record,
became instant hits. A year later, “Mingau de Açai”, one of Cupijo´s most
popular tunes, took the region by storm. In total six LPs were recorded by
Mestre Cupijó.
He then
created “Concurso de Musicas Carnavalesco de Compositores Cametaenses”, a
contest for carnival music composers. The songs composed expressly for these
contests in the 70s are still performed today during carnival season. In
addition to evolving the Pará music culture in this way, he also owned a
makeshift soundsystem, “Musicolor”, to spin the discs of local artists before
his own shows to the frenzied crowds. Mestre Cupijó proved himself a
philanthropist as well as a conductor for the people’s music, and acted as a
provisional lawyer for the city of Cametá, specialising in help for the poor.
He also had a short spell in politics and was elected by a vast majority to the
station of Municipal Councillor of Cametá.
Master
Cupjó, the pillar of Pará’s festive culture, and a humble pop icon who was
ushered prominently into the country’s history books, passed away on 25
September 2012, at the age of 76.
We at
Analog Africa are ferociously proud and honoured to have the chance to present
these carefully selected tracks from Mestre Cupijó’s six studio albums. We hope
that his music captivates you with the magic and bewilderment that is has us.
We recognise his compositions as true anthems of life and vitality, vibrantly encouraging
all to drink and dance until sunrise! Let go of your inhibitions and immerse
yourself in the wonderful world of Mestre Cupijó … Segura!!!
analogafrica.blogspot.com
Tracklisting:
01.
Mingau de Açai
02.
Mambo Do Martelo
03.
Caboclinha Do Igapo
04.
Tubarao Branco
05.
Morena Do Rio Mutuacá
06. Papa
Chibe
07.
Farol Do Marajó
08. Cadé
O Anel
09.
Ventinho Do Norte
10.
Siriá Quente
11. Eu
Quero O Meu Anel
12.
Perereca
13. Pra
Dança Meu Siriá
14.
Passarinho Siriri
The
album Mestre Cupijo e Seu Ritmo “Siria” (Analog Africa) is going to be released
April 25, 2014.
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