Marcel
Camargo has made his living as a professional musician in different locations
all over the world, working as a sideman to legendary Brazilian, jazz, and pop
musicians such as Michael Bublé, Sérgio Mendes, Bebel Gilberto, and Gretchen
Parlato. Stepping into the spotlight as a leader with The Brazil You Never
Heard, Camargo has created a project to showcase his many musical facets -
guitarist, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer.
The São
Paulo musician set out to produce an ongoing series of live concerts with
companion studio records that feature his arrangements and compositions in the
context of a chamber orchestra. While the focus is on Brazilian music, the
repertoire embraces music from all over the world, illustrating how Brazil is
both influenced by and influential to the international music scene.
Behind
Jobim, the first in the series of EPs, aims to take an abridged look into the
mind of Antônio Carlos Jobim, arguably Brazil's most internationally renowned
composer/songwriter. "When I put together the repertoire, I designed it to
mostly feature music that I knew was influential to Jobim," says Camargo.
"When I did include his compositions in the set, the idea was to tie those
to other pieces by composers that were his heroes." The result is a
historical narrative, pointing back to Jobim's favorite classical composers -
Debussy, Chopin and Villa Lobos - as well as his predecessors in the legacy of
great Brazilian composers - Pixinguinha, Garoto and Radamés Gnattali.
When it
came to recording the album, producing duties were split between drummer Leo
Costa and Camargo. "For this EP, we chose to record pieces from the Behind
Jobim concert that we felt made the biggest statements about what we wanted to
accomplish musically and in terms of creating narratives," reflects
Camargo. Those narratives are reinforced by the presence of vocalist Gretchen
Parlato, who is no stranger to collaborations with Camargo. "Marcel
Camargo is one of my favorite musicians, I love singing with him. He
beautifully honors the classic sound we all adore in Brazilian music, but also
allows his own voice to shine through...he's doing something very special and
necessary with this project," says Parlato.
The
first historical connection is presented on "Lamentos do Morro,"
which Camargo imagined had a strong connection to Jobim's "Samba do
Avião." The composition was re-orchestrated from a solo guitar arrangement
by Brazilian guitarist Garoto to bring it closer to the hearts of non-guitar
players. "I know Jobim loved Garoto as well and thought perhaps the song
might have been of special importance to Jobim," reflects Camargo.
On
"Lamento," Camargo incorporates a modern take on the Choro written by
one of the genre's most influential composers, Pixinguinha. Originally released
in 1928, the tune was described by critic Cruz Cordero as an Americanization of
the typical Brazilian style in both melody and rhythm. "We loved this
piece and we think Jobim loved it too," states Camargo. "I thought
I'd twist this Choro even further with some different harmonies and rhythms
that, while still referencing the older style, make the tune seem modern."
Vocalist
Gretchen Parlato is featured on three of the album's five songs. On "I
Fall in Love Too Easily," Parlato sings a duet with Camargo on guitar in
an intimate setting. "We thought this was a nice contrast to the other
tunes because of the sparse instrumentation and the improvised interpretation
of the composition, whereas the other pieces on this record are very planned
out and arranged," notes Camargo.
"Prelude/How
Insensitive" brings the classical connection to the forefront by using
Chopin's "Prelude No. 4 in E minor (Opus 28)" as an introduction. It
is transcribed for a string quartet and made to resolve into the arrangement of
Jobim's "How Insensitive," which also features Parlato.
Behind
Jobim concludes with "Imagina," reinforcing the inspiration of Jobim
and his ever-evolving connection to classical music. The song is said to have
been Jobim's first composition from 1947, originally as a homework assignment
from his teacher written for solo piano. Although the string quartet is the
main sonic force, the harp and celeste are brought in to emphasize the dreamy
quality of the arrangement enforced by vocals from Parlato and Camargo.
"A
big part of the success of the series lies in the caliber and uniqueness of the
groups that I've been lucky to assemble to present the material," says
Camargo. Often including string and horn sections with a core rhythm section as
well as the harp and mandolin, these large chamber groups have the capability
of bringing all the details of a given piece to life while opening the listener
to musical moments that might have otherwise passed by unnoticed.
Since
the music of Jobim draws from many sources - mainly classical music, Brazilian
popular and folk music, and jazz - Camargo creates a set that is very eclectic,
yet conceptually cohesive.
Born and
raised in São Paulo, Brazil to a "musical extended family," Camargo
learned to play guitar, percussion and sing with his uncle. At 16, he moved to
the United States where he later earned his degree in Ethnomusicology from UCLA
while studying under some of jazz' most significant musicians - Kenny Burrell,
Billy Higgins, Harold Land, Gerald and Anthony Wilson as well as studying traditional
Ghanaian music under master drummer Kobla Ladzekpo. His interests in school
were varied but he was particularly attracted to folk music from different
parts of the world. Taking full advantage of being in the United States,
Camargo focused his studies on America's great folk idiom, jazz.
Currently
residing in Los Angeles, working both as a sideman and leading his own group,
his main gig has been playing guitar and singing back-up vocals for
international pop star Michael Bublé. His other side work has been diverse,
ranging from working with Sérgio Mendes, Bebel Gilberto, Tom Harrell and
Gretchen Parlato - to performing with R&B/Hip-Hop icons such as Seu Jorge,
Flying Lotus, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch as well as touring and recording
with artists like Macy Gray, Quadron, and Missy Higgins.
As an
educator, Camargo has lectured on a variety of musical subjects while teaching
at institutions such as the California State University Northridge, Shepherd
University, the Larchmont Music Academy in New York, the French-American Lyceum
Kennedy, and the South Pasadena Music Conservatory in California.
Marcel
Camargo and The Brazil You Never Heard Behind
Jobim is due for release on July 15, 2014.
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