Back from Brazil Part I: Sivuca

While travelling through Brazil last january & february, I was visiting São Luís, (capital of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil), and could’t resist to do some digging on the local markets (found an original copy of Mandrill’s 1973's Composite Truth for 1 euro!). Opposite the market was a small recordstore called Adriano’s. It was actually closed, but the neighbour called the owner, who luckily arrived within 10 minutes. Actually he didn’t have too much interesting records, but when I saw this cover, I took a few seconds to study this record. There were references on the back by Harry Belafonte and Oscar Brown Jr, but Bill Wither’s Ain’t No Sunshine really convinced me to buy it. Later that week I learned that this guy, who looked like a yodeling native of the Swiss Alpes, did the arrangement of the Miriam Makeba classic Pata Pata. The self-produced album, on Vanguard (1974), mixes Folk with Bossanova and Latin Jazz, contains 10 tracks and includes his self-penned classic Adeus Maria Fulo. Apart from some other pretty decent tunes, it also has a nice version of Antonio Carlos e Jocafi’s Voce Abouso. But the killer track is definitely Ain’t No Sunshine: hitting of with funky female bossanova voices reminding of Sergio Mendes’ version of Mas que Nada, then changing into a funky jazzfrenzy with the screaming CUICA riding the riddim, stretching the tune to 4:46. listen to the sample! (on allmusic.com).

Sivuca was born in the state of Paraíba, Brazil in 1930, moved to Recife and Rio de Janeiro and later Lisbon, Paris, New York and Scandinavia. He plays accordion (which even impressed Miles Davis), guitar, keyboard and percussion, sings and even skats. He died of cancer on December 14, 2006.

Tracklist: Adeus Maria Fulo, Tunnel, Amor Verdadeiro, Ponteio, Arrasta Pé, Voce Abouso, Inquietacao, Ain’t no Sunshine, Lament of Berimbau, Rosa Na Favela.
more info:
Sivuca @ his homepage

Sivuca @ All Music Guide

Sivuca @ All Brazilian Music