ANTONIO ADOLFO

CARNAVAL – THE SONGS WERE SO BEAUTIFUL

AAM Music

Antonio Adolfo, piano; Jorge Helder, bass; Lula Galvao, guitar; Rafael Barata, drums/percussion; Jesse Sadoc, trumpet/flugelhorn; Idriss Boudria, alto saxophone; Marcelo Martins, tenor saxophone/flute; Rafael Roche, trombone; Andre Siqueira, percussion.

The “Golden Age” of Carnaval songs corresponds to the period between the beginning of the last century, mainly between the 1920s and the 1950s.  Many were exposed through musical competitions in Brazil where the festivities are super popular.  As such, some of those songs became great classics of Brazilian music.  Antonio Adolfo has chosen several of these ‘Carnaval’ compositions to feature on his recent album release.

“Since I was very young, I have been passionate about the Carnaval Songs, mainly with typical rhythms like marchinhas, Marchas-rancho, sambas, and frevos. I often went with my family to see the Carnaval groups called ‘Blocos’ celebrating in the streets, or to the children’s dance parties in the clubs during the 1950s.  In addition to having fun with the festivities, the masks and costumes, confetti and streamers, I was fascinated when I listened to the bands playing and the people singing those beautiful songs,” Antonio Adolfo explained in his liner notes.

He opens this album with “É Com Esse Que Eu Vou” (translates to I’m Going With This One).  It’s a lively number with Adolfo’s piano introducing the pretty melody.   The percussion drives the piece. When the horns enter, on the second chorus, they bring harmony and life to the arrangement. A tune called “Oba (O Bago da Onca) that means ‘Breath of the Jaguar’ is another energy-driven arrangement with the trumpet of Jesse Sadoc prominent and exciting.  There is a wonderful guitar solo by Lula Galvão, followed by saxophone solos, brief but mighty. Then, Rafael Rocha’s memorable trombone solo takes stage center.

However, one of my favorites is the ballad, “Mal-Me-Quer” (that translates to “She Loves Me, She Loves me Not”), written by Newton Teixeira and Cristovao de Alencar.  Antonio Adolfo’s tentative, but emotional piano introduction immediately grabs my attention.  The use of the bass drum and rich percussions is quite dramatic in this arrangement as it meanders along.

“Carnival characters are central to the festivities. They give rise to the costumes worn at the festivities, bringing cultural and historical narratives to life.  Not all the characters are happy. For example, Pierrot is the poorest of the servants and wears clothes made of flour sacks.  He is always suffering because of his love for Colombina, another character. So, some of the songs have a sort of tristesse, which makes theme even more beautiful,” Adolfo says.

Then I am up and dancing across my listening room to “Vai Passar” that simply means, “It’s Going to be Ok.”  This is another favorite of mine, with an outstanding saxophone solo that puts the “J” in jazz. I enjoyed Marcelo Martins’ flute solo on “As Pastorinhas.” It quickly becomes another song favorite of mine.

Here is a lovely album celebrating the culture and music popularized at ‘Carnaval’ in Brazil.  It’s both entertaining and historically important music.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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