Today, we are going to Brazil and listen to Irish songs. I can imagine that ‘buffering data’ from old computer look from your face. How is that possible? Teleportation is not yet in the market. So how?! Well it’s easy. Just close your eyes and listen to this album. I am sure you will float too. And I can imagine that ‘buffering look’ suddenly transformed into something else. But whither you are going to throw irony this way, we can’t deny the fact that Celtic and Brazilian fusion is amazing!
I just love this guy’s music. It sounds so refreshing. It’s like letting someone wear a different pair of shoes for the occasion. So fans of Gilberto, Jobim, Nascimento and Mendes will appreciate this one. Canções De São Patrício (Saint Patrick’s Songs) is a new release from independent digital label Progshine Records.
Rafael Senra is a name you should put in your memory because I think his music deserves a lot of exposure. He is a musician, writer and cartoonist. On August 2017 he released his first album called Canções De São Patrício (Saint Patrick’s Songs). On this record Rafael took famous Celtic songs and made Portuguese versions for them. Something that, up to now, was unheard of.
There is a great deal of rich,melodic and rhythmic music in Brazil. This undeniably inspired Galician composer/piper Carlos Nunez to compose Alborada do Brazil released 2009 under Sony Music. This kind of musical direction is very much welcomed since I am also a big fan of Brazilian music especially of Juan Carlos Jubim. As we might be aware of, Celtic music is also making a wave in this country especially the harp revival movement. I gathered this a few months ago when I met a Brazilian blogger and musician who opened my eyes to this knowledge.
The album has 13 tracks of tango,samba and bossa music that you can simply crank anywhere. It is artfully crafted making it both an attraction to lovers of urban,jazz and even hip hop.There is also a great deal of natural sounds. The first track Alborada De Rosalia is a mix of funky loops and samples with Brazilian rapping around a supple, slick female vocals singing in native tongue. A few years ago there’s this trip hop band called Smoke City and this track reminds me of the band’s music.
Vou Vivendo is typically Nunez in his flute accompanied by a bossa beat. Play it in your car while driving on the beach or just simply stretch on your easy chair and watch as summer moves to greet the flowers and butterflies outside.
Alvorada De Cartola’s drum beats and a spoken word create a great intro to this piece that sounds like the Trios Los Panchos had just had a round of Guinness with Carolan in Galician fields. The male vocals capture the easy lifestyle and if you listen closely you can hear other sounds of people in marketplace. The only problem is that this is a short song around 2:23.
Nau Bretoa has a nice flute fused with the maritime flavor of Britany. Here we can here Carlos Playing his Galician pipe known as the gaita over other instruments. This one makes me get up and do some step dancing. Halfway we hear a male chorus chanting . This is how haunting music meets the carnival.
Gaita is sung in a way that Astrud Gilberto would. It has a kind fo feeling that you get when you wake up in a sunny morning ,open your window and see this view of an ocean stretch in front of you . The elegant piano line is soothing.
Xotes Universitarios sounds like it has been talking out of a 60’s movie playing samba. There are dialogues sampled …perhaps students discussing about music with a professor.
Coracao Brasileiro is acoustic guitar driven with fiddle, keyboard instruments and flute around that silky female vocals. Gentle drums finish this off with a high note from Carlos.
In Y-Brazil we are once again greeted by the distinctive and festive playing of Nunez which I first discovered in his Galician Carol released by Windham Hill a few years ago. There is again the presence of the Galician pipes in the foot- tapping tempo.
Ponta De Areia has this mournful feel of the Irish countryside with all pipes congregating .The harp adds a dream feel to this beautiful piece.
In Padaria Electrica Da Barra Carlos treats us to a powerful fusion of traditional and pop . The collage of electronic drum loops , sampled sounds, and male vocals make this song a candidate for top 40 music.There is this part in the chorus that chants ‘Galicia, Glalicia’… And I know how enthusiastic it can get!
Maxie De Ferro is a piece that could have been played in a movie like Casablanca. The piano in this track is simply exquisite.The syncopated snare drums, wood winds and happy tempo just take the blues of a long day away.
Feira De Mangaio is a sad melody riding in a happy tempo. This reminds me of being along in a windswept sunny countryside. Bosa and Celtic music has never been this good. Great saxophone and Spanish guitar too.
The last track Assum Preto, Asa Branca another mournful tune embellished with gossamer guitar ,accordion and a melody that cries for aother glass of wine.
Though this album is a fusion between two musical cultures Carloz Nunez has a style that is so distinctive that even if he plays heavy metal or rap, you’ll still know it’s him. This is a perfect soundtrack for spring and summer ….and life is a beach.
Celtic Music Fan 