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News
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Zabê da Loca and Vó Maria |
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Two
pearls recognized just in time
By Luciano Mattos
Two ladies challenge old-age, life’s misdirections,
the cultural industry, false modernities and survive
making music with personality and vitality. Two
representatives of two pillars of Brazilian music.
On the one hand, Zabé da Loca, a survivor
of the hardship of the backlands whose work exemplifies
northeastern music; with her fife she presents
some of the most traditional rhythms of the poorest
and richest region of the country. On the other
hand, a symbol of samba, the rhythm considered
to be Brazil’s trademark. Vó Maria
carries rhythm in her veins, and is the owner
of a remarkable voice that frequently offers re-interpretations
of some of the greatest composers of the genre.
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Zebé da Loca’s lifestory seems like
yet another legendary story from Brazil’s
backlands. While dealing with all the hardships
inherent in the region, and pregnant with a child
whose father was absent, she set up a home inside
a cave (giving rise to the nickname da loca, or
“of the grotto”) near the Tungão
mountain range in the state of Paraíba,
where she lived for 25 years with children and
grandchildren. Originally from Buíque,
in Pernambuco, it was in the grotto where she
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learned
and taught the secrets of the fife, a typical instrument
in the region. Her first contact with music occurred when
she was seven, with her brother “Aristido”.
Born on January 12, 1924, Ms. Izabel Marques da Silva
has dedicated over seven decades of her life to music,
but it was only in 2003 that she was discovered, at the
age of 79. Since then, she has presented her music throughout
Brazil and in Europe.
At the age of 81 and with an album under her belt, Zabé
da Loca has become a living institution, a patrimony of
northeastern culture. Like many in the backlands, she
survived the obstacles of hunger, thirst, draughts and
many unmet necessities. With her wrinkled face, lively
blue eyes, thin frame of one meter and a half, she plays
her music that includes songs from the regional folkloric
tradition, colleagues’ songs, and those of geniuses
such as Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira. A fife player
(a type of flute made of bamboo), Zabé sings and
plays alongside the band that she heads. The band is composed
of friends from the Santa Catarina settlement, from Cariris
Velhos da Paraíba: Beiçola, playing the
fife, Setenta, playing the snare drum, Master Livino,
playing the cymbals, and Pinto, on the bass drums. In
2003, at their settlement, the group recorded an album
produced by the Violado Quintet. It’s a repertoire
of this work that they showcase live, including pieces
such as ''Madrinha espera por eu'', ''Violeta'', ''Fulô
do mamoeiro'', ''Balão'', ''Andorinha'', ''Araçá
cadê mamãe'', “A Briga do Cachorro
com a Onça”, “Pifada na loca”,
“Alvorada de Todos os Santos”, “Meu
Loro Dê Cá o Pé”, along with
the famous classics ''Asa Branca'' e ''Juazeiro'' e
“Bendito São José”, which
she sings without musical accompaniment.
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The grandmother
of samba
The widow of sambista Donga (known for the first
recording of the samba “Pelo Telefone”),
Vó Maria for 15 years interacted with the
world of samba, hosting at her home true legends
of the genre. Pixinguinha, João da Baiana,
Martinho da Vila, Clara Nunes, João Nogueira,
Xangô da Mangueira, Aniceto, Jorginho Peçanha,
Walter Rosa, and many others were part of samba
circles at her home. It was during one such circle,
the Segunda dá Samba, organized by Zilmar
Basílio, that at the age of 89, Vó
Maria confronted her destiny and sang. She sang
and delighted everyone. After that she became
an enduring presence at the MIS samba circles.
Born on May 5, 1911, Ms. Maria das Flores Santos
married twice before marrying Donga. It was destiny
pulling her towards samba.
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It was only at the beginning of 2003, at the age of
92, that she recorded her first CD, “Maxixe não
é Samba”. The disk includes some
samba classics, such as “Pelo Telefone”,
“Com que Roupa?” (by Noel Rosa), “Jura”
(Sinhô), in addition to songs by Wilson Moreira
and Nei Lopes, Heitor dos Prazeres, Pixinguinha, among
others. The disk included special participation by heavyweights
such as Nelson Sargento, Beth Carvalho and Martinho
da Vila, in addition to all of the sambista’s
gradchildren that participated in the chorus.
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