By Manuel Pérez Bella |
Sao Paulo (EFE).- An unpublished album by João Gilberto rescues a recital offered by the Brazilian artist in 1998 that had been considered lost and that allows the father of bossa nova to return to the music scene almost four years after his death.
The album “Relicário: João Gilberto (ao vivo no Sesc 1998)”, available on the main music platforms from this Wednesday, brings together 36 songs, more than two hours of music, taken from a very special concert that took place 25 years ago at the Sesc Vila Mariana theater in Sao Paulo.
The discovery of the original recording was an odyssey for Sesc’s collection coordinator, João Zilio, who launched the project when João Gilberto was still alive.
Zilio, who received EFE at the cultural center where the concert took place, explains that the tape was lost years ago in a move of equipment between Sesc rooms, although those responsible for the institution were certain that it had been preserved.
After several fruitless searches, Zilio began the remastering project using two copies that he had recorded himself during the concert, but they were incomplete and, although it was publishable material, “not ideal”.
But, with some luck, he found the original “in the 45th minute of the second half.”
It was in a stack of boxes that was hidden in a corner of the studio, covered by a tower of players and recorders. He only noticed them when smoke began to come out of one of those recorders, which he was out of order.
The original recording, in addition to being of superior quality, is the most complete version of the concert, and with a duration of more than two hours, “it is the longest record” that has been published by João Gilberto.
All the material was supervised and approved by the artist Bebel Gilberto, daughter of João.
A “very special” concert
Zilio, who was among the audience at the concert in 1998, recalls that it was a “very special” presentation, in which João Gilberto felt “very comfortable”, to the point that in the encores, he asked the attendees to suggest songs and to sing with him.
“His delivery was impressive, he did not stop between the songs to talk. She finished one, she breathed and continued. Every five she took a sip of water. He was a music worker. A guy who really delivers”, says Zilio.
In addition, in that year, Brazil was celebrating the 40th anniversary of bossa nova, a cultural movement that began with the single “Chega de Saudade” from 1958, composed by Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes and interpreted in an unforgettable way by João.
Unpublished songs
Among the themes that make up “Relicário” is an unprecedented one, the samba classic “Rei Sem Coroa” that had never been recorded before by João Gilberto.
“If we consider the importance of João Gilberto in Brazilian music, an unpublished song, never recorded by him, found after 25 years, is a treasure worthy of a locket”, comments Zilio.
It is also the first album on which the song “Violão Amigo” appears, with which he opened the concert, although this cannot be considered unpublished, because there is a previous recording that can be found in a video circulating on the internet.
The list of 36 songs on the album includes bossa nova classics such as “O pato”, “Desafinado” and “Corcovado”, and other works such as the instrumental “Um abraço no Bonfá”, a tribute to guitarist Luiz Bonfá, one of the composers. of the song “Black Orpheus” with Tom Jobim.
Vocalist, guitarist and composer, João Gilberto (1931-2019) was one of the founders of contemporary Brazilian music, and his work had a great influence on bossa nova and jazz.
Throughout his career he recorded thirteen studio albums and four live, to which this new recording is added.
Searches for the lost tape have led Sesc to rescue more than 300 historic concerts by other Brazilian artists recorded on the stages of this cultural institution between 1970 and 1990. Some of them will see the light of day in the “Relicário” series launched by João Gilberto .