Creole Rhythm: News

Dear friends,
It is with immense joy and pride that I inform that Ernesto Nazareth is the first composer in the world to have his discography entirely available online. At the website www.ernestonazareth150anos.com.br - discography section ("discografia/gravações") an extensive table is available, which catalogs around 2.500 recordings of Nazareth's compositions made from 1902 to the present, in the whole world.

And to make the catalog richer, 2.043 recordings are available to be listened instantly on stream (downloads are not available). You just have to click on a line, and the player will appear. Then click on the play button.
There we have the first Brazilian 78-RPM recordings ever made, in the first decade of the 20th century by legendary Casa Edison, with the military bands and some of the first choro ensembles, going through Nazareth's own recordings, the explosion of his music in 1914 in the U.S. and Paris, the transition period in the 1940s with American influences, the first anthological LPs from the 1950s with Jacob do Bandolim, Radamés Gnattali e Carolina Cardoso de Menezes, the popular singers, his great re-descovery by the pianists Eudóxia de Barros in 1963 and Arthur Moreira Lima in 1975, which led his works definitely into the concert halls, entering the CD era with espectacular arrengements for the most diverse instrumentations, including symphonic orchestra, in a time which Japaneses, Americans, Frenchs, Norwegians, Uruguayans, Canadians, Icelanders, Brazilians, and many others, record him, showing the long reach of his works.
This is a previously unpublished research which I've been doing for the past 13 years, which shows that Ernesto Nazareth is one of Brazil's most recorded and cherished composers. To see it made available represents a more-than-dream, which was only possible thanks to the extraordinary vision of Instute Moreira Salles, represented by Bia Paes Leme and Paulo Aragão, also coordinators of the website.
Help us spread the word about it.
I wish you all a deep dive into the universe of Nazareth's discography, and that you may always marvel yourselves with the possibilities of his music.
Cheers,--Alexandre Dias

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Hi All!
New CD Release "Mi Encanto" Colombian (and other Latin American) piano played by Sarah Vanegas! Check it out- you won't likely hear this music anywhere else. It's been in the making for 4 years and contains 100% organic music. It also represents a true expression of myself and seems to come from deeper than ever before. Enjoy!

www.pianocolombiano.com

Excerpt from liner notes:

Like a crimson tomato from a summer garden, organic music may not be perfectly shaped or have a waxy shine, but it drips with sun ripened flavor and spirit. Mi Encanto presents further explorations of juicy, fresh and enchanting music of Colombia (and other Latin American countries) following my first album titled "Rumichaca" from 2007. This music is seldom heard outside of Colombian music circles and music scores can be difficult to find. Some pieces in this album I learned from scores dug up at the Biblioteca Nacional in Bogotá and some I learned from recordings.

A deepened relationship with the bambucos, pasillos, danzas and joropos that fill this album has allowed me to move beyond imitation to experiment with original interpretations and arrangements. The opportunity to play along with Colombian musicians has greatly shaped my approach as well.

Adolfo Mejia's (1905-1973) compositions blend traditional Colombian music with a strong European influence and provides an intriguing contrast to folk melodies. Born on the coast near Cartegena, he gained praise for his composition, performed in the United States and studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.


You can hear samples of the tracks and order a copy at:

www.pianocolombiano.com


Gracias!
Sarah

Sarah Vanegas is bringing a treasury of Colombian piano music to life after recovering the scores from an archive in the country’s capitol of Bogota. The spirited dance music including traditional Pasillos and Bambucos are a unique and alluring glimpse into Colombian culture of the early 20th century.

Vanegas uncovered the piano music while on Christmas vacation visiting her husband’s family in Bogota, Colombia, 2006. Years earlier, she had been enchanted by a Colombian piano recording that she received from a Latin American piano expert, Frank French. There was a mystery surrounding the recording; who was the master pianist, what was this music, when was it written, who wrote it? Vanegas attempted some preliminary internet searches, but found it elusive-- one of the few topics left not easily accessible online. So, while in Colombia, she decided to dig up some answers.

Bogota, a city of 10 million people, can be a daunting place for an American tourist. Yet treading the heels of her husband, who grew up in the city, Vanegas began her search in the public library’s small music room on the first floor. The Vanegas’ were interested in books, articles, tidbits and recordings but mostly names of musicians, personal contacts and the ultimate treasure: sheet music. What ensued was a five day trek across Bogota like ping pong balls from one dusty clue to another until they struck upon a large but ailing collection of sheet music, some long ago out of print, at the high-security National Library.

After being granted a badge to enter the National Library, founded in 1777, Vanegas climbed the stone steps up to the fourth floor accompanied by a guard. Once arriving at el centro de documentacion musical, she continued her search. When she saw the old tissue crinkly paper manuscripts, some with handwritten music scores, she instantly recognized their importance. To her, they were not merely some historical document, but contained life, a voice from the past. It equaled finding some unpublished, works by J.S. Bach or other classical master in a yellowed box. She photocopied those that were allowed to leave the confines of the library. As keepers of their nations historic documents, the library staff is extremely careful about protecting their collection. Unfortunately, much of this music can be found nowhere else in the world, and is literally turning to dust on the shelves.

Vanegas sailed out of the library into the bustling streets of Bogota and did not pry her fingers from the photocopies until safely back at her piano in the U.S.

Luis Antonio Calvo (1882-1945) along with Pedro Morales Pino (1863-1926) and Emilio Murillo (1880-1942) are credited with the creation of popular Colombian piano music. These musical masters gave voice to an intense nationalistic movement in Colombia at the start of the 20th century. Rather than describe events, their music expresses emotion; "Calvo's pieces are not descriptive, they are evocative" (Ellie Anne Duque, Professor of music at the Universidad Nacional in Bogotá). They swell with passion, dance and soul that offers a peek inside the window of Colombian households of the time period. Murillo's Rumichaca seems to particularly embody the uniqueness of this music.

Pasillos and Bambucos are typical forms of Colombian folk music. The bambuco's deep roots are spread throughout many regions and originated from an instrument fashioned from a bamboo tube, apparently introduced by Africans on the northern coast. The pasillo evolved from the European waltz, merging the Colombian melodies with a quick dance tempo perceived more fit for higher society members than the bambuco.

A few notes about the life of Luis Calvo lend perspective to his music. With humble beginnings and little formal training, Calvo was establishing his career and popularity when he was tragically interrupted by a diagnosis of leprosy. He composed many of his more than eighty works for piano from the leper colony, Agua de Dios. A salient feature of his pieces is the pairing of seemingly dissimilar melodies and rhythms. For this reason, the notation alone is often limited in it's ability to translate the true potential of Calvo's creativity. It is in the interpretation that his music comes to life and to that Vanegas credits the recordings of Oriol Rangel (1916-1977), a tremendous Colombian pianist.

The below will take you to a performance video of a hot number based on an etude of Chopin.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=frankfrench