Original
[CD]
14 original guitar solos
Also available via download or stream at cdbaby or your favorite site
Marco's impeccable technique and feel bring each composition alive, Having only performed these works with a rhythm section, this recording of solo renditions of these works has imparted an incredibly powerful feel and groove to each of the many styles of Brazilian music found on this disc, including: street samba, baiao (utilizing slap bass techniques), maracatu and frevo, a dream-like version of seresta, the forro and, of course, the choro.
Of special note is the sound quality of the recording achieved by the engineer, Dean Kamei, founder and head honcho at Guitar Solo Publications, their relationship having begun over a decade ago with this disc acting as their first attempt at capturing the diverse and vital sounds of Brazil. The guitar sound is warm and inviting, giving this North American guitarist a sense (and longing) of the exotic and vital musical world that is encompassed in the land of Carnival. John Martin, Guitart Magazine
...a startling clean technique combined with a 'looseness' rarely found outside jazz and funk circles. If you think the Assad Brothers are amazing then Marco Pereira will most likely make you go 'ooh' just like when you first heard the synchronized conflagrations of the world's number one duo. Another GSP triumph; highly recommended. Tim Panting, Classical Guitar Magazine
Some players make you smile when you hear them play because you know inside they bring forth a rare gift through their interpretations, arrangements, and compositions that others may never finda certain poetry exists. Mr. Pereira will keep you smiling throughout the 44 minutes included on his recent recording for GSP Records. Pereira composes music that sounds incredibly improvisationary at times but always the work of a stunning virtuoso talent. Marco's music contains captivating melodic material with rhythmic variety allowing the listener to bask in the glorious sounds that flow naturally from his nylon-string guitar. I can't imagine my collection without this CD! Fred Gillett, Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine
Marco Pereira's first recording of entirely self-penned solo pieces is a revelation, the kind of album that makes you reconsider the stifling expectations sometimes associated with the "classical" guitar, perhaps the most glorious of all six-strings. Rooted in such a strong cultural tradition, the tunes sometimes sound familiar, yet Pereira avoids the cliches that players often fall back on. ...the harmonic depth and rhythmic grooves of such pieces as Tio Boros and Bate-coxa will have fellow guitarists shaking their heads in amazement. Teja Gerken, Acoustic Guitar Magazine
...a collection of lively and moving celebrations which vicariously afford a peek into several windows of Brasilian mood. ...Pereira breathes life into these pieces, magically animating musical notes rendered on solo guitar into flamboyant Rio street scenes. Pereira plays with the lightning-fast precision of a studied classical player, but exhorts his own unique voice with some striking stylistic nuances. I can tell you that Marco Pereira's Original is fantastic. Alan Fark, Minor 7th
This recording not only was musically exhilarating, it also provided a virtual cultural tour of Brazil, all courtesy of Marco Pereira, who took care of all the technical details to leave the listener to just enjoy and dream away. This CD deserves kudos not only for the wonderful music but also for the masterful programming of the pieces. Raul Jose, Guitarreando Newsletter/ACGS
"...Pereira is a guitarist who possesses extraordinary facility. In fact, there doesn't seem to be anything he is incapable of. I was continually impressed with his musicality and range while listening to this recording." James Reid, Soundboard Magazine
Album Notes
I met Dean Kamei in 1989 in Rio. We had lunch at Manolo’s Restaurant in Botafogo—specializing in seafood dishes. I remember I gorged myself that day on an octopus done “Spanish style”, with great wine, and Dean’s delightful conversation. At that time, he was just starting his publishing works at GSP. Our conversation was so nice that we soon forgot to talk about the guitar and business, which were the main topics for our meeting. I kept a very fond memory of our encounter, and the feeling that I had met more than a music publisher—I had met a friend. In the years that followed, my professional life took different turns and a long time went by before we talked or saw each other again.
Ten years later, in 1999, with the CD Valsas Brasileiras in hand, I had a strong desire to look for Dean and find out if he would be interested in having this material released by his, by this time, very successful publishing company, Guitar Solo Publications. I was pleasantly surprised—it didn’t feel like ten years had gone by, but ten days. Such was the friendliness and cordiality with which I was welcomed. In no time Valsas Brasileiras was in the GSP catalog, and so were many of my music scores for solo guitar.
This is when Dean proposed the recording of a CD of those compositions. He wanted a CD of guitar solos! The songs I composed for the guitar had a very strong rhythmic component, which leads me to always play them with percussion, bass and drums. Dean’s proposal was tempting, but what would it be like to record without the usual partners? I soon realized it could be quite interesting to have a solo guitar, without the sometimes obvious support of rhythmic instruments. Besides that, the idea really appealed to me because I would have the recordings of the originals, without any accompaniment! The title was drawn from this concept and soon became Original. The pieces I chose for the CD’s repertoire are the ones I consider to be the most significant of my production for solo guitar. There are some older ones, and also some totally unpublished pieces that have never been recorded or even played before.
This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to record a CD with only my compositions, and I am very proud of the result. I hope all of you enjoy this work.
Marco Pereira
Rio de Janeiro, December 22, 2002
Tio Boros
This piece uses rhythmic elements taken from Brazilian “street samba” and baião. This samba is the kind that samba schools play during Carnaval, in the street parades; it is a quickly paced samba that has a strong identity with the popular guitar. Baião is a typical rhythm from Brazil’s northeastern region and it became popular due to Luiz Gonzaga, an accordionist and singer, well known as “the King of Baião”. Tio Boros is a very recent composition. It was written in 2002 and dedicated to the exceptional bass player Bororó, who for many years was part of my instrumental group. Technically, Tio Boros is a piece of much virtuosity, for it requires the guitarist to apply the “slap technique”, which is not normally used in classical guitar. The theme of the first part is developed from a sequence of chords and has a syncopated movement, which is samba’s main characteristic. The bass notes of the chords, with independent articulation, follow a typical design of “partido alto”, another type of samba from Rio.
As I mentioned, the second part of Tio Boros is developed using a rhythmic pattern borrowed from baião, and developed over arpeggios. This effect creates a contrast with the theme of the first part.
In the piece’s middle section, the “slap technique” is used. This technique consists of striking the 6th string with the thumb of the right hand followed by pizzicato alla Bartok, done with the index or middle finger of the right hand. The pizzicato alla Bartok technique consists of pulling the 3rd or 4th string, vertically, so that it strikes against the guitar’s fingerboard, resulting in a percussive slapping sound.
Flor das Águas
This is a Brazilian waltz in one tempo; a quick waltz that pulses only on the first of the three beats which comprise it. It was written in 1989 and was inspired by a piece by Agustin Barrios. It was written all at once, mainly without a rational elaboration. I composed it on the guitar and in a very short period of time it was done. Flor das Aguas has a proper development, always based on the principal motive. Its second part uses the same motif as a starting point and culminates in descending arpeggio combined with the melody in the top of the chord.
Tempo de Futebol
This theme is an ode to the great Brazilian musical themes of the “art soccer”, the times when our soccer champions Garrincha, Pele, Pepe, Gilmar and others amazed the world. It was very common in Brazil in the 50s and 60s for popular musicians, inspired by soccer, to compose joyous and vibrant sambas. Our soccer had never been paid homage to by a solo guitar and that is why I decided to write this piece. The rhythmic counterpoint of the bass in the chorus is its main attraction.
Seu Tonico na Ladeira
The State of Pernambuco is extremely rich in its artistic production, which is profoundly based on folklore. In the spontaneous musical creation that we have in Pernambuco, maracatu and frevo are the two most important rhythms. Frevo is usually played by a frevo group, which is composed of wind instruments and percussion. The frevo group is a traveling group that goes out in the streets, especially in Olinda during Carnaval, “dragging” the people from their homes to the streets for the party. Dancing the frevo requires great physical preparation due to the difficulty of the steps and its speed.
Here we see a version of Pernambuco’s frevo for solo guitar, which is quite rare. All musical compositions based on the frevo rhythm have a great degree of difficulty, due to its fast pace. For the guitar, the adaptation of the frevo rhythm requires a lot of technical knowledge for rhythmic precision.
The main theme of Seu Tonico na Ladeira is a classic frevo in its rhythmic division. Its simple structure of two parts confirms the traditional model that was used by Capiba and other popular composers - the first part in a minor key and the second part in its relative major. The second part gives the frevo a more relaxed pace. In the middle section there is a sequence of arpeggios, rhythmically designed to show the melodic line of the bass chords and the combination of the same notes on different strings.
Nostálgicas
This is a series of five pieces for solo guitar, all of them exploring the nostalgic character of seresta. This is the second piece and it was inspired by the “Gymnopedies’ economy of musical elements” by Eric Satie applied to the “Brazilian style”. It has a taste of the old Brazilian waltzes, which were great hits sung by popular seresta singers such as Silvio Caldas and Francisco Alves, among others.
O Choro de Juliana
Choro for Juliana was written in 1981 and dedicated to my daughter. It was written in a short period of time, one night as I was putting her to sleep. Juliana was a few months old. I started to improvise something on the guitar and then I realized I had composed a very special choro. Its subtlety makes it one of my most played and recorded compositions for the guitar. The form is a simple choro in two parts, without changes in tonality. The harmonic structure may be the main reason for its particular charm. The chords that were used in the construction of this choro are not typical because they can be more identified with certain jazz or bossa nova themes. Its rhythmic construction, which is proper for choro, applied to the harmonic structure, gives this choro its qualities. I first recorded this in 1985 on an LP titled Violão Popular Brasileiro Contemporaneo (Contemporary Brazilian Popular Guitar), my first solo record which is now out of print.
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Sarará
This is a syncopated choro in the three-part traditional format: The first part in a major key, second part centered on the relative minor and the third part returning to the initial key in minor. Its phrasing, with dislocated rhythmic accents is its main characteristic. This phrasing is more frequently used with wind instruments than with the classical guitar. It is a little bit like bebop phrasing. For instance, within a sequence of eight sixteenth notes of a measure in 2/4 time, the even notes are accented, as opposed to the traditional European phrasing where the odd sixteenth notes are accented. This manner of phrasing results in a strong “swing” which transforms the choro’s traditional harmonic and melodic structure, making it more fun and dancing.
Num Pagode em Planaltina
Originally, pagode was a party that brought musicians, singers, and samba lovers together. It used to be a typical event in Rio and the kind of samba played at those parties is what inspired me to write this piece. It was written in 1987 during a period of time when I lived in Brasilia. I was a professor of Guitar and Functional Harmony at the University of Brasilia. This theme is dedicated to the singer and composer João Bosco. In its introduction there is some scat singing, which pays homage to Bosco’s style. The main theme is a samba, where the elements of this rhythm appear. It was in this piece that, for the first time, the slap was used on the classical guitar. There is an interesting story related to this. I used to like the slap technique a lot-it was mostly used by string bassists. I decided to introduce the slap to the classical guitar and started a rhythmic research, experimenting with various techniques to achieve the effect. One of the possibilities I adopted was pulling and releasing the string with the right hand’s middle finger, so that the string strikes the guitar’s fingerboard. The movement had to be very quick between a sequence of chords. Sometimes, as I tried to pinch the string, my nail would hit the guitar, which created a hole in the soundboard! That’s the price one pays sometimes, in trying to create a new technical element. The piece is now complete and well received by both guitarists and audiences.
Estrela da Manhã (Morning Star)
This is a kind of descriptive piece that tries to translate the emotions of the dawn at Brazil’s Central Plateau.
Bate-Coxa
Bate-Coxa is a forro, which consists of the mixture of different northeastern rhythms: baião, coco, and xaxado. The word forro, in its origin meant “popular party”. Its etymology comes from the English “for all”. That means that not only the rich bourgeoisie could attend the party-everyone could go. Forro is a extremely sensual rhythm. The dance involves a couple dancing close together, their legs intertwined, moving against each other.
As a guitar piece, it has a particular technical difficulty in the chorus, where the rhythmic combination between the arpeggio motif and the bass pattern requires a lot of independence of the right hand fingers.
Cantiga
Cantiga is a very simple style of musical composition formed with short melodies of a diatonic character. It comes directly from Brazilian folklore. This piece uses typical melodic elements of the style. The harmonic treatment is different because it re-interprets and transforms the diatonic melody into chromatic, harmonic combinations. This piece is structured in a more or less free form, where the simple melodies follow each other like a sequence of small themes.
Vadiagem
This small piece is part of a group of five pieces named 5 Pop Tunes for Solo Guitar and its first section was written with a Blues harmonic and melodic structure. Such characteristic effects are obtained by minor second intervals (harmonic major and minor thirds) sounding in the campanellas.
The second part suggests a funk rhythm. Its particular rhythmic effect comes from striking the thumb and index fingers over the fourth string. The bass notes of the chords, separated from the strong beat give the piece its funky characteristic. A contrasting “bridge” creates the intersection for the theme’s repetition.
Chama-me!
This piece, whose name is a pun on a Southern Brazilian rhythm called Chamame, was dedicated to my friend and great guitarist Yamandu Costa. It is inspired by the movements of musical styles at the Brazilian frontiers, especially near Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Baião Cansado
This small piece is from a series of small pieces that I wrote for the guitar during the time I lived in France as a classical guitar student. It has a very peculiar and interesting sonority. The bass notes in sttacatto, which presents the same style used by Zabumba in the Northeastern trio, gives the piece its special quality. The theme’s melody, in thirds with a dominant lydian flavor, is a peculiar characteristic of the music in Brazil’s Northeast. The harmonic structure opposed to the principal scale gives the theme a special flavor and creates a subtle sonority. Baião is normally a quick rhythm, good for dancing. In this piece it is presented in a very slow pulse, like a “tired baião”.
studio production and recording direction by Dean Kamei
musical direction and compositions by Marco Pereira
recorded at OTR Studios (Belmont, CA)
recorded in Pro Tools by Dean Kamei
assisted by Robert Arreola and Scott Thompson
recorded on October 8, 9, 10, and 13, 2001
Bate-Coxa, Cantiga and Vadiagem were recorded on October 4 and 5, 2002
mixed at GSP (San Francisco, CA) by Dean Kamei
I dedicate this work to my children Juliana, Fernanda and Leonardo, for being the light of my life. To my wife Marta, for her love!
I thank everyone who, in one way or another, contributed inspiration and incentive for the creation of these pieces. A special thank you to Tiago and Neyde, who always gave me the essential strength and incentive I needed for the development of my musical work.
| Track 1 | Tio Boros |
|---|---|
| Track 2 | Flor das Aguas |
| Track 3 | Tempo de Futebol |
| Track 4 | Seu Tonico na Ladeira |
| Track 5 | Nostalgicas, No. 2 |
| Track 6 | O Choro de Juliana |
| Track 7 | Sarara |
| Track 8 | Num Pagode em Planaltina |
| Track 9 | Estrela da Manha |
| Track 10 | Bate-coxa |
| Track 11 | Cantiga |
| Track 12 | Vadiagem |
| Track 13 | Chama-me! |
| Track 14 | Baião Cansado |
| Featured Product | No |
| Maker/Manufacturer/Artist | PEREIRA, MARCO |
| Availability | Available |
| Description | Album Notes I met Dean Kamei in 1989 in Rio. We had lunch at Manolo’s Restaurant in Botafogo—specializing in seafood dishes. I remember I gorged myself that day on an octopus done “Spanish style”, with great wine, and Dean’s delightful conversation. At that time, he was just starting his publishing works at GSP. Our conversation was so nice that we soon forgot to talk about the guitar and business, which were the main topics for our meeting. I kept a very fond memory of our encounter, and the feeling that I had met more than a music publisher—I had met a friend. In the years that followed, my professional life took different turns and a long time went by before we talked or saw each other again. Ten years later, in 1999, with the CD Valsas Brasileiras in hand, I had a strong desire to look for Dean and find out if he would be interested in having this material released by his, by this time, very successful publishing company, Guitar Solo Publications. I was pleasantly surprised—it didn’t feel like ten years had gone by, but ten days. Such was the friendliness and cordiality with which I was welcomed. In no time Valsas Brasileiras was in the GSP catalog, and so were many of my music scores for solo guitar. This is when Dean proposed the recording of a CD of those compositions. He wanted a CD of guitar solos! The songs I composed for the guitar had a very strong rhythmic component, which leads me to always play them with percussion, bass and drums. Dean’s proposal was tempting, but what would it be like to record without the usual partners? I soon realized it could be quite interesting to have a solo guitar, without the sometimes obvious support of rhythmic instruments. Besides that, the idea really appealed to me because I would have the recordings of the originals, without any accompaniment! The title was drawn from this concept and soon became Original. The pieces I chose for the CD’s repertoire are the ones I consider to be the most significant of my production for solo guitar. There are some older ones, and also some totally unpublished pieces that have never been recorded or even played before. This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to record a CD with only my compositions, and I am very proud of the result. I hope all of you enjoy this work. Marco Pereira
Tio Boros
As I mentioned, the second part of Tio Boros is developed using a rhythmic pattern borrowed from baião, and developed over arpeggios. This effect creates a contrast with the theme of the first part. In the piece’s middle section, the “slap technique” is used. This technique consists of striking the 6th string with the thumb of the right hand followed by pizzicato alla Bartok, done with the index or middle finger of the right hand. The pizzicato alla Bartok technique consists of pulling the 3rd or 4th string, vertically, so that it strikes against the guitar’s fingerboard, resulting in a percussive slapping sound. Flor das Águas
Tempo de Futebol
Seu Tonico na Ladeira
Here we see a version of Pernambuco’s frevo for solo guitar, which is quite rare. All musical compositions based on the frevo rhythm have a great degree of difficulty, due to its fast pace. For the guitar, the adaptation of the frevo rhythm requires a lot of technical knowledge for rhythmic precision. The main theme of Seu Tonico na Ladeira is a classic frevo in its rhythmic division. Its simple structure of two parts confirms the traditional model that was used by Capiba and other popular composers - the first part in a minor key and the second part in its relative major. The second part gives the frevo a more relaxed pace. In the middle section there is a sequence of arpeggios, rhythmically designed to show the melodic line of the bass chords and the combination of the same notes on different strings. Nostálgicas
O Choro de Juliana
Sarará
Num Pagode em Planaltina
Estrela da Manhã (Morning Star)
Bate-Coxa
As a guitar piece, it has a particular technical difficulty in the chorus, where the rhythmic combination between the arpeggio motif and the bass pattern requires a lot of independence of the right hand fingers. Cantiga
Vadiagem
The second part suggests a funk rhythm. Its particular rhythmic effect comes from striking the thumb and index fingers over the fourth string. The bass notes of the chords, separated from the strong beat give the piece its funky characteristic. A contrasting “bridge” creates the intersection for the theme’s repetition. Chama-me!
Baião Cansado
studio production and recording direction by Dean Kamei
recorded at OTR Studios (Belmont, CA)
I dedicate this work to my children Juliana, Fernanda and Leonardo, for being the light of my life. To my wife Marta, for her love! I thank everyone who, in one way or another, contributed inspiration and incentive for the creation of these pieces. A special thank you to Tiago and Neyde, who always gave me the essential strength and incentive I needed for the development of my musical work. |