Mart’nália: The Art of Love and Beauty in Music

Mart’nália Canta Vinicius de Moraes

Mart’nália sings in a voice like seda crua cara – expensive raw silk – and she makes the words of Vinicius de Moraes songs wrap around your entire body before they pierce your heart. Clearly the songs speak to her in secret and in turn she whispers their seduction back at you. Canta Vinicius de Moraes puts Mart’nália in a rarefied realm among elite Brasilian musicians. As a vocal musician she reveals herself as an artist of the first order broadening out from the samba repertoire for which she is best known. Her voice is gorgeous: lustrous, precise and feather-light. Her musicianship is fierce as she digs into each word, brings ceaseless variety to soft dynamics and gives every phrase a special grace.

On this recording she sets the music aflame with the incomparable Arthur Maia leading a group of celebrated musicians that include Celso Fonseca on violão and guitar, Toquinho on violão and vocals on “Tarde em Itapoã”, Paulo Braga on drums, and Humberto Mirabelli on percussion as well as Jorjão Barreto on violão and guitar. The album also includes the sylphlike and beguiling French vocalist Carla Bruni, who duets with Mart’nália on “Insensatez”. Mr Maia who provides spacious co-arrangements has pulled off a production miracle [before his tragic demise] in the layered and textured sound, and each musician brings deeply interiorised readings to the music of the legendary Vinicius de Moraes, while Márcia Alvarez helped produce this wonderful album.

The songs on this album have been selected from Vinicius’ oceanic poetry and songs. It features beautifully crafted arrangements of beguiling variety and sensuousness, in every phrase lovingly caressed phrase by Mart’nália. These magical interpretations of Vinicus’ songs have raised the bar on the most cherished music of Brasil. Mart’nália’s chosen material focuses on Vinicius’ most iconic works such as “Deixa” and “Insensatez”. Listening to the way in which she seductively bends the notes of the former song and how she sculpts the sustained inventions of “Tarde em Itapoã”, it’s clear that there’s not a semiquaver that hasn’t been fastidiously considered. The result is that the black dots of music fly off the page and swirl in the air in the room before finding their way to your heart.

Clearly every musician – especially Arthur Maia, who delivers a hugely powerful performance on what was to become his swansong – is completely attuned to Mart’nália’s vision and artistry. Make no mistake Mart’nália is clearly an artist to reckon with well beyond the arena of Brasil’s ubiquitous samba.

This album is a 20th Latin Grammy Awards Winner for Best Samba/Pagode Album

Video credits: Directed by: Jodele Larcher; Screenplay and co-direction: Márcia Alvarez; Director of photography: Bernardo Scotti; Assistant cameraman: Peter Estácio; Lighting: Miro Light; Assistant to the director: Kelly Toledano; Production executive: Lucilia Coelho; Dancers: Kadu Vieira and Dandara Ventapane; Set design: Vini Fabretti; Editing: Diego Gonzalez and Rafael Baptista; With gratitude to Circo Voador.

Track list – 1: Intro to Samba da Benção; 2: A Tonga da Mironga do Kabuletê; 3: Deixa; 4: Um Pouco mais de Consideração; 5: Minha Namorada; 6: Eu Sei Que Vou te Amar; 7: Sabe Você; 8: Onde Anda Você; 9: Você e eu; 10: Insensatez; 11: Tarde em Itapoã; 12: Maria vai com as Outras; 13: Canto de Ossanha; 14: Finale to Samba da Benção

Personnel – 1: Vinicius de Moraes: spoken word; Mart’nália: text and spoken word; 2: Mart’nália: voice and vocal; Arthur Maia: bass, vocal, arrangements and musical production; Fernando Caneca: violões, guitar and arrangements; Paulo Braga: drums; Macaco Branco: pandeiro, tamborim, congas and effects; Analimar Ventapane, Marcello Ferreira and Raoni Ventapane: background vocals; 3: Mart’nália: vocals and pandeiro; Celso Fonseca: violão, guitar, arrangements and production; Jorjão Barreto: keyboards; Alexandre Cavallo: bass; Flavinho Santos: drums; 4: Mart’nália: vocals, reco do trambique, pandeiro and tamborim; Celso Fonseca: violão, guitar, vocals, arrangements and production; Jorjão Barreto: keyboards, vocals and arrangements; Alexandre Cavallo: bass; 5: Mart’nália: vocals; Celso Fonseca: violão, guitar, triangle, batuque no violão, arrangements and production; Jorjão Barreto: keyboards and vocals; Alexandre Cavallo: bass; Flavinho Santos: drums; 6: Mart’nália: vocals and effects; Arthur Maia: contrabass and electric bass, arrangements and production; Renato Neto: grand piano, keyboards and arrangements; Celso Fonseca: guitars; Di Stefanno: drums; 7: Mart’nália: vocals and afoxé; Celso Fonseca: guitar, arrangements and production; Alexandre Cavallo: bass; Jorjão Barreto; grand piano and keyboards; Flavinho Santos: drums; 8: Mart’nália: vocals and pandeiro; Arthur Maia: baixolão, arrangements and production; Humberto Mirabelli: violão, guitar and arrangements; Milton Guedes: gaita; Paulo Braga: drums; André Siqueira: bongõ, shakere and reco; 9: Mart’nália: voice, vocal and bucket; Celso Fonseca: violão, guitar, vocal arrangements and production; Alexandre Cavallo: bass; Jorjão Barreto: keyboards and vocal; Flavinho Santos: drums; 10: Mart’nália: vocals; Celso Fonseca: violão, arrangements and production; Alexandre Cavallo: contrabass; Jorjão Barreto: grand piano; Marcelo Costa: chapa com vassourinha, xequeré and woodblocks; Carla Bruni: French vocals; 11: Mart’nália: spoken voice and vocals; Toquinho: vocals and violão; Arthur Maia: bass, grand piano and vocals, arrangements and production; Celso Fonseca: violão; André Siqueira: effects, cuica, tantan, caixa, garrafinha, tamborim, prato and surdo; 12: Mart’nália: voice and vocals, pandeiro, triangle and effects; Arthur Maia: baixolão, shakere, moringa, vocals, arrangements and production; Fernando Caneca: violões; Tito Junior: flute; Di Stéfanno: drums; Macaco Branco: reco, shakere, cajon, pandeiro, caixa surdo, tarol, sementes and effects; André Siqueira: berimbau; Analimar Ventapane, Marcello Ferreira and Raoni Ventapane: background vocals; 13: Mart’nália: voice and vocals; Arthur Maia: bass and vocals, arrangements and production; Fernando Caneca: violões and guitar; Whatson Cardozo: clarinet; Paulo Braga: drums; André Siqueira: conga, shakere, surdo, pandeiro and cuica; Analimar Ventapane, Marcello Ferreira and Raoni Ventapane: background vocals; 14: Mart’nália: voice and vocals; Arthur Maia: bass, vocals, arrangements and production; Fernando Caneca: violões and guitar; Whatson Cardozo: clarinet; Paulo Braga: drums; André Siqueira: conga, shakere, surdo, pandeiro and cuica; Analimar Ventapane, Marcello Ferreira and Raoni Ventapane: background vocals; Finale: Vinicius de Moraes: voice; Mart’nália: spoken word

Released – 2019
Label – Biscoito Fino
Runtime – 44:20

Featured photo of Mart’nália Marta Azavedo

Pages: 1 2 3 4