In every book or film about bossa nova, the name Carlinhos Lyra appears in the diminutive form as it was said by another creator of the movement that renewed Brazilian music. Two weeks before his death, the singersongwriter received a final sign of affection from the artistic world with the release of the album “Afeto,” a tribute to his 90th birthday.
The word well describes the work that strives for a poetic delicacy, “love, smiles and flowers,” as João Gilberto sang. The bold melodies and harmonic ingenuity are at the service of everyday lyricism, where banal rhymes create captivating music of the highest quality. Countertenor Ney Matogrosso knew how to capture the subtlety of the first note of “Canção que Morre no Ar”. “Play in the air/ a rest of the song,” says Ronaldo Bôscoli’s lyrics.
It's as if the music existed before it was created for the 1971 album E No Entanto É Preciso Cantar. Everything is very natural, as if the composer's role was only to arrange a sequence of notes. Three years later, Gal Costa recorded the bestknown version of the work on his album Cantar. Now Ney amplifies the meaning of each word using his unique ability for artistic expression.
There is not the lascivious interpreter, but the man who sees completeness next to his lover. Although it is an appeal (“For us, come/A world always loves”), the song points to Bossanova’s “joie de vivre,” a way of enjoying life, preferably in Rio de Janeiro. The behavior can also be seen in “Saudade Fez um Samba” by Gilberto Gil.
In this other partnership with Bôscoli, included on João Gilberto's 1959 album Chega de Saudade, there is no time for sorrow as the balance of Lyra's music makes up for any absence. Gil's stylized guitar, whose voice exudes an imitation of his own beat, reinforces the idea of natural musical creation, which does not negate the composer's creative complexity.
After all, Lyra has always based her bossa on samba. In 1956, his song “Influence do Jazz”, which criticized the presence of foreign rhythms in samba, was recorded by the vocal group Os Cariocas. In the 1960s his defense was reaffirmed when he took part in the founding of the National Union of Students' Popular Cultural Center (CPC). At this point, Lyra turned to Samba do Morro, Cartola and Zé Keti.
“Afeto” features “Influence of Jazz” by Ivan Lins and Joyce Moreno. In this duet, the two voices merge into a single timbre with no low or high register, which stands out against the jazzy attacks of the brass saxophone, trumpet and trombone.
“Maria Nobody,” another song from “Chega de Saudade,” recorded by Brigitte Bardot, gets a Hawaiian look with Lulu Santos' guitar and Marcos Valle's keyboard. The arrangement harkens back to the relaxed behavior typical of Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s. “Maria nobody/It's Maria and it's Maria, my love/If I'm not João, you're welcome/Maria who is my Maria/Nobody,” say the lyrics.
Firstly, any Brazilian couple can form the names João and Maria, which indicates banal love. Then there is an echo in the lyrics (“nobodywellnobody”) that obscures the rhythm of the composition. The recurrence of tonic accents creates a melody that is difficult to get out of your head. In the whirlwind the word is subject to rhythm. It even reminds me of “Bim Bom” by João Gilberto.
“Afeto” also includes an interpretation by Caetano Veloso for “Ciúme” and another by Djavan for “Você e eu”. As expected, it all ends at the sea in this impressive mosaic that shows the strength of Lyra's repertoire.
In “E Era Copacabana,” the composer's partnership with Joyce Moreno, Mônica Salmaso speaks of a time when the neighborhood was ablaze with feverish nights of music, bohemia and poetry. “It was at a time when everything was too much,” she sings. It's hard to say goodbye to bossa nova.