The Manhattan Transfer’s 1987 ‘Brasil’ Is A Gem Of 80s Jazz-fusion Covers Of Brazilian Songs
Covering music from Djavan to Gilberto Gil, the jazz band made the compositions into its own in a flawless exercise of interpretative style and lyricism
The Manhattan Transfer’s ‘Brasil’ Album Cover
“Kansas City to Brazil
It even gets you hot in your home”
It’s 1984: The Manhattan Transfer’s member Tim Hauser is walking down an avenue in his hometown of New York, when he stumbles upon a record store. Through the window, he notices a cover - it’s the album ‘Lilas’ by Brazilian musician Djavan. At the time, Tim doesn’t have any idea who Djavan is or what kind of music he makes, but he immediately buys it “just because the guy in the picture looked so cool!”.
He falls in love with the record right away and quickly finds out that the other three members of the band (Cheryl Bentyne, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel) have been listening to tons of new Brazilian music. Bossanova had been popular in the US since the early 60s, but a “second wave” of Brazilian music (often referred to as Tropicalismo) from artists such as Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento and Djavan was just getting noticed by a wider audience in the States.
Djavan - ‘Lilas’ 1984, Album Cover
A couple of years later, Tim meets with Quincy Jones in his office to get clearance on a song for their 1985 record ‘Vocalese’. Here he randomly stumbles upon Louise Velazquez - who runs the Brazilian arm of Quincy’s publishing business. The two immediately click and spend hours talking about Brazilian music after which Tim walks out of the office with 25 Brazilian albums she loans him.
”A very special thanks to Louise Velazquez, for her inspiration, guidance and love for Brazilian music. Without her help, this endeavor would not have been possible”
- Quote from the printed sleeve of the record
Velazquez will turn out to be the Transfer’s mentor throughout the making of Brasil. As the 4 members’ obsession with Brazilian music grows, and the idea of a record dedicated to this passion takes form, Louise goes with them on a trip to Brazil in September 1986; a tour that combines a few gigs with first-hand research and recording opportunities.
“Her contacts were invaluable”, Tim recalls, “Within a single week in Rio, we spent an evening sitting around the piano at Antonio Carlos Jobim’s house, had dinner with Ivan Lins, dinner with Djavan, with Milton Nascimento, a luncheon where we met Wagner Tiso and Dore Caymmi. Getting to know all these people led to an even deeper sense of involvement.” During their trip, they also get to know the band Uakti, known for using custom-made instruments, built by the group itself (which will perform in the album on the tracks ‘Agua’ and ‘Notes From The Underground’).
Back Cover of ‘Brasil’
“Within a single week in Rio, we spent an evening sitting around the piano at Antonio Carlos Jobim’s house”
The band decides to rearrange several Brazilian songs into a style that is closer to theirs, and settles on rewriting some of the lyrics in English with the help of their friend Doug Figer. He decides not to translate the literal meaning of the songs, but works around the sounds of the words from Portuguese to English, following a piece of advice from Djavan himself: “Don’t tell stories; I use words as rhythms and sounds. If you hear in my songs a Portuguese word that sounds like an English word, use it; if you have a string of these ideas happening through the song, piece them together through a stream of consciousness.”
Sometimes the result is a fun experiment of lyricism where the sound of words transcends their meaning. An example is the lyrics of the groovy ‘The Zoo Blues’:
“Kooky abstract dada
Like they sell at alpha beta
I wish I had a set of
Orangutan babies
A barkin' the blues”
In some other cases, the original lyrics had a deeper meaning, which the band decides to maintain in the English version as well. “Gilberto Gil, who composed ‘Hear the Voices,’ was jailed, tortured and exiled during the military dictatorship in Brazil,” explains Tim Hauser. “This song, which he composed, tells his story. We dedicated it to him and to Caetano Veloso, another musician who was jailed and tortured.” Or the political undertone of “Notes From the Underground”, which carries a powerful anti-apartheid message:
“Beneath the marbled halls of Pretoria
There's the faintest sound rising from the underground
Behind the prison walls poets fantasize
Voices lost are found captive in the underground”
Throughout the album a variety of warm, pulsating instrumentals are complimented with the renowned vocal capacity of the four Manhattan Transfer members. The band covers music from Gilberto Gil, Vitor Martins, and from Djavan and Milton Nascimiento - who also make vocal appearances. With the inclusion of tens of Brazilian musicians (most notable of all, Stan Getz’s magnificent sax appearance in “Capim”), and a great level of production in the variety of tracks with distinct styles, the record comes out as a rather unique, unclassifiable work. ”So you say” is a slow, elegant ballad - emotional without being too cheesy - while tracks like “The Jungle Pioneer” show a more technical side of the band, changing tonality and rhythm rapidly in a nearly theatrical, progressive manner.
Brasil is not only an original and beautiful record - it tells the story of an encounter, of the discovery and deep love for the Brazilian music of the time. Contrasting the 80s pop light tones with jazz elements, the nine tracks are a fun and delightful trip into a fascinating experience of music interpretation. If you like anything from 80s radio hits to Brazilian bossanova or vocal jazz songwriting, this album is for you.
The Manhattan Transfer is a jazz vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, and pop music. The band is also known for their outstanding live performances - the album ‘Brasil’ won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. We leave you with this mood-lifting performance of their number 1 hit ‘Soul Food To Go’, the opening track of Brasil (cover of ‘Sina’ by Djavan). Despite Tim Hauser passing away in 2014, the band keeps on live-performing to this day.
