Live Portugal to Understand Fado

This might seem propaganda (and maybe it is in fact! :P) but I can´t help to place this videos here because they are so beautiful that you will want to visit the homeland of Fado for sure. Hope they are useful for you to get an idea of the place where Fado grew up and the influences it had! :)

Mariza at David Letterman's Show 11.10.07

Don´t forget I am talking about Carlos Paredes!! ahah but I really had to post this video immediately! Mariza, the greatest fado singer of all times (my humble opinion! ahah I really have to try hard not to go in a sort of delirium that would make this blog more about Mariza than Fado :P I AM FANATIC ABOUT HER!!) anyway... just one more evidence that Fado is conquering the World!
Mariza is in NYC to promote her new Cd "Live in Lisbon" and Saura´s movie "Fados". She is going to make 13 live performances; here is the video (uploaded 14 hrs ago!!!) of her in David Letterman´s Late Show. Yesterday night she gave a concert at the Carnegie Hall, Manhattan.

This video is sooo "fresh" that I can´t help to put here NOW!

This song is definitely one of my favourites "Oh people of my land" and I will tell you everything about it in the right time (it is beautifully beautiful). I will tell also about Mariza, who she is and what she means to me, and to all portuguese in general, her work, my favourite videos, the meaning of the songs, my favourite videos on the astonishing live performance in Lisbon, everything!!! I will dedicate a big time of this blog to her. By now, just a video. Maybe I shouldn´t...It´s too much, I know!!! Too emotional and intense...You might even be scared! ahah Its ok! Relax... with the time, and I hope this blog helps, You will understand it and LOVE it! I am sure.
:P

oh! and here is a funny comment I found on Youtube

"i saw her concert in new bedford, front row and everything! plus i got to talk to the guitarist with the long black hair a little bit after. lol he came up to the car asking for a good place to get a drink, and we didn't even think of inviting him to the place we were going. she's such an amazing singer, i wish i knew how to speak portuguese = ( lol thank god she gives english translations of the songs." isdcdancer (8 hours ago)

(proud, proud, proud eheh)

Universal Language

Understanding the lyrics of Fado would be like putting a cherry in the top of the cake! They are beautiful, of course, but so intimately related to “being Portuguese”, to a whole collective imaginary, a legacy of meanings, that translating is often a dull and deceiving task. We all know a word is not just a word: it has a value inside of each culture.

So, after this, enough of words! I will leave you with the most important Portuguese guitarist of all times: gentleman Carlos Paredes. He called this song “Discurso” (Speech) to show that the guitar can talk by itself. And this sonority is soooo Portuguese; it is the basis of Fado. I believe that for the beginners in this “fado issues” this should be the first composer to listen (making your ears used to this remarkable sounds).

Hope you like it.

In the introduction we hear some words in portuguese; It is Paredes himself saying something like “ I don´t like public speeches; after them always comes a punishment, a reprimand, a hard critic [for something that we said and it was wrong]. This is the reason I shall use the guitar to say my “Discurso”.

He ends his "played speech" with the funny words "And I´ve said it!"

And here is one of my favourite ballads performed by Carlos Paredes : "Verdes anos" or "Tender Years ", for you! :)

Listen carefully and feel privileged

There is so much to tell about this fascinating man and the Portuguese guitar...And I will!

***

Fado through the eyes of a foreigner

“A friend of mine insists that you have to be Portuguese to understand fado. In one sense she's right—fado is intimately associated with poetry, and you pretty much have to be a native speaker to grasp that part. And the feeling of the music is also intimately associated with saudade. The fact that saudade has no direct translation into English is an important point (close ideas include nostalgia, loneliness, yearning, and missing). My Portuguese friend's eyes immediately glaze over when she hears that word.

But words are just one form of language. Music is another. You don't have to be Andalusian to appreciate flamenco, and you most certainly don't have to be African American to dig the blues. Folk music is the music of the people, passed down the generations by ear. And needless to say, it goes quite well with dance.

But then I'm not Portuguese, so what do I know.

A quick rundown of informative words from the English translation: silence, fire, happiness, grief, kiss, weeping, suffering, sadness, soul, bitterness, hurt, live, ashamed, peace, smiles, fury, exile, lost, learned, know, destroyed, dead, enchantment, nearness, turmoil, madness, emotion, discovery, immensity, escape, free, love, broken and undone, fatal, spring, died, condemned, weeping, forgetting, enchantment, fear, distress, freedom, alliance, secrecy, solitude, fun, dancing, truth, passion, the heart, happiness.

And don't forget saudade. That one couldn't be translated.”

Nils Jacobson Managing Editor, All About Jazz, 2001 to 2007; Contributor Since 1999

note: the picture above is from José Malhoa, portuguese artist that was born on the 28th April 1984 and dedicated his whole life to painting the People, their joys and sufferings and their daily routines and spirituality. This picture "Fado" is the most emblematic of all .

Povo que lavas no rio

Literally this song is called You People who wash (clothes) in the river. Sounds a bit weird but it is intrinsically related to our country: some years ago it was quite common to see dozens of "lavadeiras" (ladies) that were washing their clothes in the river. And, of course, you can imagine these ladies, were not rich. Washing in the riverside was something "reserved" for the poor. So the river was not only the place were clothes could be washed but also the meeting point of these ladies to chat about their lives: their families, the rural work, their joys and, of course, their loves.
And there was singing!! Some of the most expressive and funny songs we know were created in this special ambience. Here is an example of how it was in 30´s (this video was taken from the movie "Aldeia da Roupa Branca" (Village of the white clothes, 1938)


"Oh river don´t complain
the soap doesn´t kill
Even washes the fish
Leaves them like silver!
...
Cold water from the river
Cold water that the sun made warm
seeing the village, brings to the idea
White clothes that we hung to dry"

For you to have an idea of how it was! :)

So...inspired on this scenario, filled up with humble and generous people, Pedro Homem de Mello wrote in Povo que lavas no rio (I will try to find a translation), a fado that was first performed live by Amalia in 1963. But it is not a joyful song like those sang by the "lavadeiras". It is a song that talks about these people, their simplicity, their light hearts, heir hopeless destiny based on a lifetime of hard work; there are no metaphysical concerns on their minds just the resigned certainty that the next day of work would come and that God would be there for them no matter what.

Here is a video of this song performed by Mariza on the Royal Albert Hall in November 2006, London

Sempre Sempre Amor, 1953

The movie Anna of 1951 [directed by the Late Alberto Lattuada] was a masterpiece of the Italian cinema (I must confess I didn´t see it) . What is interesting here is that the song "Non dimenticare", performed by Silvana Mangano was later sang by various artists under the same title; however, Amalia Rodrigues sang it under the title "Sempre e Sempre Amor" (Always and Always Love) in 1953. It is the only version of the song having the title [sempre e sempre amor] and has become nowadays exceptionally rare, largely unknown among most people. An example of a simple song that can be adapted to Fado. It also shows the beautiful crystalline voice of young Amalia and the characteristic sound of the time (it was released as shellac 78 rpm by Columbia an Odeon).

Its rare and it is here

Thank you for the user who uploaded it!

Saudade

On that sad 6th of Ocober

When Amalia Rodrigues died in 1999, the Portuguese prime minister declared three days of national mourning. During her life, Amália was the queen of the Fado and she not only become the iconic singer of the genre, but she broadened the scope of the music, and popularized the fado in Europe and South America.

Here is a Dvd Amalia Rodrigues: The Spirit of Fado (2006) documentary that examines the life of the remarkable singer, the history of the fado, and includes footage of Amália performing some of her timeless songs.

We all miss you.

IMDB.com

Fados...a compilation of the traditional Portuguese Fado music sung by international singing stars

I was able to view Fados at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The only thing truly impressive was the presence of Carlos do Carmo - Portugal's king of Fado music. The film itself spends too much time showing us the offspring of traditional Fado - the "Fado Hip-Hop", "Fado Flamenco" and so on. Compiling as many or more non-Portuguese singers as it did local talent. The few minutes spent in a homage to the one person that will always be the soul of Fado - Amalia Rodrigues, was wasted in a short video of Amalia practicing a new song. Carlos do Carmo cannot sing anything that is not impressing and beautiful and Mariza, Portugal's most popular Fado singer of modern times, also comes through with two delightful songs. Where are Tony de Matos, Herminia da Silva and all the other singers that made Fado popular around the world? Too much time was spent showing us artsy shots of modern dance choreographed to the music that was supposed to be the focus of the film. No narration was included to allow the viewer that is not a connoisseur of Fado music to follow along with the rest of us. How many people will know who Severa is after the credits roll? A much better choice would have been to fill the 85 or so minutes with traditional Portuguese singers bringing this beautiful, soulful song to the screen. After all, who wants to see Brazilian and African singers, who can barely speak the language properly - sing this music that must be as much sung from the heart as it does from the soul?

in IMBD user comments

Haven´t seen the movie so far but somehow I feel this will be the sound of my opinion. You see...kind of "purist" in what concerns Fado and seeing it side-by-side with hip-hop and flamenco reminds me a little like the Oporto wine mixed with orange juice or tonic water (I am scratching my head now!). About the influences of Africa and Brazil they are undeniable. In fact theories exist whether they are "an influence" or the cradle itself. This I will leave to another post.

Washington Square News: movie critics

Fados (2007)
Dir: Carlos Saura

Without exaggeration, Carlos Saura’s latest music/dance performance collage is the most stirring and emotionally vibrant of this year’s line-up. “Fados” is an awesome labor of love lyrically constructed with the help of choreographer Patrick de Bana and award-winning cinematographers Jose Luis Lopez Linares and Eduardo Serra. “Fados” is an emotional journey through the present and the history of the culture of the Portugese “fado,” a kind of culture-specific hybrid of blues and folk singing largely accompanied by mandolin and guitar.

Set on a gorgeous lacquered soundstage, “Fados” is a tapestry of various incarnations of the genre, from modern hip-hop to archival footage of iconic singers. Though the last 15 minutes feels like a gauntlet, Saura’s cohesive vision makes it an exhilarating kind of exhaustion. Every performance is impassioned and filmed with a reverence and an intimate understanding that makes “Fados” an unforgettable experience. I must have this soundtrack.

By Simon Abrams

"Fados", The movie

Finally! The movie we´ve been expecting for soooo long! It had to be a spanish director to take the chance. I am ok with that; everyday we try to overcome this rivalry we have with the so-called nuestros hermanos but to be honest It is really a shame that it wasn´t made by a portuguese director. Ok again. Saura is talented and gave Fado the chance (deserved!) to join his filmography and enrich it. But still...why didn´t we have the balls to do it before a spanish? Is there a remaining inferiority feeling about Fado? Are we ashamed of Fado? It´s traditional, of course. But does this make it different? Worse? Low-value? I don´t think so. This stereotype derived from Salazarismo, the time of dictatorship in Portugal when Fado was consired the song of the poor ones; a representation of the regime itself, making a triade along with other two "F´s": Fátima and Football! Dictatorship is gone (well...Salazar, the dictator, was elected the greatest portuguese individuality of the 20th century some months ago....no comment!). It is time to overcome those days and give Fado the importance he must have as a national symbol, a cultural patrimony, a legacy, that gathers and identifies us as being Portuguese. It is time.

The movie came to theaters on October 4th. I didn´t see it yet. Is it because of the director? eheh maybe...I am "afraid" of the "vision" a spanish gentleman may have of something so deeply portuguese. We´ll see.

Intro

Well...here is the thing: I am a Portuguese undergraduated student and a big fan of Fado. Some time ago I went to Belgium to attend a 3-month trainning in Pharmaceutical Technology; it was my first time out of my country and there I could really feel what "saudade" is all about. I missed very much the sea and the sun, the food (the olive oil! and the coffee! very much...ouf!) and of course what I missed the most: the easy going and relaxed way of living of the portuguese people! Thank God I took my laptop loaded with some of my favourite fado songs...I will never forget the emotion I felt everytime , specially in those last days of July (that unforgetable July...), I listened to Mariza singing "Há uma música do Povo"/There is a song of People...I couldnt contain myself; It is wonderful to have this "remedy" for the soul immediately available and with no side effects (but a pair of swollen eyes, if it´s the case, ahah). Aaaaanyway I always ended up feeling better. Relieved!! What more can a People ask for? We are privileged! This is an unique heritage and my will to share it with the world grew a lot during my stay abroad. My pride about Fado fills up my heart like a balloon that is about to burst! Some say you have to be portuguese to understand what Fado really means; and in certain way it is true. But, like I´ve read somewhere "music is what feelings sound like" so...you just have to be human to let Fado touch your spirit. Let yourself go and be embraced by the sound of the portuguese guitar and the spectacular voices of the singers; I promise you won´t regret this journey through the warm sea of "Saudade". This is how it´s gonna be. Welcome to my blog dear friends!***