A buzz has been going around for a few years now, started, among others, by people like Cut Chemist and Madlib about Arthur Verocai, a Brazilian composer, aranger, producer, guitar player, that is not even a household name in his own country. Unless, of course, you are talking musician households. Like the household of the big Brazilian music names he worked with like Jorge Ben and Ivan Lins. The whole buzz is centered around Verocai's self-titled album from 1972, which, after being hidden in obscurity for decades, is getting a series of luxurios reissues, the latest from the propulsive Brittish company Mr. Bongo. It is being proclaimed as one of the unsung classics of modern music in any shape and form.
If you haven't heard the album (most probably you haven't), you might think it is just another hype. Not this time around. In less than thirty minutes of music this album contains, there are more inventive musical ideas than it would other "great" artists to produce in years. It is a combination of almost anything and everything, vocal numbers interspersed with instrumentals and back. The level of inventiveness can in some ways be compared to the Beach Boys' "Smile" album (although this one got issued at the time it was made), and arrangements that are easily comparable to those on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On? (similar times, I guess). Those who understand Portugese say that the lyrics had hidden messages against then in power military regime in Brazil, that actually took any musical changes dead serious. Many Brazilian musicians had to flee the country at the time so not to experience this seriousness of the regime.
The album never made a splash at the time, even in Brazil. But somebody got their hands on it and it plays like a timeless piece of music. The same will be tomorrow. Verocai never left the music scene, continued to produce and play, but it took him exactly thirty years to come up with a second album under his name, sel-published Saudade Demais in 2002. It was so self published, that it is hard to get your hands on a copy, unless you are ready to fish out some serious cash.
It took "only" five years for the next one, "Encore" in 2007 (this one has been reissued recently too). On surface, "Encore" seems a more Brazilian oriented and a bit more subdued. But then, Verocai made this one in layers, the more you peel them the more you get. And yet, a brand new one is out this year (available only in Brazil at the moment), "No Voo Do Urubu", where Verocai is accompanied by people he obviously inspired, Seu Jorge and Vinicius Cantuaria. Can't wait to get my hands on this one.
