Aguas de Marco was originally recorded in 1972 by Elis Regina and is considered one of the most famous Brazilian songs of all time. It has been rerecord and covered a countless number of times and each artist likes to put their own personal touch on the song. The version I am giving to you is performed by Joao Gilberto (male vocals and guitar) Stan Getz (Saxaphone) and Heloisa Buarque de Hollanda (female vocals) Joao and Getz were buds with Joao being a pioneer of Bossa Nova and Getz being an icon of jazz music (I will get to him specifically later in the jazz post) Interestingly enough this song was supposed to be recorded with Gilberto's first wife but she was not invited to the recording session and instead Buarque (Gilberto's second wife) took her place.
Joao Gilberto is apparently noted for changing the tempo and pacing of the song significantly in his renditions opting for a more sped up tempo as opposed to Regina's original which was a little more slow and intimate. What is so striking about this piece though is the full force of all three artists. Each is distinct but they all work together seamlessly.
Personally I can't help but be drawn to the English vocals. Something about the poetry in the words that make up this song that really gets me at a deeply emotional level. The elements of these lyrics can't really be categorized as happy or sad. They can really only be described has "beautiful" The obvious statement is that alone these little phrases mean nothing but together they create a thing of true beauty. I don't know what force inspired Regina to bring these things together but in my opinion it is pretty perfect. I can't really think of any lyrical element that I would take away or add. Even more amazing is how well these lyrics work both in English and in Portuguese.
Gilberto's verses are of course a delight in their own way. It is a combination of the speed at which he is singing and the boyish mumble with which he is delivering all of these gorgeous lyrics that adds up to be really powerful and charming. There is something to be said for singers like Frank Sinatra that can just boom songs of love from their mouths without a hint of reservation but there is also something in the honest timidity and intimacy that Gilberto projects. In any case it works perfectly as bookends for Buarque's vocals.
Given the nature of the song and how powerful the lyrics are it would seem like Getz is at something of a disadvantage as he is bound to the saxophone. Due to Getz's mastery of the instrument this is obviously not the case. I know I preached the beauty of Buarque's spoken words but at the end of the day it is Getz that I hear in my head. When I first heard it I had a knee jerk reaction of rejecting the saxophone. I imagine I had become so engulfed in the vocals that I didn't anticipate the mechanical rasp of Getz. By the end of the song I realized just how perfect that breaking of the pace is. Because of the distinct difference that the saxophone provides it adds and extra layer to the song itself. The saxophone serves as an overarching element that binds the song together like some kind of cloud that hovers above the two vocalists or a narrator that is able to summarize the feelings of the two. The masterstroke of this song is probably the moment where Getz cuts in on Gilberto's last words in the verse. It sounds less like a rude interruption and more a transformation from actor to narrator. It is like a shift from the actual events of the song to a dissertation or summary. Of course it only adds to the effect that Getz sounds so imperfect with his instrument. That rasp in his saxophone helps it sound less like an emotionless machine of brass and more like a natural extension of Getz himself.
All in all I believe this is a wonderful song and for right now it serves as a sort of escape. a brief moment of happiness during tough times. I think it might have that effect you talk about with songs like Suspended From Class by Camera Obscura or Thee Oh So Protective One by Girls.
Hopefully you got the song and lemme know what you think.
It's pretty funny that you posted this song. Keith (who you know) is in a Cuban and Brazilian music class this semester. Before his quizes he'll play all the songs he needs to know for that week.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, this is one of the songs he had to learn, so I've heard it before. It is a beautiful song. I love the beginning. It's the part I try to sing to myself when I'm walking around. I do a horrible rendition (as always). But I love listening to him even though I don't have a clue about what he's saying. The fact that I just mumble along when I sing it myself seems oddly fitting.
It definitely shares something with "Suspended from class" and "Thee oh so protective one" that I can't quite classify - though perhaps it's worth noting that both those songs have really beautiful trumpet/sax solos, which compares with Getz's work in Aquas de Marco.
This is the first song in my new music library. Even though I've heard it before, whenever I listen to it again I'm going to think about hearing it late on a rainy November day, wondering how much the artists planned and how much came just through good fortune. Thanks for sharing this.