Brazzil
May 2002
Music
2001, a year that saw so many life-changing and tragic events, also brought with it a wonderful and life-affirming day that involves one of Brazil's great interpreters of music—Ney Matogrosso. On August 1st, the lithe, provocative, controversial and abundantly talented singer and producer, turned sixty, produced a new CD, Batuque, and a new show by the same name. A strong force on the Brazilian scene, he still continues to develop his ability with no sign of slowing down.
Batuque (generic name for Afro-Brazilian dances in general) is a show and CD, in which Ney Matogrosso returns to the 30's and 40's to recover sambas, chorinhos, and maxixes (dance that is a mixture of tango, polka and habanera with lundu). It dates back to the 19th century. The show also pays homage to Carmen Miranda with several songs made famous by her. The CD was the result of a thorough research on his part with the help of Jairo Severiano, Zuza Homem de Mello, Fausto Nilo, and Paulinho Albuquerque.
At a time when the country's radio stations do not tire of opening space for what the singer calls "heavy malice," Batuque celebrates the contagious swing and cunning ingenuousness of sambas, choros, and marchinhas, which define a golden era of MPB—Música Popular Brasileira. "I knew those songs without knowing, because I've heard them since I was a child. But I'm not doing this period show to rescue the songs, because these songs were not lost. They are at the disposal of whoever wants to sing and record them," Ney explained in an interview with the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.
The show gave Ney the opportunity to develop new and colorful costumes. He is already known for his outrageous, provocative costumes in his other stage performances—not to mention his on-stage costume changes—which might be prohibited in some parts of the world. In that respect, this show is no exception. Seductively, he removes the first black and flowery costume and stands at the front of the stage in his thong, then sits down and slowly tips the large mirror, which allows the audience to check out the front of his thong.
A scream of delight arises from the audience before he puts on the second costume of the show. And then continues the frenzied, sexy song and dance performance with the sixty-year-old in constant motion. For the encore, in which he sings some of his biggest hits, he is himself in simple black T-shirt and pants with his short-cropped hair a little messy from the costume change.
He is wild and gentle, spending the entire time making love to the audience, for which he obviously has great love and respect. And then there is that voice, high pitched and easily to be confused with that of a woman—with every song rehearsed to perfection—that leaves his adoring public in tears of joy and euphoria.
He says about his latest show, "I'm not a sambista. But this is a dance show, in spite of portraying another era. I wanted to show that many things that exist today, with relation to double meanings and malice in the lyrics, were already used back then, but much more delicately."
His choice of songs consists of very well known classics, such as Dorival Caymmi's "O Que é Que a Baiana Tem?"(What is it that the Baiana has?), Assis Valente's "Maria Boa," Synval Silva's beautiful "Adeus Batucada" (Goodbye, Dance Group), and "Tico-Tico no Fubá" by Zequinha de Abreu and Eurico Barreiros—one of the songs made famous by Carmen Miranda.
There are also some older songs, such as "Bambo de Bambu" from 1925 and "Urubu Malandro" from 1914. The CD is a cornucopia of choice classics from the past of Brazilian music—a past that Ney Matogrosso has brought to the present with such style.
The idea for the CD and show was, originally, to be a collection of Carmen Miranda's signature songs. "But as the project grew, I perceived that I would be able to produce work from the entire era," says Ney. Even so, 6 of the 13 themes are from the repertoire of Carmen Miranda.
After Olhos de Farol (Eyes of the Lighthouse), a production with a tendency toward pop music, Ney appears acoustically, respecting the musical concept of the era. His interpretation is sustained basically by a regional formation of tambourine, guitar, and percussion, and the harmonies remain clean.
Ney, being the consummate showman, is firmly behind the production of the stage sets and lights, creating an ambience defined as "vaudeville theater." For the costumes he relied on the help of stylist Ocimar Versolato, looking at productions from Paris. "It is extravagant, though restrained, but erotic, because it is all in black, " he explained to Estadão, the affectionate way O Estado de S. Paulo is called.
"But there were no restrictions as to creation. We had the freedom to invent with respect," says Ney. Among the musicians surrounding him are the great Jorge Helder on bass, saxophonist José Nogueira, and drummer Bolão. The CD was issued in March of 2001, and in June, the show opened in Rio at the huge ATL Hall. He spent the rest of the year touring Brazil, and in January 2002, he returned to the more intimate stage of Canecão in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro to sold-out shows.
Who is Ney Matogrosso?
Ney de Souza Pereira was born on August 1, 1941, in the small city of Bela Vista, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, on the border with Paraguay. Since early on in his life, he demonstrated an artistic vocation. He sang, painted, and interpreted. Still very young, he chose a path of questioning the reticence of the adult world, remaining non-conforming with its prejudices and inconsistencies.
His childhood and adolescence were marked by solitude—in part voluntary. He liked spending hours on end in the country, accompanied only by his dogs. Another factor that contributed to his solitude was the constant changes in his family, resulting from his father's military career and moves. Before the age of 17, his family lived, in addition to Bela Vista, in Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and in Campo Grande.
When he left his family to join the Air Force, Ney did not yet know what he would do with his life. He liked the theater and sang sporadically, but ended up working in the laboratory for pathological anatomy in the Hospital at the base in Brasília, at the invitation of a cousin.
At this time, he was invited to participate in a university festival and formed a vocal quartet, under protests from the music professor and in spite of the director of the choir, in which he sang a part complimenting his special voice. After the festival, he did a little bit of this and that, until he got a part in a TV program. Until this time, Ney still concentrated his attention on the theater, determined to be an actor. Following this dream, he settled in Rio in 1966, where he made a living making and selling leather handcrafts.
Ney totally adopted the hippie life. In this period, he lived between Rio, São Paulo, and Brasília, until he met João Ricardo through his great friend, Luli, who later would become a composer of some of his greatest successes. João sought a singer with a high-pitched voice for a musical group and invited Ney to join.
The group, known as Secos e Molhados (Dry and Wet Ones) consisted of Gérson Conrad (São Paulo, 1952-), singer and composer; João Ricardo Carneiro Teixeira Pinto (Ponte do Lima, Portugal, 1949-) and Ney. Ney had already performed in Brasília as an amateur and tried out for radio and television, in addition to singing at nightclubs. The group appeared in São Paulo at the beginning of 1973, and in August of the same year recorded the LP Secos e Molhados by Continental Label with "Sangue Latino" (Latin Blood) by João Ricardo and Paulo Mendonça, "O Vira" by João Ricardo and Luli, and "Rosa de Hiroshima" (Rose of Hiroshima) by Gérson Conrad and Vinicius de Moraes.
The LP was a national success, making it possible for the group to appear in a series of shows, among which the shows at Maracanãzinho (Little Maracanã, part of the sports complex that also include the famous soccer stadium Maracanã), in Rio de Janeiro—stand out, as well as the ones at the Ginásio Presidente Médici, in Brasília. During the following year, the group appeared on Mexican television and recorded their second LP, Secos e Molhados with "Flores Astrais" (Astral Flowers) by João Ricardo and João Apolinário and "Tercer Mundo" by João Ricardo and Julio Cortázar.
It was during this time that Ney began to come into his own as Ney Matogrosso. He got his artistic name from his own family. His father had Matogrosso in his last name.
In only a year and a half, the group had leaped from the shows at the hard-up Casa de Badalação e Tédio, in São Paulo, to national fame at the shows in the great gymnasiums, surpassing the 1 million albums sold. Ney became the highlight of the group, which at the end of a year had already lived through some serious internal problems. During the week that their second album came out, the problems came to a head, and the group ended its short life.
The website www.revista.unicamp.br has the following view of Secos e Molhados:
"Like a cry from a star coming from infinity, emerged in 1973 one of the most intense and luminous sound experiences of MPB in the last years.
Formed by Ney Matogrosso, Gérson Conrad, and João Ricardo, Secos e Molhados emerged with a completely new sound and an attitude, unbelievably bold for the years of heavy handed rule, which was still alive and well in Brazil.
"The phenomenon began with the explosion on radio and TV with the good humored song "O Vira", which mixed superstition, werewolves, fado, and rock'n'roll. With their faces and bodies painted, costumes decorated with feathers, necklaces and earrings, and with sexually provocative choreography, Secos e Molhados had an immediate impact calling attention to their first album, which mixed elements of rock, flamenco, and fado, tempered by electric guitars, many acoustic guitars, flutes, harmonicas, and accordions.
"It combined an uncommon musicality and sophisticated vocalizations with the special timbre of Ney Matogrosso's voice. The lyrics were pure poetry, sometimes lyrical and passionate, sometimes critical, and sometimes intentionally ambiguous. The first album sold 800,000 copies, a number that shocked the market of the time (the king, Roberto Carlos, would only just pass the one million mark of copies sold the year before). And, suddenly, Secos e Molhados were everywhere: On radio and TV, on Chacrinha's program, on the conservative TV Globo and in the hearts of young people, children (hypnotized by the playfulness), and even housewives, enchanted by the libidinous Ney Matogrosso.
"In the wake of this great success there were many shows and a historic presentation at a mobbed Maracanãzinho in an event documented on television—never had a Brazilian artist performed for an audience that size. A year later, the second album was released followed by the announcement that the band was breaking up.
"Money? Vanity? Fame? In spite of much speculation, nobody (except they themselves) knows for certain what led to the break-up at the peak of the success. After the separation, only Ney Matogrosso succeeded in establishing a victorious solo career, but with a repertoire quite distant from the boldness and creativity, which marked the meteoric and fleeting trajectory of Secos e Molhados. "The wings of the ship that flies" disappeared, leaving for history the two anthological LP's: Secos e Molhados (1973) and Secos e Molhados (1974).
Stage Master
One of the jobs Matogrosso held during his first years in Rio de Janeiro was that of lighting master at the Sala Cecília Meireles. This could easily have been his primary career, as he is considered a great show producer and much sought after by other artists to produce their shows. For example, he was responsible for the illumination of Chico Buarque's show Paratodos.
During the 70's, he produced shows in Rio and São Paulo and worked with the famous Argentine bandoneon-player, Astor Piazzolla, recording a double album with him and his group. Still with Continental, he issued the next two albums, Bandido (Bandit, 1976) and Pecado (Sin, 1977). On WEA, he issued the LP Feitiço (Spell), in 1978. During the following year he attempted to change his androgynous and garish image, but it did not work. He recorded Seu Tipo (His Type). In 1980, he issued the LP Sujeito Estranho (Strange Fellow). The following year, the album Ney Matogrosso on Ariola included "América do Sul" by Paulo Machado and "Coubanakan" by Moisés Simon, Sauvat, and Champfleury and the singer received a gold record for it.
In 1982, the show Matogrosso, at Canecão, in Rio de Janeiro, became a big success. The highlights were the songs "Deixar Você" (To Leave You) by Gilberto Gil and "Tanto Mar" (So Much Sea) by Chico Buarque. He recorded the show on Ariola. In 1983, he had already launched eight individual LP's and received four awards, two platinum and two gold records. He then went on his first European tour, starting at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. During the same year, he commemorated 10 years of his career with the LP Pois É (That's Right).
His stage performance had always been known for its outrageous costumes and gestures on behalf of the singer, sometimes stirring up tempers and creating controversy. In 1986, he appeared on stage, for the first time, without fantasy and resolved to incorporate a sober side to his "scandalous" persona. From then on he validated his work exclusively as singer and adopted a classic repertoire of MPB. His first album to follow this line was O Pescador de Pérola"(The Pearl Fisher) in 1986, on which he sang "O Mundo é Um Moinho" (The World is a Mill) by Cartola, "Dora" by Dorival Caymmi, "Da Cor do Pecado" (Of the Color of Sin) by Bororó, and "Aquarela do Brasil" (Watercolor of Brazil) by Ary Barroso. He appeared accompanied by guitarist Raphael Rabello.
The following year, in a pioneering initiative, he rented a tent at the Circus Tihany and produced the show, Destino de Aventureiro (Adventurer's Destiny), which ran for five months in Rio and then toured the country. He recorded on Barclay, the LP of the same name, which also received gold and platinum awards. He did not record for two years, but then returned with the album Bugre (individual of the Bugre Indian tribe from the south of Brazil).
In 1990, he recorded À Flor da Pele with Rafael Rabelo on Som Livre. The biography Ney Matogrosso—um cara meio estranho (Ney Matogrosso—a Somewhat Strange Fellow), by journalist Denise Pires Vaz, was issued in 1992-93. He produced the Prêmio Sharp of 1993, in homage to veteran singers Ângela Maria and Cauby Peixoto. In 1994, he issued As Aparências Enganam (Appearances Deceive) with the group Aquarela Carioca—on Polygram.
In 1995 he toured Brazil singing the repertoire of Ângela Maria recorded on the album Estava Escrito (It Was Written) on Polygram. In 1996, he recorded Um Brasileiro (A Brazilian) dedicated to the work of Chico Buarque. It was followed the next year by O Cair da Tarde (At Dusk), a tribute to Villa Lobos and Tom Jobim. He performed in shows, launching the CD with the pianist Leandro Braga and the group Uakti.
The event of his sixtieth birthday prompted many articles and interviews around the country. Rio's daily O Dia carried one by Alexandre Ventura, which summarizes the essence of Ney Matogrosso in all his enigmatic splendor.
"Since the black cat crossed the road and since there is no more sin south of the Equator, Ney Matogrosso has become an unequalled figure in MPB. Interpreter of the most varied composers, Ney Matogrosso combines, masterfully, vocal technique and attitude. A complete artist; those, who have already attended one of his shows, certainly leave surprised. Impact is the best word to define who Ney Matogrosso is. Impact of sound, by the softness of his voice, which reaches unbelievable heights. Visual impact, by his slender figure, agitated and seductive.
"Before I began singing, I was very shy about my voice. I thought it was much too delicate." The shyness, however, did not impede Ney from taking part in Secos e Molhados, the group that made history in the decade of the 70's. It is from this era that people remember the image of the singer: dubious, androgynous, and provocative. He had everything to go astray: the military government did not take kindly to his swaying, feathers, and sequins. But the public identified with that white painted face: "It was in 1973, at the height of the repression. We were an escape valve to the Brazilians. At that time, you could not express anything, and the people followed a subversive leader. The intention was to shock, to provoke the authorities."
"Secos e Molhados broke up, and Ney pursued a solo career. Since then, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Lamartine Babo, Rita Lee, Cazuza, Lenine, among other composers have been part of his repertoire. Songs like "Homem Com H" (Man with M), "América do Sul", "Balada do Louco" (Ballad of the Madman), "Por debaixo do Pano" (Under the Counter) became part of his popular song book. "It is very crazy to say this, but when I was a child I knew, at certain moments, that I would do well." He wanted everything a military man did not want for his son. "I was opposed to everything my father thought I could be. I left home at a time when nobody did, it was not yet in fashion."
"Man with M who is, with Latin blood glowing in his skin, Ney always used and abused his theatrical strength in his shows. Outrageous, full of gestures, he drives the women wild—yes, the women go to his shows—with each piece of clothing removed from his costume. But finally, what do people see when they look at that 60-year-old body? "It is the image which the public likes. I know that I no longer have the same body, but I'm still okay, right?" They all approve. Since the era of Secos e Molhados. "My relationship with the public was sexual. I seduced the audience as if I were trying to conquer a person of flesh and blood. Today that seduction is tender and not sensual."
"That's right: The figure lets loose on stage but is reclusive in private. Or not even that much; provocateur by nature, his declarations are these: "Just the idea of making love makes me lazy. Before, I was always ready, thought of sex 24 hours a day. Today I think, re-think, and then desist. There is the flirting, the climate, go to the bedroom, have to take off my clothes… that takes work. I don't want it. It's not that I don't feel the desire! But I no longer have the patience to go out and conquer someone…"
"In 1986, without fantasy and paint, but with the same voice and body, he adopted a classic repertoire. There were the recordings with Raphael Rabello and the ones dedicated to Ângela Maria and Chico Buarque. At the end of the decade of the 90's, he issued Olhos de Farol (Eyes of the Lighthouse), a sharp glance at the production of the new generation: Lenine, Paulinho Moska, and Pedro Luís. Ney returns to the swaying of before, with a show, which became a live CD and two years later puts together the show with music from the 30's. In other words, there is a lot of Carmen Miranda in the repertoire.
"Be it dry or wet (seco ou molhado), Ney de Souza Pereira, born on August 1, 1941 in the city of Bela Vista, in Mato Grosso do Sul, border with Paraguay, continues gracing us with his presence. Even at the other side of passion ("Passion is a drag. A horror. It exposes everything I consider worst in myself: insecurity, jealousy, lack of equilibrium"), it makes us fall at its feet to revere it. He swears "that it is better not to be normal." And people just have to appreciate it; MPB would be quite tacky without the presence, the brilliance, and swaying of Ney."
Ney, in the Flesh
There is a great discrepancy between the stage persona and the interpreter of Brazilian Popular Music, Ney Matogrosso. Last year, in June, I was fortunate enough to be in Rio for Caetano Veloso's rehearsals for Noites do Norte ao Vivo coinciding with the début of Ney Matogrosso's show Batuque at ATL Hall, unbeknownst to me. I rushed out to get tickets and mentioned it to a friend I ran into at Canecão.
She is involved with Brazilian music like myself, but she surprised me by saying: "Well, I haven't heard good things about that show, but of course, if you've never been to one of his shows, you should certainly go." I already knew every note of the show from the CD, which came out in March 2001. After seeing the show I realized that his stage presence can take away from the beautiful voice and the perfectly arranged renditions of the best songs of the greatest Brazilian composers.
It's difficult to listen and watch him at the same time. His stage persona is so sensual and provocative that one could easily forget what a great singer he really is. Therefore, in order to get to know Ney Matogrosso, one must employ a sort of multiple personality—one that listens to his CD's and one that watches his show. A case in point is his CD O Cair da Tarde (Dusk). There was just the CD, no live stage show, and the CD is a far cry from the performer in his effeminate clothing, his disrobing, and seductive demeanor. www.fuzzlogic.com/lunakafe/moon14/br14.htm carries a beautiful review of the CD, that will prompt anyone to log on to his or her favorite CD site and buy it.
Cair da Tarde: I think I would definitely stay ahead if I did not say anything about this release. However, that would not be fair to you. Suffice it to say that whatever I write here will not do justice to Ney Matogrosso's O Cair da Tarde.
This CD brings together two of Brazil's greatest composers: Heitor Villa-Lobos and Antônio Carlos Jobim (a.k.a. Tom Jobim). Ney Matogrosso's decision to combine their music in one release is rather obvious, as Tom Jobim himself said: "Villa-Lobos is like my father, my everything. I feel like including one of Villa-Lobos' songs in my album. It's more than paying homage, it's to make the album more beautiful. To make me feel that there was someone who liked music more than I do."
"With O Cair da Tarde, Ney Matogrosso shows different depths of that influence. The best way to experience this phenomenon is to play the CD and listen intently to every note, every sigh.
In addition to Ney's voice, the instrumental accompaniment is absolutely perfect. Leandro Braga plays the piano and did all the arrangements. His artistry will blow you away. You will hear that this is a much his album as Ney's. To add more to an already perfect combination, Ricardo Silveira brings his guitar playing to these tracks. He is in better form than ever before. Another favorite of mine, Márcio Montarroyos, lavishes these recordings with his flugelhorn. He is capable of producing a sound that enhances the musical ambience of these songs. To top it all, Uakti creates the rain forest and special sounds evoked so often in Villa-Lobos compositions. It is hard to imagine this album without Uakti.
""Cair da Tarde" and "Modinha" open this release. Two songs, two eras, one majestic piece with hardly any noticeable transition between tracks. The proposal to create an impeccable release is clearly stamped with these opening tracks. When Zé Nogueira's soprano saxophone plays the introduction for "Tema de Amor de Gabriela" (Love Theme for Gabriela), there's a certain languor that sets the tone for Ney's tender phrasing. "Melodia Sentimental" (Sentimental Melody) has a light drumming crescendo after its slow and peaceful beginning. As the loved one is awakened by this love poem, the music reaches its highest point. "Canção em Modo Menor" (Song in a Minor Mode) serves as an introduction to "Prelúdio No. 3", (Prelude No. 3). While the former talks about sad mornings without the loved one, the latter uses a bird as a messenger to the loved one.
"Uakti's sound effects are ethereal. Though "Caicó" received its definitive performance in Milton Nascimento's voice, Ney's performance is not ordinary. With "Cirandas" (Children's Songs), Uakti reigns again. The interplay between voice and instruments is exactly like children's playing. These are songs all Brazilians grew up singing. The feeling in this arrangement is innocent and pure. From the playful mood of "Cirandas", we move into a more up-tempo "Trenzinho do Caipira" (Countryman's Little Train).
"The instrumentation, especially piano and percussion, is astounding. There's no sluggishness, but only a vibrant and bold machine. Without letting the tempo down, the last two songs close this magnificent CD. "Águas de Março" (Waters of March) is more samba-like, whereas "Pato Preto" (Black Duck) received forró rhythms after Leandro Braga's Linus-and Lucy-ish piano introduction. Ney Matogrosso outdid himself with his creative mind for this release. This is undeniably one of the best releases this year (1997), probably the best."
Olhos de Farol: After almost ten years without recording new songs, Ney released Olhos de Farol. Searching for good songs, Ney encountered in some good names, as yet unknown by the great public, the solution of how to fill his work with new perspectives and new paths. The song that gives title to the album, "Olhos de Farol", was written by the team Ronaldo Bastos and Flávio Henrique.
"Ney succeeds in refreshing contemporary MPB with the talent of Pedro Luís (of Pedro Luís and Parede) and his stylized rap, "Miséria no Japão" (Misery in Japan) and the adventurous baião "Fazê o Quê?". He still found time to rummage through the trunk of old compositions by Paulinho Moska to reveal the urban chronicle of life in "Gotas de Tempo Puro" (Drops of Pure Time) and endows us with an unpublished text by Cazuza, a letter put to music by Frejat, which resulted in the song "Poema."
"Ney presents songs such as "Novamente" (Again) by Fred Martins and Alexandre Lemos; "Mais Além" (More Beyond), composition by Lenine, Bráulio Tavares, Lula Queiroga, Ivan Santos, and "Vira-Lata de Raça" (Pure-Blood Mongrel), in partnership with Rita Lee and her son Beto. Also present on the CD are "Chance de Aladim" (Alladin's Chance) by Luli; "Depois Melhora" (Later it will be Better) by Luiz Tati, of the Paulista group Rumo; "O Som do Mundo" (The Sound of the World) by Samuel Rosa and Chico Amaral; and "Bomba H" by Itamar Assumpção and Alzira Espíndola. The CD closes with "A Cara do Brasil"(The Face of Brazil) by Celso Viáfora and Vicente Barreto."
Some quotes and opinions by Ney:
About Brasília: "I fell in love with Brasília. The city struck me as very strange, because it made people crazy, if they did not know how to live with the solitude. In that solitude, all my artistic tendencies flourished. Perhaps to defend myself against the solitude, I did theater, started to sing, and took up drawing again."
About the artistic vocation: "Before singing, I was pretty good at drawing. At 9 or 10, I was able to draw a portrait of anybody. During that time, I felt that I should study painting, but my father totally vetoed that. He didn't want me to become an artist. Little did he know! Singing in the circus, doing theater at school, these were things I did surreptitiously. I spent the entire day drawing. An aunt, who was a very rigid person, was the only person to stimulate me artistically. She worked at the Palácio do Catete (the presidential official residence in Rio, when the city was Brazil's capital) and sent me stacks of paper. I was drawing all day while everybody else was playing…. Since I was very young, I have been introspective."
About festivals: "The students at the University of Brasília were going to organize a show for the Mineiro (from Minas Gerais) students, who were coming to study there. One of the organizers, Paulo Machado, who knew me from the choir, invited me to sing popular music. I thought, why not? At that time, Nara Leão and Elis Regina were at the top. They invited me to sing at the festival with a young woman named Lena—who, as it happened, had moved Maria Bethânia, because she had the same type of voice and was very 'possessed.' Another, by the name Glória Maria, sang sambas very well, and a fellow by the name Tião had a big voice sort of like Dorival Caymmi. And I, with that strange voice, was the first to perform. When I began singing, some guy shouted, "Bicha!" (faggot) and encouraged others to stop the show. I walked over to the edge of the stage, looked at him, and asked what he had shouted. He became silent. I asked for the music to start again, and sang. The festival was a success, so much that the organizers resolved to maintain the musical group in Brasília."
Secos e Molhados: "We crisscrossed Brazil on a singing tour. I don't even have any idea how many shows we did in one year. Everywhere, we performed for large crowds. The repertoire was put together mostly by João Ricardo and already existed before I arrived. I put in my two cents' worth at the rehearsals. We rehearsed basically with two guitars—Gérson's regular guitar and João's 12-string. I adored the repertoire. The concept was the word, the songs were basically poems put to music. It was our great distinction. In our repertoire, there were poems by João's father, the famous Portuguese poet, João Apolinário. Our appearances were rock, but we were not making rock'n'roll. Our posture was challenging transgression, but the repertoire was pop."
Social Involvement
For some years now, Ney has been involved with and active in the fight against Hansen 's disease, better known on these shores as leprosy. Despite the fact that this disease need not exist anywhere, it still flourishes around the world, strictly for lack of funds. A cure has long since been found, a cocktail of remedies exists, but people are still suffering with the debilitating and crippling disorder, for the simple reason that they do not have the money for the medicine. Ney appears at meetings and fundraisers, lending his support where he can.
Morhan (Movimento de Reintegração da Pessoa Atingida pela Hanseníase—Movement for the Reintegration of the Person Affected by Hansen's Disease) is composed of relatives of those affected, people cured of the disease, and friends and sympathizers working to demystify the disease and re-integrate those affected into society. One of the measures is to revert the position of Brazil, which is in second place, only behind India, in number of infected, with 70,000 sick and receiving treatment.
Every year, 47,000 new cases are identified. In the state of Bahia, 1.77 cases exist for every 10,000 inhabitants, a number that the state's Secretary of Health, José Maria de Magalhães Netto, intends to decrease. Morhan makes available the cocktail that cures the disease, at no charge in Brazil. A toll free number is available to people for clearing up misconceptions about the illness. For example, internment of those affected, is not necessary. The illness is transmitted by the Hansen bacterium through the air or by direct contagion. The principal symptoms are blotches on the skin and loss of feeling. From the moment the treatment starts, the possibility of contagion no longer exists. For his tireless work with Morhan, Ney Matogrosso has received several acknowledgements from various organizations.
It is difficult to tell in what role Ney Matogrosso will appear next. Will he be credited with producing the show for another artist, will he release a new CD, will he thrill his audiences with yet another seductive show, or will he be the social conscience for a terrible disease? One thing his fans can be sure of, he will do it with grace, intelligence, and style.
Kirsten Weinoldt was born in Denmark and came to the U.S. in 1969. She fell in love with Brazil after seeing Black Orpheus many years ago and has lived immersed in Brazilian culture ever since. Her e-mail: kwracing@erols.com