Daily best music in the world: Tamba Trio

Here are a couple of albums by Tamba Trio, a Brazilian group primarily active in the 60s-80s— the pianist I have used on my last couple of records, Jasnam Daya Singh (née Weber Drummond) was actually the last pianist in this group. There are a number of hip Brazilian piano trios from this period doing a similar thing, with all three members singing as well as doing heavy stuff instrumentally. Quarteto Novo, Jongo Trio, Bossa Trio, for example.

A lot of drummers understand nothing but more intensity, and this music is so light it could sound insipid to them. It's not insipid. It's deep light.

Here is Tamba, from 1974:



And Samba Blim from 1968, with an altered lineup called Tamba 4:

Groove o' the day: Tamba Trio — Negro

Posting is going to be a little spotty for the next few days; I'm recording my new album at the beginning of next week, and until then I'll be preoccupied with stuff related to that. Someone will be hearing from me today or tomorrow about a free Skype lesson, so there's still time to get in on that, if you're interested.

Here's a Brazilian adaptation of our now-very familiar Afro 6/8 feel— or 12/8, in this case. The song is Negro, from the album Avanço by the Tamba Trio, with Hélcio Milito on drums.

A pianist I work with, Weber Iago, from Rio De Janeiro, tells me this style is not actually native to Brazilian music— there is not a major Brazilian equivalent of that Afro-Cuban triplet groove. The band here is copping a foreign style, either Afro-Cuban or African. Being a provincial, I always thought American musicians were somewhat unique in our eclecticism— our inauthenticity, if you want to be critical of it— but it's really a worldwide thing in commercial music.

Here's the whole intro, which is played twice:

After the intro, the band breaks into straight Bossa Nova, at a slightly faster tempo.

Audio after the break:

Tuesday morning bossa nova

Well, "it's Tuesday" and "here's some bossa nova", anyway- this isn't a regular feature or anything. Here's  a variety of poppy 60's stuff, starting with one of my favorite things from the vocal group Quarteto Em Cy:



Edu Lobo, Roberto Menescal, and Tamba Trio after the break: