Paulo Bellinati, Brazilian Guitarist
Recognized as one of Brazil's top contemporary guitarists! This gifted composer/arranger marries the classical discipline to the swing and complex rhythms of Brazil. The concert features music from his latest solo album, "Lira Brasileira," inspired by the rich tradition of Brazilian musical styles (... tempo de Bossa, tempo de Samba, etc.)
Biography
Born in Sao Paulo in 1950, Paulo Bellinati is recognized as one of Brazil's top contemporary guitarists. His natural affinity, deep knowledge and love for the music of his country is reflected throughout his work.
Bellinati has five solo recordings and as many with group Pau Brasil, one of Brazil's most innovative instrumental ensembles. He has recorded, performed and worked with many important Brazilian musicians including Gal Costa, Leila Pinheiro, Edu Lobo and Chico Buarque. He won Brazil's equivalent of a Grammy, the 1994 "Premio Sharp", for his arranging of Gal Costa's CD "O Sorriso do Gato de Alice".
Published and distributed world-wide by Guitar Solo Publications of San Francisco (GSP), his arrangements and compositions are becoming increasingly popular, in particular "JONGO" recently recorded by John Williams and Tim Kain. His music has been played and recorded by great performers like the Assad Duo, Eduardo Isaac, the Strano Sisters. Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Cristina Azuma, and Shinichi Fukuda.
Paulo's playing marries the classical discipline to the swing and complex rhythms of Brazil. A gifted composer and arranger, he is also a virtuoso on several different Brazilian guitars as played on "Guitares du Bresil"(GHA/1991).
He single-handedly rediscovered and transcribed the music of Annibal Augusto Sardinha (Garoto), resulting in "The Guitar Works of Garoto" (GSP/1991), a landmark recording which has received international critical acciaim and Is acknowledged as belng of historic significance.
"Serenata - Choros and Waltzes of Brazil (GSP/1993) - featuring the music of Jobim, Gnattali, Almeida, Reis, Powell, Neves and Bellinati himself - and "AfroSambas"(GSP/1996) [w/Monica Salmaso-vocals] - Paulo's arrangements for voice and guitar of the complete Afro-Sambas by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes are recordings on the short list for the 1997 "Premio Sharp".
The new guitar pieces, he composed for his latest solo album "Lira Brasileira" (GSP/1997), are inspired by the rich tradition of Brazilian musical styles. They are original ideas, using modern compositional techniques and harmonies, a contemporary, Unique treatment of the folklore.
Antonio Carlos Jobim on "Serenata":
"With fantastic, precise, technique, Paulo is a master of the guitar. His arrangements are transparent and his compositions clearly show him to be a mature musician, capable of realizing that very difficult mixture: the subtleties of classical music blended with the popular music idiom."
Program and CD Notes
Lira Brasileira
(Brazilian Lyre)
The Brazilian History starts in the Northeast..
When the Portuguese arrived in Brazil for the first time, they landed in Bahia and started to colonize the new continent from there. From Africa they brought the slaves with their culture. The new Afro-Brazilian myths and songs mixed with those of the Europeans and mixed again with those of the native Indians, in a huge culturai cauldron, were the origin of the boundless diversity of music styles which started to spring up throughout the new land.
This new recording is the first consisting entirely of Paulo Bellinati's own works for solo classical guitar, the product of his deep knowledge and love of the Brazilian music. They are original ideas, using modern compositional techniques and harmonies, a contemporary treatment of the folklore.
Besides the ancient Greek instrument, in Brazil "lira" also means a songbook of Iyrics or an album of poems. Paulo's Lira Brasileira is a collection of guitar pieces inspired on the main music styles of Brazil.
"Xaxado" and "baião" are styles strongly related to the modal music of the Northeast country side. "Maracatu" and "frevo" are rhythms from Pernambuco's Carnival. "Seresta" is the serenade music of the troubadours, and "maxixe", "bolero" and "valsa brasileira", are famous south-American dances.
The Estudos Litoraneos (Studies from near the sea), are contemporary studies based on very well-known styles such as the "bossa nova" and "samba".
The African grounded "lundu" is the very first popular music style historically recognized and through it, the black man gave to the Brazilian Music its essential elements. There is also a recreation of forgotten forms, such as the "modinha imperial" and "schottisch-choro" from the imperial era.
In Brazil, the name canção (song) can designate many different kinds of rhythms in a slow tempo (choro-cançao, samba-canção, frevo-canção, etc..). To conclude the album, Paulo Bellinati wrote a very nostalgic "canção" called Tom e PrelUio dedicated to the extraordinary Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim.
This recording is dedicated to great Brazilian musicians, and some of the pieces are a special tribute to composers like Villa-Lobos, Jobim, Garoto, Luiz Gonzaga, Joao Pernambuco, Guinga, and Baden Powell, who have a strong relationship with the music style and the guitar.
CD Available at:
- GSP RECORIDINGS
- 514 Bryant Street
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA
- 94107-1217 / USA
- Tel: 415-896 1122 Fax: 415-896 1155
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