O que vamos fazer durante este tempo do coronavirus?… Quando devemos ficar em casa e apenas sair quando precisar–para comprar comida ou trabalhar num emprego designado imprescindível….
Na sexta não saí e minha tarefa principal foi lavar roupa–não exatamente um programa interessante! Também recebi novidades tristes. Um amigo faleceu. Separei e organizei minhas roupas e baixei para a lavanderia no porão do prédio. Tinha que fazer varias viagens porque não podia carregar tudo de uma vez.
Em um desses pulos para meu apartamento, vi que Minas estava dando um concerto informal desde a mesma cozinha de Orlando e Patricia. Eles tinham me mandado o anuncio alguns dias atrás, mas esqueci. Decidi parar e escutar somente por uns minutos.
Acabei escutando o resto do concerto! Que encantamento! Com um piano eletrônico e um violão e dois microfones, Minas tocou umas músicas agradáveis e criativas, como se estivessem mesmo num café o boteco no Rio. O som saiu claro e perfeito nas canções que eu ouvi: Dona Flor, Blackbird, Aguas de março, Feira livre, On the Moon and the Stars, e Strong, Black Coffee. Era uma mistura de músicas originais (escritas por Minas) e clássicas de bossa nova, como Aguas de março.
Antes de terminar, Patricia leu uma receita (que alguém tinha mandado) de um café frio e gostoso, feito com cachaça. A ideia é que nós, o público, deve relaxar com a música viva, com nosso café ou outra bebida, na tarde às 3:00. Eu, sim, deixei de trabalhar por meia hora, e saboreei meu almoço, com café e sobremesa caseira depois. Tudo isso acompanhada, curtindo uma trilha sonora de vozes lindas e improvisação no violão e no piano.
Minas vai tocar no FaceBook Live cada sexta-feira às 3 horas, completo com a leitura de uma receita de café de algum ouvinte ou fã do público. Não percam!
On February 2, 2014, I had the pleasure of interviewing husband and wife duo, Orlando Haddad and Patricia King, leaders of the Brazilian-American group, Minas. They are celebrating 30 years of musical composition and performing. One of their goals is to create music that is ¨timeless”. Some of their upcoming events include: February 8, World Cafe Live at Wilmington, DE, a tribute to Sergio Mendes; Feb. 14 at the Sofitel in Philadelphia, and Feb. 15 at the Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse in Newtown Square, PA.
Since 1984, Minas has been a pioneer in the Brazilian music presence in Philadelphia, in addition to presenting their own fusion of Brazilian and American sounds to enthusiastic audiences. Orlando, in the group ¨PhilaSamba¨, introduced Brazilian percussion, ‘batucada’ to Philly, and some of those original members went on to form Alô Brasil. Following Alô Brasil, members went on to start Philly Bloco and Unidos da Filadelfia. Minas has performed in schools in the area–about 500,000 students have been touched by their music. Orlando also reached older students, teaching at the University of the Arts and Temple University.
The story of Minas sounds like it was destiny, “estava escrito”, just meant to be. Patricia and Orlando met as students at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Curiously, young Patricia, from south central Pennsylvania, had developed an interest in and love of Brazilian music before she arrived at the conservatory. Orlando, thousands of miles away in Rio de Janeiro, had been playing music in English with his band since he was 12 years old, and was initially influenced by the Beatles. Due to a lack of resources at his conservatory in Brazil, Orlando decided to transfer if he was ever going to fulfill his musical dream. And the rest is history! Of course these two would eventually meet–Patricia’s strong curiosity about Brazilian music prompted her to seek out Orlando, as soon as soon as she knew he was studying at the school, and hear Brazilian music live. Through this connection, Orlando rediscovered the music of his country.
After graduation, Orlando and Patricia went to Brazil. While there, they jammed, studied and performed with Brazilian musicians, including Dores Monteiro, Leny Andrade and Romero Lubambo. Some of the music and artists that have influenced Patricia over the years include, Keith Jarrett, Flora Purim, Tania Maria, Milton Banana and other piano trios, cool jazz, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. A child pianist and composer, Patricia studied voice and performed in church solos and musicals. Orlando was influenced by the Beatles, piano trios, bossa nova and MPB–Música Popular Brasileira–Gilberto Gil, Djavan, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, etc., and classical music. He explains how he and his brother would watch the TV show,”O Fino da Bossa” hosted by singer Elis Regina. Although he had this background, until he met Patricia, Orlando was not playing much Brazilian music.
When I asked about their favorite songs that they themselves had composed, Patricia praised Orlando’s Temporal, Ash Wednesday March, Primavera and Verde. Orlando admires Patricia’s Only the Moon and the Stars, Dream of Brazil, Bossa and Wait. Orlando asserts that he is overwhelmingly inspired by nature.
Girl from Ipanema in the Snow:
Over the years their music has evolved to be more complex and universal. The spirit is the same, but obviously after 30 years of collaborating, composing and performing, both have matured and polished their process and technique. Moreover, both have branched out to compose music in other styles. Orlando has been working on 20th century contemporary art music, while Patricia has been busy writing an operetta, called La Giara.
Minas, timeless, has stood the test of time for 30 years in Philadelphia. For the future, they hope to bring their music to listeners beyond the Philadelphia area. A long way from Rio de Janeiro, Orlando adds, ¨My goal has always been to tour the world with music.’
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