Antonio Adolfo :: Feito Em Casa
The great Brazilian pianist, atmospheric arranger, and composer Antonio Adolfo, among other things, doesn’t need much introduction when it comes to poetically prying open the groovy gates and dystopian doors of the meditative music and creative culture of Terra do Brasil ("Land of Brazil"). As one of the most celebrated figures in the Brazilian jazz scene, his worldly wings would often expand into the transcendental territories of the psychedelic/tropicalia that overtook the planet in the 1960s and 1970s like the intensely invasive Kudzu; his iconic impact and irresistible influence still linger in the feverish fibers of the city’s cosmic core, some sixty years later, while patiently waiting for the next generation and sonic samplers to discover his truthful touch on society's spiritualistic sound. Having grown up in a highly musical family in Rio de Janeiro with his mother, who played the violin in the BSO (Brazilian Symphony Orchestra), his tonal teachings first began at the age of seven, and by the time he was a teenager, he was already considered by many of his peers and contemporaries as a professional musician, but you already knew this. After playing with several sophisticated savants in the local scene, Adolfo toured with singers like Leny Andrade, Carlos Lyra, Flora Purim, Wilson Simonal, Elis Regina, and Milton Nascimento before eventually splitting off to record his self-titled 1972 solo debut; he toured Brazil solo on piano the same year in eager excellence, while simultaneously showcasing a feverish skill that blended well across South America’s largest country. Let’s, for a moment, hyper-fixate our fundamental focus on the master’s 1977 classic “Felto Em Casa” (Homemade) for the next seven to eight minutes, and see how far into this jiving jungle we can go. Having designed the cover himself, with help from friends and creative colleagues, Adolfo mailed out press releases for the album and eventually got it into stores.
“It was always easier with small shops, where you can talk to the owner and explain the transaction. It’s the same difference you find between a small produce market and a supermarket. The small market is more human, more real; it doesn’t impose anything, doesn’t homogenize...”
Released in 1977 on Adolfo’s very own imprint, Artezenal, Brazil was under a military dictatorship with the rising power of President Ernesto Geisel, which ultimately fueled political tension and protests from students; it’s those same pulverizing politics that ultimately applied pressure on the country and its society, which in turn caused a revolutionary reaction from the creative community like nothing you’ve ever seen or heard before. While many consider this body of work to be the “first,” or at least one of the earliest independently released albums in Brazil, it’s always a fair argument to challenge one to dig deeper into the revolutionary recesses of the mind in order to find further evidence of an esoteric existence that once dwelled before your initial invite to the subject. Black Sabbath may have become the most famous band in the world since “coining” the heavy metal phrase on their self-titled debut, but have you ever heard of Blue Cheer? Just those few years make a whole lot of difference, but honestly, who cares, right? While a melodic mix of traditional tones like samba and Bossa Nova, to name a few, remained at the forefront of the past’s eager ears, emerging fusion jazz began to bravely challenge the culture by spiritually shaping the already liberated landscape with an iconic ingredient that Adolfo gave meditative meaning to. Featuring a captivating cast of musicians such as Jamil Joanes, Marcio Montarroyos, Luiz Claudio, Chico Batera, Paulinho Braga, Marcos Resende, and more vocalists than you can count on one hand, “Felto Em Casa” effortlessly embarks on a quintessential quest through the hallways of the heart and across the busy medians of the mind in an artistic attempt at unlocking the sonic symbols of the subconscious that lay dormant within all of us.
