RBM Mix #3 - Tim Maia & Friends: Alma Doce (Sweet Soul) by Allen "The Ambassador" Thayer
Listen to the 60 minute show here
RBM Mix #3X - Tim Maia & Friends: Alma Doce (Sweet Soul)
Mix and notes by Allen “The Ambassador” Thayer
If you weren’t already hip to it, Brazilian music contains multitudes. Every musical genre you can imagine, has a Brazilian corralarie. In fact, Eduardo Araujo (featured here a couple times with his then wife Silvinha) is KILLING IT doing American-style country music in Portuguese, touring throughout the agricultural states of Brazil), but back in the late 1960’s he met a down and out singer trying to introduce soul music to Brazil, having lived in New York for a five years in the early sixties.
So, Brazilian Soul is a thing, as is Brazilian Funk, Jazz-Funk, and on down the line. The early “Brazilian Soul” scene was pretty small; everyone knew each other. Tim Maia was sleeping on Fabio’s couch in their shared apartment in Rio when Fabio’s song “Stella” hit and he became an overnight star, a short Paraguayan who became one of Tim’s closest friends. Eduardo Araujo and Silvinha were a couple when Tim was crashing at Eduardo’s penthouse in Sao Paulo in 1969 where he wrote their duet “Dudu Da Nenem, Nenem Do Dudu” and, “Voce” his wedding gift for the couple. Almir Ricardi was another longtime close friend of Tim’s as was Guilherme Lamounier. Cassiano (who wrote “Bem Que Eu Nao Queria Amar Voce”) and Edson Trindade who was in Tape 04 are central figures in many of the early Brazilian soul combos and frequent song writers. Hyldon played on many early albums of Tim’s as well as contributing songs and becoming a lifelong friend. Dom Salvador was not only a trailblazer in his own rite, he played piano on Tim’s third album.
Tim claimed he taught Roberto Carlos how to play guitar and Tim made sure to remind the teen star years later as he was trying to break into the music business. He threw him a bone and recorded his song, “Nao Vou Ficar.” The song’s about as funky as Brazil’s equivalent to Elivis ever gets; Tim’s version from a few years later puts it to shame. Tim’s two first pre-fame solo singles are represented with “These Are the Songs” cacthing the attention of Elis Regina’s producer and leading to a rare duet with Tim and the reigning diva of Brazilian vocalists. There aren’t a ton of good covers of Tim Maia songs, but I do love the four-part harmony of Quarteto Em Cy taking on what is possibly Tim’s most beloved song, “Gostava Tanto de Voce.”
The album right after Tim’s fourth album from 1973, the one with his version of “Gostava Tanto de Voce”, took a radical turn when Tim became seduced by a curious cult called Rational Culture and proceeded to release two albums of psychedelic funk encouraging “rational immunizations.” I wrote about it in a book that just came out in the new subseries of the 33 ⅓ focused on Brazilian albums.
Fabio - Stella (0:00 - 2:39)
Neyde Alexandre - Eu Respiro Voce (2:40 - 5:33) [HYPERLINK TO LISTING: Item #748377]
Eduardo Araujo & Silvinha - Dudu Da Nenem, Nenem Do Dudu (5:34 - 8:45)
Almir Ricardi - Estou Perdido No Meio Da Rua (8:46 - 10:55)
Tim Maia - These Are The Songs (10:56 - 13:50)
Hyldon - Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda (13:51 - 17:21)
Carlos Pedro - Tudo Muda Toda Hora (17:22 - 20:25)
Socrates - Estrela D’Alva (20:26 - 24:14) [HYPERLINK TO LISTING Item #670054]
Tim Maia - Sentimento (24:15 - 26:02)
Tape 04 - Vou Por Ai (26:03 - 28:54)
Herondy Bueno - Bem Que Eu Nao Queria Amar Voce (28:55 - 32:40)
Tim Maia - Voce (32:41 - 36:12)
Guilherme Lamounier (36:13 - 39:23)
Dom Salvador e Abolicao - Uma Vida (39:24 - 42:05)
Roberto Carlos - Nao Vou Ficar (42:06 - 44:52)
Silvinha - Tudo (44:53 - 48:40)
Eduardo Araujo - Salve Nossa Senhora (48:41 - 51:12)
Brazilian Boys - Nossa Senhora do Tim (51:13 - 54:15) [HYPERLINK TO LISTING Item #669144]
Franco - Black Samba (54:16 - 57:40)
Quarteto Em Cy - Gostava Tanto de Voce (57:40 - 1:00:26)
