Quarteto Novo – Quarteto Novo (1967)

Quarteto Novo – Quarteto Novo
1967 Odeon (S)MFOB 3505
EU Reissue 2008 EMI – 5099921674624

Holy hell somebody grab a fire extinguisher because this record cooks so much it started a grease fire and may burn your whole house down. Don’t believe me? Yes, the record starts out gently with acoustic treatments playing Northeastern musical motifs (what would have still been called ‘folklore’ back in the 60s), featuring Airto Morreira on various percussion and Hermeto Pascoal on flute.This could be to give the record a slow-burn build-up, which it does, but it also helps this marvelous group stand out from the flurry of jazz-bossa and bossa-jazz that was saturating MPB in the late sixties. You can immediately tell these guys are coming from a different place. Hermeto Pascoal was composing some tunes here with protest-folk singer Geraldo Vandré, and the tune Canto Geral hints at the experimentalism that would define Hermeto’s career over the coming decades. And the next tune also touches on another characteristic of ‘The Wizard’ (O Bruxo), as he is known in Brazil — a deconstruction of a baião (variant modality of forró) by Luiz Gonzaga and Zédantas, “Algodão”, with sensuously elegant piano figures scattered throughout its seven minutes. Seven minutes was a long-ass song in 1967 Brazilian music, and it’s the first indication (or warning, depending on your disposition) that Quarteto Novo is about to launch into full-on, soaring Brazilian jazz in the coming tracks. It may be a cliché to say so, but this quartet was really ahead of its time. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Quarteto Novo featured Theo de Barros on acoustic and electric guitars here, who passed away just a few weeks ago.  He was a founding member of the group, and Hermeto left a touching video farewell message for him on his socials).

I would also be remiss if I failed to mention that Hermeto is soon to embark on a rare, short tour of the United States.  At 87 years old he’s still out there killin’ it, and if you have never seen him and have any interest whatsoever in rectifying that, now is your chance. I saw him only once in Brazil (more about that in another post, perhaps) and will be traveling a few hundred miles to catch him in the land of my birth this summer.

Tracklist
1. O Ôvo
2. Fica Mal Com Deus
3. Canto Geral
4. Algodão
5. Canta Maria
6. Síntese
7. Misturada
8. Vim De Sant’Ana

Quarteto Novo was:

Hermeto Pascoal
Airto Morreira
Theo de Barros
Heraldo Do Monte

More information: https://www.discogs.com/release/2332296-Quarteto-Novo-Quarteto-Novo

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