Nana Vasconcelos's Saudades

Naná Vasconcelos is a percussionist who combines jazz, psychedelia, world music, experimentalism, and post-punk to create a unique sound. This book traces the 15 years leading up to his album Saudades, which features berimbau, onomatopoetic vocals, and the strings of the Radio Symphony Stuttgart. Sharp hears Naná's playing as a counterargument against dishonest notions of the primitive and sees his music as complex and contemporary.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 18 November 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Naná Vasconcelos, an Afro-Brazilian percussionist, weaves a captivating tapestry of musical genres, encompassing jazz, psychedelia, world music, experimentalism, and post-punk. Hailing from Recife, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, and Paris, Naná has collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, including Egberto Gismonti, Don Cherry, Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, Arto Lindsay, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, Jon Hassell, Brian Eno, Os Mutantes, and Milton Nascimento. This captivating book delves into the 15-year period (1964-1979) preceding Naná's groundbreaking album, Saudades (1979, ECM). Recorded during his time in Germany, Saudades evokes Naná's sonic memories of Brazil, featuring the enchanting berimbau, a one-stringed instrument resembling a bow and arrow, alongside onomatopoetic vocals and the strings of the Radio Symphony Stuttgart. Daniel B. Sharp perceives Naná's playing as a powerful counterargument against simplistic notions of primitivism, coinciding with the emergence of world music as a genre. Using a gourd, stick, wire, wicker basket, and stone, Naná crafted music that is as intricate and contemporary as the popular ARP synthesizers of that era.

Dimension: 197 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501345708