Tulio Borges - Eu Venho Vagando No Ar

I let the breeze play the bell in me in time the wind knows when it's time when it's silence I see Brazilian translator Túlio Borges worships the muse like in the time of daintiness. "I've never wanted to work with music fretting to lose the pleasure in playing," he confesses, now premiering at the age of 29, with his beautiful and multifaceted album Eu venho vagando no ar [Life roaming the air], which came out after a long, close relationship with the art. Borges studied piano in the Music School of Brasília, recorded jingles, took part in jazz bands and in choirs. Even though he wrote music since his childhood, only when he was 23 and living in London did he start compiling his work (he had nigh about 50 songs), which he would record once back in Brazil. In his homeland, he took part in festivals all over Brazil, and had his talents recognized by many important music critics. It was in one of these festivals when he met a singer Vytória Rudan, from Rio de Janeiro, with whom he became stage partners. In the album, she participates both in the seducing samba Paraty (Ela tem algo mais/ coisa que nada no mundo faz/ trazer paz pra um coração [She's got something else/ something rare few things do / she brings peace to a heart]), filled with "cuíca", "tamborim" and the Brazilian seven-string acoustic guitar, and in the fado/tango Zorro (Eu quero amar você e vou/ mas tenho que aprender quem sou/ achar dentro de mim o mapa [I want to love you and I will/ first I'll learn who I am/ and then find within me the map]), where the vocal duo is performed with great intensity. Also sharing the microphones with Túlio is Ms. Inácia, who raisedthe musician and has worked with the family for 35 years. "It's her that maybe has influenced me the most," he analyzes. "She was the one who brought home the black, the popular, the Northeastern music, and the stories," he tells. She opens the album with Túlio in Pontos, which is a compilation of long-lost African-Brazilian chants; "songs I caught her singing while working, songs that she hadn't even realized she knew by heart, so sweet and melodious." Ms. Inácia Maria da Conceição, born in the state of Piauí, solos in the last part of the song. "The idea was to record the African-Brazilian ritual songs with accompaniment that would add value to them, and that the recording served as a thanks in life for the support that Ms. Inácia gives me, as simply as with a hug and a kiss, which cleanse the soul, so sincere and pure they are," defines the soloist. Eu venho vagando no ar (name taken from one of the songs' title) bets on this purity primed by talented Túlio's urbanity. Like in the song resembling a traditional "baião" Trem [Train], opened by a percussion emulating this means of transport, and has a passage with projected vocal, versed like an improvised "repente" (o fogão dos meus desejos fala/ é tão linda que a lindeza estala [my desires speak as a stove would/ so much beauty the beauty crackles]). From the regional Túlio leaps to the universal in the jazzy Shirley, a profusion of sensual images brought out by the very singer's guitar and Genil Castro's electric guitar. He then moves to the not less involving Birosca, a samba with "cuíca", "cavaquinho", clarinet, acoustic guitars, and Leandro Braga's piano. The samba, the urbanity, and the mysticism are the Brazilian-typical qualities in Altar, showered with fluid images (Tantos morros e só um Redentor [Too many hills and only one Redeemer]), a duet with singer Fred Martins. Há muito choro em mim/ por mil razões que eu sei/ e mais dez mil que herdei [There is much cry within/ for a thousand reasons I know/ and ten thousand I've inherited] adds Toca aí, an ethereal song in Túlio's gentle vocal sewn together by Rafael dos Anjos's acoustic guitars. Now, the song Sua, paved by the keyboards of the songwriter himself in a dialogue with the digressions of Toninho Ferragutti's accordion, is among the most breath-taking songs in the album. The web of words in Cicatriz (que saudade me dói, devora/ as lembranças do outono outrora [Missing you so much hurts, devours me/ as do the memories from a fall foregone]), bound together by Leandro Braga's piano, underscores the communion of the singer/songwriter with his art (as lembranças enramam raízes/ por toda parte [the memories embower roots/ everywhere]). The insinuating "choro" Ói - Morro de rir, where French-horn (Yuri Zuvanov) and a clarinet (Ademir Junior) dialogue unexpectedly with Amoy Ribas's tambourine, prepares the devastating impact of the title track, which closes the album. Prefaced by a suspended fife, the lyrics shine as a sparkling jewel, a manifest of a new unique artist: I let the breeze play the bell in me in time the wind knows when it's time when it's silence I see Tárik de Souza, music critic _______________________ Once in a while an album lands in your hands and makes you wonder why more people do not take notice of it. Whether with it's artful liner notes, the smooth singer's voice and precise articulation or the lyricism and melodiousness of crafty songs, the album causes you to play it over and over and relish each new discovery. It is a surprising gift that keeps on giving and never loses it's appeal. Such is Eu Venho Vagando no Ar, Túlio Borges' debut album. Born in Brasília (1980), Túlio Borges studied communications, law and psychology, but it was music the driving force in his life. An aficionado of Brazilian music as well as jazz and fado, Túlio's love of music includes such exponents as Oscar Peterson, João Gilberto, Rosa Passos and other stellar MPB names. So, it is no wonder that his captivating vocals, songs and performances get you completely enthralled in his music. After a brief stay in Seattle in the mid- to late 1990s, Túlio returned to Brazil and has now produced and arranged this beautiful debut album. With amazing skills as a songwriter, Túlio takes us on an enjoyable journey through his music with folk chants, forró, samba, blues and even a fado. The music in Eu Venho Vagando no Ar is fascinating both melodically and lyrically. Eu Venho Vagando no Ar features, among other musicians, Rafael do Anjos (acoustic guitar), Pedro Vasconcellos (cavaquinho), Leander Motta (percussion), Leandro Braga (piano) and Toninho Ferragutti (accordion). The opener, 'Pontos,' is performed mostly a cappella except for some additional percussion accompaniment. The longing feeling in the lyrics is aptly expressed in Túlio's rendition. One of the distinctive features of this album is how seamless one genre nicely flows into another. For example, 'Trem' and it's northeastern flavor (thanks to Ferragutti's accordion) leads beautifully into 'Zorro,' a fado, performed with Vytória Rudan, and that is followed with 'Shirley,' a blues with an incredible guitar solo by Genil Castro. One of my favorite songs in the album is 'Birosca,' a nice samba that will inevitably make you think of Noel Rosa's music. It's like being at Vila Isabel, Noel's neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to Túlio's performance, the arrangement and lyrics, Ademir Júnior's clarinet solo completes this winning song. Then we have a love trilogy with 'Sua,' 'Paraty' and 'Cicatriz.' The love ballad 'Sua' is astounding. Túlio, on piano, gives soaring vocals with an unforgettable and melancholic accordion solo by Ferragutti. The nearly breathless love plea asking to be yours is beautifully heartfelt. The middle piece in this trilogy is 'Paraty,' a declaration of love at first sight played in a soft samba. Rounding up the trilogy, 'Cicatriz' brings back Leandro Braga on piano accompanying Túlio's poetry. The saudade, the pain and the bare living are the scars left behind by one's love. Eu Venho Vagando no Ar is one of those precious findings that you will come back to several times. The music is beautifully produced and arranged. Túlio Borges gives us just the right tone in these unforgettable performances.