Beatles and Hendrix in Brazilian versions
Jazz musicians take up rock and roll
Rodrigo Faour
18/10/2000
Guitarist Victor Biglione and acoustic guitarist Nonato Luiz have embraced the 60s pop and rock in their new discs. In spite of diving into the music produced in the same period, Um tributo a Hendrix – Victor Biglione in Blues Rock (Universal) and Nonato Luiz Toca The Beatles (Kuarup) pursue perfectly opposite trails. While the first goes after the heavier approach, with devilish vocals and guitar solos, the second brings the Beatles into the Brazilian universe, adapting harmonies to the acoustic guitar, the icon instrument of BPM.
Nonato says that, after studying the works of those who wrote for the acoustic guitar and being influenced by masters like Garoto and Baden Powell, he’s rolling on another road. He’s been working on pieces that have not been written for the acoustic guitar. Thus, after reviewing the works of Luiz Gonzaga and Milton Nascimento, it’s time for the Beatles – why not? "It’s two different jobs: to adapt the songs and make them proper for the acoustic guitar and to keep their original identity. Milton has never written for the acoustic guitar. Neither have the Beatles. So, it’s a triple challenge because theirs is foreign music and I wanted to make them a little Brazilian, because I enjoy preserving our roots. I really liked the result, it brings the Beatles to Brazil", claims the musician who chose 15 of the Liverpool quartet’s songs for the CD.
By reviewing Beatles songs, Nonato noticed that "the harmonies and melodies are very rich. It was heavy duty to listen to all of their stuff and choose some of it and then adapt the songs for my instrument." Among the songs he recorded in this album, Luiz points out three that he liked the most: In My Life, Piggies and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
I miss my guitar
On the other hand, Victor Biglione decided to go for Jimi Hendrix and his counterparts because he missed playing rock’n’roll: "I’m a guitarist in the first place, and I’m a rocker. But I became known as a jazz musician. I also think that Brazilian bands are very little into guitars, nowadays", explains Victor, whose latest work includes a CD with pianist Marcos Ariel, another with former The Police guitarist Andy Summers and a compilation of movie scores that he wrote.
The option for rock is coherent with his career. "I focused mainly on Hendrix, but allowed myself to go for other things I like, such as Deep Purple (Lazy), Santana (Taboo), and Fleetowood Mac (I Loved Another Woman and Love That Burns), from the period when Peter Green played with them and influenced both Sanatana and Clepton."
Victor says he brought his jazzy approach into these songs, and took up on singing, which he had quit doing decades ago. "I know my voice can’t beat my guitar, so I used it as a side dish. And Hendrix wasn’t a great singer, anyway", he justifies.
Nonato says that, after studying the works of those who wrote for the acoustic guitar and being influenced by masters like Garoto and Baden Powell, he’s rolling on another road. He’s been working on pieces that have not been written for the acoustic guitar. Thus, after reviewing the works of Luiz Gonzaga and Milton Nascimento, it’s time for the Beatles – why not? "It’s two different jobs: to adapt the songs and make them proper for the acoustic guitar and to keep their original identity. Milton has never written for the acoustic guitar. Neither have the Beatles. So, it’s a triple challenge because theirs is foreign music and I wanted to make them a little Brazilian, because I enjoy preserving our roots. I really liked the result, it brings the Beatles to Brazil", claims the musician who chose 15 of the Liverpool quartet’s songs for the CD.
By reviewing Beatles songs, Nonato noticed that "the harmonies and melodies are very rich. It was heavy duty to listen to all of their stuff and choose some of it and then adapt the songs for my instrument." Among the songs he recorded in this album, Luiz points out three that he liked the most: In My Life, Piggies and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
I miss my guitar
On the other hand, Victor Biglione decided to go for Jimi Hendrix and his counterparts because he missed playing rock’n’roll: "I’m a guitarist in the first place, and I’m a rocker. But I became known as a jazz musician. I also think that Brazilian bands are very little into guitars, nowadays", explains Victor, whose latest work includes a CD with pianist Marcos Ariel, another with former The Police guitarist Andy Summers and a compilation of movie scores that he wrote.
The option for rock is coherent with his career. "I focused mainly on Hendrix, but allowed myself to go for other things I like, such as Deep Purple (Lazy), Santana (Taboo), and Fleetowood Mac (I Loved Another Woman and Love That Burns), from the period when Peter Green played with them and influenced both Sanatana and Clepton."
Victor says he brought his jazzy approach into these songs, and took up on singing, which he had quit doing decades ago. "I know my voice can’t beat my guitar, so I used it as a side dish. And Hendrix wasn’t a great singer, anyway", he justifies.