Diana Pequeno makes a comeback doing early MPB
On her first album in 12 years, singer records the music of Chiquinha Gonzaga, Villa-Lobos, Francisco Mignone and Carlos Gomes
Rodrigo Faour
22/03/2001
The female-singer boom that swept Brazil in the 1970s revealed acts like Elba Ramalho, Zizi Possi, Joanna, Ângela Rô Rô, Marina Lima, Amelinha and Diana Pequeno, who took over the radio waves with songs like Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan), Trem do Pantanal, Serei Teu Bem (version of James Taylor's You've Got a Friend) and Sinal de Amor e de Perigo, getting media attention until the mid-80s. After that, she vanished. She tried to make a comeback with and independent album in 1989, but those days were contaminated by the lambada. As a result, Diana played less and less shows until falling into oblivion. Willing to modify the picture, she puts out next week the album Cantigas, on the label MEC, performing songs from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, as well as four new ones written by herself.
"I kept working with music, but was apart from the market. You ought to agree that it is a tiring business!", she says. "I was lacking a reason to come back. But I started researching very ancient songs and decided to record them", she explains, referring to compositions like Villa-Lobos' Samba Clássico or the title-track, Cantigas, written by Alberto Nepomuceno and Branca Gonta Collaço.
Other gems rescued by Diana were A Morena (Chiquinha Gonzaga w/Ernesto de Souza), Não Vai Morena (Guerra Peixe) and Canção Asturiana (Francisco Mignone). "Mignone lived in Spain for many years. This Canção Austuriana sounds very Latin. I got rid of parts of the harmony and recorded it with voice/percussion only."
In order to give the listener the comforting sensation of hearing a song that is not completely unknown, she recorded a few famous tracks, such as Quem Sabe (Carlos Gomes), Lua Branca (Chiquinha Gonzaga) and Ontem ao Luar (Catulo da Paixão Cearense and Pedro de Alcântara). "It is amazing how the theme of the movie Love Story sounds like Ontem Ao Luar. It sounds like plagiarism", she claims. Casinha Pequenina, Prenda Minha (traditional folk songs) and O Trenzinho do Capira (Villa-Lobos) are also on the CD.
Caymmi and Edu Lobo
Diana picked a few songs from the period that followed the turn of the century, such as Balada do Rei das Sereias (Dorival Caymmi and Manoel Bandeira) and Reza (Edu Lobo). She also included four songs written by herself: the maracatu Semanário, the folk Flores do Mal, the "Arab bolero" Azul and the new age O Sol em Si. "I think they match the old songs. Of course, I did a lot of thinking so as to come up with the best order for the 18 tracks. But I like the result", she says, proudly.
Concerning new languages in MPB, such as electronica and rap, she admits that she's distant from the novelties. Nonetheless, Diana claims to be open for new approaches. "After this album, I want to keep up with my work, I believe I could write arrangements influenced by new musical trends. I would like to be involved with other languages and pop references", she says.
"I kept working with music, but was apart from the market. You ought to agree that it is a tiring business!", she says. "I was lacking a reason to come back. But I started researching very ancient songs and decided to record them", she explains, referring to compositions like Villa-Lobos' Samba Clássico or the title-track, Cantigas, written by Alberto Nepomuceno and Branca Gonta Collaço.
Other gems rescued by Diana were A Morena (Chiquinha Gonzaga w/Ernesto de Souza), Não Vai Morena (Guerra Peixe) and Canção Asturiana (Francisco Mignone). "Mignone lived in Spain for many years. This Canção Austuriana sounds very Latin. I got rid of parts of the harmony and recorded it with voice/percussion only."
In order to give the listener the comforting sensation of hearing a song that is not completely unknown, she recorded a few famous tracks, such as Quem Sabe (Carlos Gomes), Lua Branca (Chiquinha Gonzaga) and Ontem ao Luar (Catulo da Paixão Cearense and Pedro de Alcântara). "It is amazing how the theme of the movie Love Story sounds like Ontem Ao Luar. It sounds like plagiarism", she claims. Casinha Pequenina, Prenda Minha (traditional folk songs) and O Trenzinho do Capira (Villa-Lobos) are also on the CD.
Caymmi and Edu Lobo
Diana picked a few songs from the period that followed the turn of the century, such as Balada do Rei das Sereias (Dorival Caymmi and Manoel Bandeira) and Reza (Edu Lobo). She also included four songs written by herself: the maracatu Semanário, the folk Flores do Mal, the "Arab bolero" Azul and the new age O Sol em Si. "I think they match the old songs. Of course, I did a lot of thinking so as to come up with the best order for the 18 tracks. But I like the result", she says, proudly.
Concerning new languages in MPB, such as electronica and rap, she admits that she's distant from the novelties. Nonetheless, Diana claims to be open for new approaches. "After this album, I want to keep up with my work, I believe I could write arrangements influenced by new musical trends. I would like to be involved with other languages and pop references", she says.