Durval Ferreira: suburban bossa
After working as a producer for a while, guitarist and composer awaits for an opportunity to record new material
Tárik de Souza
18/10/2000
Bossa nova emerged mostly from the apartments in the richest part of Rio de Janeiro, but not all of it. Born and raised in the suburbs, Durval (Inácio) Ferreira, author of bossa standards such as Estamos Aí, Batida Diferente, Tristeza de Nós Dois, Moça Flor and Chuva, got interested in music while listening to his mother play the mandolin. He recalls exchanging information with another innovative bossa composer, João Donato, who would fit his modernist accordion into Valdemar Spillman’s orchestra. "He was always playing with us in bars and frequently got late; they had to have a cab pick him up", he says.
Adalberto Castilho, a.k.a. Bebeto, would eventually take on the bass and flute with Tamba Trio, was also part of the pack. Bebeto’s brother, Carlinhos, was the guitarist who would later be substituted by Durval. "I started out by listening to a lot BPM on the radio, and managed to educate my ears. As opposed to the famed bossa nest that Nara Leão put together in her apartment, Durval tells how the suburban group held meetings at drummer Everardo Magalhães’ house. "He would lend us instruments, and even João Gilberto would show up from time to time."
But only when he moved to Flamengo (in the south side) in 1958, Durval met his definitive partner, harmonica player Mauricio Einhorn. "He made me listen to Stan Kenton and George Shearing. I can’t deny the influence of the jazz. We would listen to Charlie Parker non-stop", he confesses. Soon enough, the SamBop crossover manifesto, a match between samba and bebop, was under way. "The first songs that we wrote did not have lyrics, were quite jazzy. Only later would I write or call in partners to write with me".
First recorded by Claudette Soares and Leny Andrade, Durval eventually left the suburbs. He joined Sergio Mendes’ group Samba Rio (which would later become Bossa Rio) and ended up participating in the historic bossa concert at the Carnegie Hall in 1962, besides recording with saxophone master Cannonball Adderley (1928-1975). Regarded as the George Green of bossa nova, Durval is proud of his guitar having been the center of attention in the Mendes/Adderley album, with four of his compositions among the tracks.
He was the fourth element of Tamba Trio’s first albums, worked with organist Ed Licoln and started his own group, Os Gatos (The Cats). It was a distinctive selection of musicians, such as Eumir Deodato (piano, arrangements), Wilson das Neves (drums), Paulo Moura (sax), Norato and Maciel (trombones).
The external influence that Ferreira received was paid back when a number of jazz musicians began recording his compositions: Milt Jackson (vibraphone, Modern Jazz Quartet), guitarist Wes Montgomery, flautist Herbie Mann, Sarah Vaughan and Mitchell & Ruff, among others. Composer and performer turned producer and artistic director for record companies, Durval remained at small local label CID for 9 years. There, he produced Nana Caymmi, Emilio Santiago and samba groups.
Despite the fact that he is an insider in the music business, Ferreira has a bunch of new songs waiting for appropriate recording conditions. "I don’t want to release them carelessly, because then, nobody will hear the songs, but they will not be new anymore", he ponders.
Adalberto Castilho, a.k.a. Bebeto, would eventually take on the bass and flute with Tamba Trio, was also part of the pack. Bebeto’s brother, Carlinhos, was the guitarist who would later be substituted by Durval. "I started out by listening to a lot BPM on the radio, and managed to educate my ears. As opposed to the famed bossa nest that Nara Leão put together in her apartment, Durval tells how the suburban group held meetings at drummer Everardo Magalhães’ house. "He would lend us instruments, and even João Gilberto would show up from time to time."
But only when he moved to Flamengo (in the south side) in 1958, Durval met his definitive partner, harmonica player Mauricio Einhorn. "He made me listen to Stan Kenton and George Shearing. I can’t deny the influence of the jazz. We would listen to Charlie Parker non-stop", he confesses. Soon enough, the SamBop crossover manifesto, a match between samba and bebop, was under way. "The first songs that we wrote did not have lyrics, were quite jazzy. Only later would I write or call in partners to write with me".
First recorded by Claudette Soares and Leny Andrade, Durval eventually left the suburbs. He joined Sergio Mendes’ group Samba Rio (which would later become Bossa Rio) and ended up participating in the historic bossa concert at the Carnegie Hall in 1962, besides recording with saxophone master Cannonball Adderley (1928-1975). Regarded as the George Green of bossa nova, Durval is proud of his guitar having been the center of attention in the Mendes/Adderley album, with four of his compositions among the tracks.
He was the fourth element of Tamba Trio’s first albums, worked with organist Ed Licoln and started his own group, Os Gatos (The Cats). It was a distinctive selection of musicians, such as Eumir Deodato (piano, arrangements), Wilson das Neves (drums), Paulo Moura (sax), Norato and Maciel (trombones).
The external influence that Ferreira received was paid back when a number of jazz musicians began recording his compositions: Milt Jackson (vibraphone, Modern Jazz Quartet), guitarist Wes Montgomery, flautist Herbie Mann, Sarah Vaughan and Mitchell & Ruff, among others. Composer and performer turned producer and artistic director for record companies, Durval remained at small local label CID for 9 years. There, he produced Nana Caymmi, Emilio Santiago and samba groups.
Despite the fact that he is an insider in the music business, Ferreira has a bunch of new songs waiting for appropriate recording conditions. "I don’t want to release them carelessly, because then, nobody will hear the songs, but they will not be new anymore", he ponders.