Ney Matogrosso: malicious, active and provocative at age 60
Singer releases a CD dedicated to the MPB from the 30s and 40s
Rodrigo Faour
15/03/2001
He's still the same. Body and voice in excellent shape, provocative, fearless to say what he thinks of people and things, and willing to record quality music and make no concessions to the industry. That's Ney Matogrosso, who has just released Batuque (read the review), totally dedicated to the Brazilian music from the 1930s and 40s.
The idea for the album came up a year ago, when Ney participated in an homage to Carmen Miranda with choro group Nó em Pingo D'Água. He went into the studio and recorded four of the songs he'd tested onstage. But he also fell in love with songs that Carmen had never recorded. "At that moment, I realized that I couldn't limit myself to her repertoire, so I went after other songs that were representative of the period", the singer explains. Ney claims to be at home with the repertoire, and that the naïve approach of the lyrics has a reason. "I made a point about stressing out the naïveté", claims the performer, who thinks of his disc as an alternative to the lack of subtelty of the funk made in Rio.
"I'm not against anything, but I reckon that the industry picks the most disposable products to make a profit on them", he says. He was impressed with the massive presence of the funk during carnival in Bahia. "It is too chauvinist and anti-feminist. But not exactly new, it dates back to axé music. I also don't think of it as erotic or sexy. I think it's vulgar".
New show will be Latin-flavored
Collected, Ney does not care about radio hits as he did in the 70s and 80s, because he's got a faithful audience that constantly packs his shows. "This show is going to be more Latin". Although he hasn't started rehearsing, yet, songs like Dos Cruces, Alma Llanera, Cubanacan, Babalu and Vereda Tropical will be in the set list.
About to turn 60 years-old, Ney is the same as always and not concerned about aging. "My secret is to not care. Sometimes I think: 'How should I behave at age 60? Should I refrain myself, should I not go crazy?' But then, it's not gonna be me... So I am what I am, the living proof that a 60-year-old doesn't have to be a creepy old fellow", he shoots.
The idea for the album came up a year ago, when Ney participated in an homage to Carmen Miranda with choro group Nó em Pingo D'Água. He went into the studio and recorded four of the songs he'd tested onstage. But he also fell in love with songs that Carmen had never recorded. "At that moment, I realized that I couldn't limit myself to her repertoire, so I went after other songs that were representative of the period", the singer explains. Ney claims to be at home with the repertoire, and that the naïve approach of the lyrics has a reason. "I made a point about stressing out the naïveté", claims the performer, who thinks of his disc as an alternative to the lack of subtelty of the funk made in Rio.
"I'm not against anything, but I reckon that the industry picks the most disposable products to make a profit on them", he says. He was impressed with the massive presence of the funk during carnival in Bahia. "It is too chauvinist and anti-feminist. But not exactly new, it dates back to axé music. I also don't think of it as erotic or sexy. I think it's vulgar".
New show will be Latin-flavored
Collected, Ney does not care about radio hits as he did in the 70s and 80s, because he's got a faithful audience that constantly packs his shows. "This show is going to be more Latin". Although he hasn't started rehearsing, yet, songs like Dos Cruces, Alma Llanera, Cubanacan, Babalu and Vereda Tropical will be in the set list.
About to turn 60 years-old, Ney is the same as always and not concerned about aging. "My secret is to not care. Sometimes I think: 'How should I behave at age 60? Should I refrain myself, should I not go crazy?' But then, it's not gonna be me... So I am what I am, the living proof that a 60-year-old doesn't have to be a creepy old fellow", he shoots.