No borders for João Palma’s drums

Drummer João Palma is a classic product of the bossa nova generation. At age 17, in 1960, he debuted in Roberto Menescal’s group. After studying a lot, he headed to the United States in 1965, and has since been moving between the two countries and recording with some of the greatest singers and musicians around the world, from Tom Jobim and Milton Nascimento to Frank Sinatra and Herbie Hancock. Today, he holds three homes: one in Rio, one in Los Angeles and one in New York. He spends his time in recording sessions, concerts and workshops around the world. João has recently been in Rio, playing a few gigs. He’s promised to come back for more in January.

The drummer’s international career started in the midst of a series of shows with Vinicius de Moraes and Dorival Caymmi when the latter was invited by Ray Gilbert to perform at Andy Williams’ TV show. "I went to the States in 1965 to work with Dorival Caymmi and Sergio Mendes (with the group Brasil 66, with whom João made three albums). Then I worked with Walter Wanderley, Astrud Gilberto, Liza Minneli and a number of jazz stars", he recalls.

Palma has played a number of solo gigs, with only the drums, although this is not very usual in Brazil. "Some of my friends perform solo shows with their cellos or saxophones... why shouldn’t I do it with my drums? I go and give video lessons and workshops... but Brazil is the singer’s realm, and that’s why I made my career in the United States. My concerts are named João Palma and Guests. American managers call me Sir Butterfly because I’m always flying. I don’t want straps holding me down. I don’t want to be connected with a singer or a group. But here in Brazil, they don’t understand that the drummer can be a band leader", he grunts, positively right.

"I’m a First World Brazilian"
Being respected by the major musicians and drummers in the world is something to be proud of. João Paulo owns a brilliant résumé, and it is almost impossible to track down all of the recording sessions in which he performed. When asked about how he felt while recording with myths like Frank Sinatra (Sinatra & Company), his answer is untouched by fascination. " I think it was amazing for him. I’m a First World Brazilian! I’m not the type who kneels down! I’m a master PhD in musical theory!", he says. According to him, before Tom and Sinatra recorded the album, the American singer went on a tour with Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 as supporting act. One day, Sinatra’s drummer fell ill halfway through the show, and João saved the night, playing the rest of the set. "Sinatra went wild, because of me! Eventually, he came up to me and asked: ‘You think that Jobim would want to make an album with me?’ He thought that Tom was better than Cole Porter and whomever else... he would say to Tom: ‘If I’d had a brother, it would have been you’. He would take Tom to all those places, including his house in Nevada. That’s why I say that Brazilian musicians have got to increase their self-esteem!", he teaches. Palma recorded the albums Tide, Stone Flower, Matita Perê and Urubu with Tom Jobim. João Palma is flattering when he talks about his generation; musicians like percussionist Airto Moreira and keyboard master Walter Wanderley. "I brought Airto to play in Stone Flower. I believed in him and indicated his name to (recording company) CTI. Because I quickly noticed that he was a percussion virtuoso", he praises. About Walter, who is usually remembered for having jeopardized his own career while at the peak – in the United States –, as well as for beating up his wife (singer Isaurinha Garcia), João only has nice things to say. "We made two albums on A&M (Moon Dreams and When It Was Done), and played a lot of gigs together. Walter died of cancer! All these things they say about him are so narrow. Because whenever someone leaves the country and tries for a career in another country, they’re no good, anymore. They go: ‘Sergio Mendes is a s.o.b.... Tom Jobim never helped anyone...’ They even want to do the same with Pelé! Being pretty, rich and famous in Brazil is next to a capital crime. Well, then, I have performed with Walter, and together, we sold out the Hollywood Bowl. Is that good enough?"

Rich bossa
João Palma recorded with BPM legends like Maysa. He appears in her acclaimed live album from 1964, and keeps cheerful memories of her. "Like any other big star, she was very sensitive and emotional. I only had nice moments with her. She would refer to her back up bands as ‘my boys, my children’. Since she was married to a millionaire, her life standards were high. We would go to Argentina and she would demand a Mercedes Benz and a five-star hotel. She would say to the musicians: ‘Go down to the boutique and get yourselves whatever you fancy!’ she would ask each musician: ‘How much do you wanna get for this gig?’, and there she came with our money. Because bossa nova was music for the rich", he laughs.

Palma, by the way, thinks that the history of bossa nova is being misstated. "I met João Gilberto in 1950. He came over to his uncle’s house, and the uncle was my neighbor. Claiming that bossa nova was born inside the house of Nara Leão is folklore, because nobody knows how or when a musical movement might begin or end. Bossa nova was developed by well-fed, middle-class youngster from the richest part of town, Copacabana, where all the nightclubs were located. And then, we had musicians from all over the country, like Sivuca, Walter Wanderley and Ed Lincoln, flocking to Copacabana."

Blender music
With an acute critic spirit toward Brazilian issues, even due to his spending the greatest part of the year away, Palma makes objections to the music made in the country nowadays. "There is no more music, the average Brazilian has lost the essence. It is necessary to institutionalize the samba. People play samba and baião as if both were the same; they have lost the notion of rhythm and style. It is too much mixture, like blender music, and nobody really knows what it is", he analyzes.