Marcio Faraco - O Tempo (2011)

For all those who’ve heard it, ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’, a song taken from Songs of Love & Hate, is the Anglo-Saxon song of the century. If you want every country to have its Leonard Cohen, then Brazil certainly has one in the form of Márcio Faraco. Each one of his songs is exemplary in its finesse, its fragile balance between gentleness and seriousness. What seems like nonchalance and some kind of detachment are just a way of “taking the ear in” thought up by an artist who excels in the art of the sketch. Tenderness, respect for others and a quiet sense of reserve are the marks of Márcio Faraco’s distinctive style, one free of pathos but with traces of his illustrious influences, João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes.

‘O Tempo’ – Time – evokes the primitive sound of certain Portuguese music – the longing expressed by fado, mixed with African and Cuban sounds. The themes are always autobiographical, leading here to an intimate journey through time and memory. Hence the title ‘Constantina’ for one theme, referring to Márcio’s old minder, a humble woman he imagines discovering the sea for the first time through his eyes… she who in fact has never seen it. Most of the lyrics here have been jointly written with a variety of songwriters so as to “change worlds now and then”, but as far as the musicians go, everything functions on the principle of continuity. And indeed, highly talented percussionist Julio Gonçalves, who’s been playing with Márcio for 20 years, was invited to take part in the album.
Of course, Márcio made his recording in Rio, the perfect place for the purity of his guitar-voice, a tightrope exercise if ever there was one. But if Márcio was to win his wager, it was vital to be in the country of João Gilberto – unquestionably the king of this style. Yet nothing was simple, because he had to make two trips beforehand to take the six guitars he wanted to record with! (Màrcio recorded part of this album on a Brazilian peasant guitar with 10 double strings, known as the viola caipira). What’s more, the studio was in Niterói, on the other side of the bay of Rio, and Márcio had to drive 50 kilometres every day to get there. When he came back, often late at night, via the Rio/ Niterói bridge, it was strangely deserted everywhere. In fact, since a government-organised violent campaign against drug smuggling was launched there, no-one dares go there at night. A weird background indeed for such a sunlit album, serene, at peace with itself and the world.


Tracks

1 - Ultimo Olhar
2 - O Tempo
3 - Descaso
4 - Nenhum lugar
5 - Douro
6 - Madrugada
7 - Constantina
8 - Porque querer
9 - Acaso, sorte ou destino
10 - Noite de lembrar
11 - Chuva, sol e vento