Label: Discos Nada – ND009 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered Country: Brazil Released: 18 Feb 2022 Genre: Jazz, Latin, Folk, World, & Country Style: MPB, Folk
Mind-blowing Brazilian acid-folk holy grail reissued, more below. (Mint / New)
One of the rarest and most enigmatic LPs in the Brazilian discography from the 1970s, Pra Quem Sabe das Coisas, released in 1973 by the label EBRAU (Editora Brasileira Artistas Unidos), finally has a refined reissue and its mysteries revealed, exactly half a century later, considering that it was recorded in 1971, but put in the market as a 12-inch record only two years later. During a telephone chat packed with affectionate memories, Cau Pimentel (Cláudio Gama Pimentel), singer, songwriter and occasional guitarist with great sensibility and talent whose main professional activity involves criminal law, brought to the surface a story of passion for music that allowed great friendships to flourish, in the bubbling environment at the University of São Paulo’s Largo do São Francisco Law School, where he graduated as a lawyer. It was at the famous Coral da USP choir that the group gathered. The shared talent for music, by the way, explains the title “pra quem sabe das coisas” – for those who know the stuff. When the subject was popular music, Cau, Marcão, Benê, Bi, Vera, Eulália e Liliana were unquestionable amongst their peers.
Over two years, between 1969 and 1971, the group of instrumentalists and singers develop the repertoire recorded on the LP. They also have a crucial support: the polished assistance of Renato Mendes (1939 – 2013), Cau Pimentel’s cousin and one of the most celebrated organ players in the country, established in samba-jazz albums such as Renato Mendes & Seu Orgão (Mocambo, 1963) and Orgão de Vanguarda (Chantecler, 1965).
Gathered by Cau, the tracklist of Pra Quem Sabe Das Coisas remains, 50 years later, impactful and hard to label. The vocal harmonies, the sophistication of the arrangements and the existential density of the lyrics produce an atmosphere of rare beauty and unusual perception of aesthetic unity, as this is a collective record. A curiosity that might explain the difficulty in finding original copies of the LP: a significant share of the batch of 500 unities, which was paid by the XI de Agosto Students Union, was distributed amongst relatives of the artists and students at São Francisco law school. Below, Cau Pimentel reveals other mysteries of this small treasure of Brazil’s best popular music
Tracklist A1 Cau– Coisa E Tal A2 Liliana (5)– Prá Quem Sabe Das Coisas A3 Renato Mendes– Aldeia A4 Marcão (15)– Mutação A5 Cau– San Fernando A6 Eulalia (3)– Fim De Noite B1 Cau– Último Canto B2 Cau– De Você No. 2 B3 Vera (27)– Rosas E Garrafas B4 Liliana (5)– De Você No. 1 B5 Renato Mendes– Milagre Azul
