ALÉM DAS LENDAS BRASILEIRAS

Now, why dont we stay in Brazil?

If there is a prolific country in South America, talking about progressive rock, it has to be Brazil, besides Argentina of course, if you are not familiar with prog scene in these countries, then you should go and get some stuff, believe me that they have had great bands and great albums as well, Os Mutantes, Sagrado Coracao among others are Brazilian bands that you should have a look, if you like them, then you might probably enjoy Terreno Baldio as well.

In 1977 Terreno Baldio released their second effort called "Alem das Lendas Brasileiras" which since the very first song has that traditional brazilian touch, which sometimes could be very pastoral and sometimes very happy like carnavalesque, obviously you will find a little touch of bossa nova througout the album.

Actually i think this album is very catchy and anyone could enjoy it, you can listen to it and not get bored, it is easy to dig and sometimes seems to be pretty, it has 9 songs and 34 minutes of lenght, a short album indeed, but very enjoyable. Terreno Baldio is a 5 member band with some guests in this album playing violin and cello, it is not the most beautiful gem that Brazil has given us, actually i think that it lakcs of some proggier songs, the complexity is not a word that fits in this album, there are very well written and arranged songs and that is why i like it, but bands like Sagrado or the nowadays bands like Arion, Haddad or Pocos e Nuvens have made more complex and proggier music. The lyrics are sung in Portuguese, a language that is a bit familiar to me and that i like, so that makes the album more listenable at least to me, the sound is very clean and the musicianship is excellent.

Some of the best moments are the very well oriented"Lobisonem", the great "Curupira" which has percussion and keyboards as main elements, the vocals sometimes sound a la Jon Anderson, so if you dont like his voice, then be careful with this.

After all this is a very nice, catchy and joyful album, very recommenadable to any follower of South American / Latin scene, Gentle Giant could have been a strong influence in this band, though some of this songs dont have the complexity tha GG does, 3 stars for me!

After their debut and namesake album - well praised by the specialized critic and by the faithful audience; TERRENO BALDIO decided to release an album telling musically the stories behind some fine Brazilian legends, drinking directly from our folklore: "Além Das Lendas Brasileiras". However, which legends to choose amid hundreds of them? They went to the most popular ones, those legends that are taught at elementary school and presented by the kids at the Folklore Day (April) or at the School Year's End (December), in reality mainly those with universal appeal.

TERRENO BALDIO certainly caught inspiration from European prog bands, always eager to sing the fates and dramas of their own legends, but this time spicing our own with the sunny flavor so profuse and abundant down here in Terra Brasilis. Some may say that they should focus on a sole theme making musical variations around it, well I cannot remember easily the odds of the time being when the tracks were recorded but seeing from the present perspective the result is neatly fair and catchy, humorous and warm many times, fascinating almost all the time.

It's obvious that without some kind of explanation songs sound meaningless for non-Brazilian ears and even not translating the lyrics if a glimpse of the legends are displayed a foreigner will have the chance to understand what the tunes intend to say. It's also worth to notice that some legends have regional differences, the text presented may eventually vary here and there throughout the country.

'Caipora', this being is a feral kid that protects the wild animals from hunting doing all sort of tricks to frighten hunters and other wrongdoers. He is generally portrayed as a hairy guy with strange feet, having a dark skin and a nervous laughing and riding a giant wild boar. The hillbillies when need to hunt for nutrition, not for amusement, offer tobacco to distract the caipora attention, since this creature is addicted to pipe smoking. This legend has a native origin but was modified by the backwoodsmen and it spreads basically in all Brazil's corners and that's the reason why TERRENO BALDIO present a song that has a typical hillbilly approach with references to all parts of the country. The way the song runs looks like the caipora pace and the backing vocals intended to be haunting are in fact funny and a bit childish - a fair recommendation for the mentioned school's celebrations.

'Saci-Pererê' is a forest elf, portrayed as a one-legged black kid, with a red beret and always smoking a pipe (Brazilian legends need to restrain their smoking addiction). He's a mischievous being that haunts the children, makes things disappear, does mockeries, cheats, disturbs, bothers whenever he is and always escaping in a small vortex or tornado he is able to create. Mothers use his figure to make the kids behave. The saci is the most popular of the Brazilian legends, being recognized in all parts of the country. In recent times, he becomes softer and milder; thanks to writers and fabulists that have shaped a more humane figure for the saci, making him a symbol of the adolescence, a bit confused and senseless but determined. Although of Amerindian background it's clear that this entity is a mix with some African goblin. Also the pest is related to a nocturnal bird (Tapera naevia, Cuculidae family) known as matinta-pere or matinta-pereira considered the bad guy of the woods due to its cuckoo-like behavior (nest parasitism); the bird's voice is weird and frightening. TERRENO BALDIO view of the infamous saci is amusing, with the instruments and vocals trying to reproduce the one-leg walking and the swirl where the saci hides himself.

'Passaredo' means flight of birds and TERRENO BALDIO pays homage to the several legends related to birds grabbing inspiration from the song written by Chico Buarque and Francis Hime, two giants of the Brazilian music. Here the band add a particular approach to the original song, providing it with a joyful intro and a respectful singing; the lyrics deserve it: "hey, nightingale, bluebird and blackbird, fly oriole, goldfinch and thrush, go tanager and jay, hide hummingbird, walk swallow, go sparrow, take off dove, please keep silent, please be aware, the man is coming, the man is coming, the man is coming."

'Primavera' (Springtime) although not a real legend is a manner to collectively celebrate all Brazilian flowers, including the beautiful victoria-regia, the largest of all existing flowers, a common view in many rivers and lakes in Brazil. TERRENO BALDIO recorded a plain and catchy song, embellished by good lyrics and that's enough.

'Lobisomem' (Werewolf) is the only European legend kept equal to the original, probably because instead of landed here with the Portuguese in the XVI & XVII centuries, this legend was brought with Italian or German immigrants that arrived a mere century and a half ago. TERRENO BALDIO went fusion to tell the werewolf story, making this track quite diverse from the general album atmosphere.

'Curupira' is very similar to the caipora but this being is the protector of plants and trees instead of animals. The curupira looks like an Indian boy but with red hair and green teeth; he's the terror of lumberjacks and gold miners but rubber extractors offer him some tobacco (another smoker!) and pinga, a raw beverage produced from the sugar cane, in order to be granted to work (rubber extraction from the seringa tree does few damage to the vegetation). The curupira may be extremely revengeful when finding an illegal woodcutter and for this reason he has been portrayed as a symbol in the defense of the forest. This legend comes directly from the Tupian people, the native tribes that were most common along the coast when the Europeans first appeared here. TERRENO BALDIO visited the theme with a characteristic native sound, exquisite and mysterious; here the band goes very progressive, with intense instrumental action, quaint vocals and sudden rhythm changes to show the various faces of the entity pictured.

'As Amazonas', the traditional Greek legend of the amazons was brought to Brazil by the first Portuguese settlers and sailors and here it blended with similar legends of the native people (especially in the north where lived the Arawaks), like those of the icambiaras, beautiful women who weren't not only warriors but attractive lovers and terrible witches, able to seduce men to shape a new generation of amazons and also to make their mates to die bloodless. TERRENO BALDIO went crazy to describe this legend and it didn't work making this the weakest album track.

'Iara' is also a legend taken from Europe but stylized, where the mythological siren is portrayed as a beautiful native girl, associated with the manatee, strange mammals that live in the Brazilian rivers (they have a close relative in Florida, USA). The iara appears to solitary men instigating them with her beauty and sweetness to dive into a sexual intercourse that after completed will take the poor seduced dudes to a madness state and eventually death - anyway, the iara is a fine excuse when a married man go to a different happy hour. The iara has a male equivalent, named boto (also a fluvial mammal similar to the dolphins), which supplies a fair explanation for a non-explainable pregnancy. However, those features only happen today in the deepest heart of the country where still the matuto, the Brazilian yahoo lives. TERRENO BALDIO made a soft and kind approach to the legend reaching a fair and enjoyable result.

'Negrinho do Pastoreio' is the only legend probably based on a real character although the story has changed hugely as time passes by. This legend traces its origins in the southernmost part of the country but it is well-known everywhere. It tells the misfortunes of an orphan slave kid that was tortured and killed for a lesser prank, probably because he slept while taking care of the cattle, but the real cause varies depending on the region and the story-teller. After this, the boy's spirit appears in several places haunting those that chastise children and protecting infants from sickness and from being spanked. Being killed while pure and innocent he protects all those who are pure and innocent too. TERRENO BALDIO went poignant and sorrowful to transform into song this sad story, making this track the album's best together with 'Passaredo', a gorgeous adieu to this interesting release.

Rating this album isn't an easy task since the ties with the nation's folklore must not be overlooked mainly when the reviewer is part of the scenario. "Além Das Lendas Brasileiras" is good but also essential if you live here or either if you are honestly interested in knowing another reality. Total: 4.

Some final notes: my review was based on a LP taken on loan from a great friend to whom I thank wholeheartedly. Also parts of the legend stories where translated from Brazilian educational sites that are unfortunately unable to be displayed here.

I had this LP back in 1978. It was something rare at those times, a prog band doing a complete album based on the most famous folklore legends of Brazil. I can´t really say if this work came either too late (prog´s glory days were far behind) or if it was too much too soon (the mix of regional sounds and prog rock is widely accepted now, but that was not the case back then). Either way, the timing was wrong, and little atention was paid to Além Das Lendas Brasileiras. The group broke up soon after this release.

For a good, wide, explanation of the lyrics and stories on which they are based, I suggest you see Atkingani´s excellent review of the same album. He explains them with a good amount of detail (nice work, Guigo!). The music itself changed a little bit from their self titled first release, with more influences from the brazilian popular music and rhythms added to the mix. The inclusion of the classic Passaredo, written by the legendary brazilian songwriter Chico Buarque is no coincidence. The intricated, complex Gentle Giant-like arrangements are still present, but in a more subtle way. The musicanship is still excellent, but nothing´s very flashy and there are few long instrumental passages or solos. Most of their outstanding techinique and talent work for the songs, with layers of jazzy keyboards and guitars backed by a very strong and creative rhythm section. Some extra instrumentation is provided by band members themselves (percussion, flute, whistle) or guests (violin, cello, acoustic bass).

At the time I must admit that I didn´t like the record very much. I guess the music was too different from what I was hearing then and my poor stereo could not reproduce all the fine details I now enjoy when I listen to the CD version. I still think they could have made the songs a little longer, exploring more their terrific musical talents, but I believe budget and vinyl limitations prevented that. Also João Kurk´s vocal lines were quite unusual and his frequent falsetto was not everybody´s cup of tea. Nowadays I see how ahead of the time those guys really were and how good this CD is even today. Production is quite good. All the tracks are excellent and the CD has no fillers. I´m glad I found it again.

The mixture of prog rock, elaborated and jazzy arrangements, folk themes and brazilian rhythms makes this album one of the most interesting and groundbreaking albums to come from south america in the 70´s. A CD that sounds fresh, relevant and exciting even after 30 years of its original release. Surely a must have if you want to hear something that is different and yet have enough melody and song structure to sound quite familiar too. Rating: 4,5 stars.

A slight and fortuitous shift has occurred from their debut album, as TERRENO BALDIO sounds far more Brazilian than before, and the herky jerky gyrations that earned them comparisons to GG actually make sense here. Still, it doesn't move me as much as it might given those endorsements.

At times I feel like I am listening to a MILTON NASCIMENTO album, especially in the fluid vocals styles of "Passaredo" and "Primavera". The jazz dance style improves on the middle of the pack pseudo-symphonics of their self titled effort. The album reaches its peak, however, when sounding a bit more unique than either of these variations, as on "Lobisomen" and especially "Curupira", where they come closest to leaving a distinct footprint all their own. Lively keyboard touches, funky but smooth vocals and syncopated bass and drums all propel the album along quite well. The rapid fire chorus of "Curupira" is particularly noteworthy, as are the lead guitar pyrotechnics that open "As Amazonas" even if the song itself cannot nearly do them justice.

While I'm not a fan per se, I find it hard to be overly critical of this authentic effort. With many of the less appealing aspects of its predecessor dispensed with and replaced by high quality and very eclectic Latin prog, "Alem.." may fall short of its titular promise, but is still good for 3 stars.