Sesc project debuts with new music by João Gilberto

the musical project Reliquaryrescuing the audios of shows performed in units of the Social Service of Commerce (Sesc) in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, premieres this Wednesday (5), with a previously unseen recording by João Gilberto, from 1998, at Sesc Vila Mariana. The musical was remastered and formatted as a digital album. the double album João Gilberto Live at Sesc 1998 brings together 36 songs and will be made available exclusively and free of charge, starting this Wednesday (5), on the platform Sesc Digital. The album cover is a reproduction of the graffiti made by the visual artist Speto, in 2020, in honor of João Gilberto.

“People launch the single on all platforms, it already enters Sesc Digital to be heard in full and, on the 27th, launches it on all other platforms and launches it physically as well, on a double CD”, he informed the Brazil Agency the manager of the Audiovisual Production Center of the Social Service of Commerce (Sesc), Wagner Palazzi.

The novelty is that in this recording an unpublished song was found, king without crownwhich João Gilberto sang in the shows, but had never recorded, and which is now available to the public, 25 years after the historic performance at the Sesc unit in São Paulo. The unpublished track will also be available from today on the main platforms of streaming (transmission of content over the internet). The idea of the institution, with the project Reliquaryis to make the richness of this collection increasingly accessible to the public.

The song king without crown is a partnership between composers Herivelto Martins and Waldemar Ressurreição, inspired by the story of King Charles II of Romania, who moved to the Copacabana Palace Hotel, in Rio de Janeiro, after being forced to abdicate his throne during World War II.

According to Wagner Palazzi, a few years ago, Sesc’s Audiovisual Production Center had the idea of creating an audiovisual collection to gather all the records kept at the institution, in a cataloged way and so that they could be consulted.

“One thing that was done was to go after the scattered audio that was in the units [do Sesc]. For some time, the collections were individualized and we started to put them together in one place.”

Selection

A first selection involved 300 shows carried out in the regional units of Sesc. The work verified the quality of the audios, since the material is very old, gathering from roll tape, cassette, DAT tape (digital audio tape). “We digitized all this material and started the work of listening to it”. That’s when people remembered the show by João Gilberto at Sesc Vila Mariana, in 1998. To the surprise of those involved, the tape had an “incredible quality”, highlighted Palazzi.

The decision, then, was to open the project Reliquary with the double album by João Gilberto, considered “one of the great names in Brazilian popular music, like Pixinguinha, Tom Jobim and others”, said the manager of the Audiovisual Production Center. “We thought it would be important to start with this treasure.” the instrumental track A Hug in Bonfáa tribute to the guitarist Luiz Bonfá (1922-2001), is the only song written by João Gilberto performed in the presentation at Sesc Vila Mariana.

The release of the singer’s double album celebrates the 25th anniversary of the performance at the venue. The unit had been inaugurated in December 1997 and the “father” of bossa nova was one of the first big names to step onto that theater’s stage. João Gilberto was on tour to celebrate 40 years of bossa nova, with shows scheduled in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Recife and Maceió. São Paulo received three days of presentations, the last of which, on April 5, 1998, was the source for the project material. Reliquary. Known for his perfectionism, at the time João made only four requests for the realization of the show: a piano bench, a Persian rug, a guitar table and perfect acoustics. The information was released by Sesc, through its press office.

Memory

In order to also preserve the memory of the institution, the Relicário project included, in addition to songs, texts, videos, photographs and iconographic material with leaflets, posters and news published in the press at the time, which the public could also access for free at the site sescsp.org.br/relicario.

“It is a research that we are doing, because I think it is important to contextualize it. With this release, we hope to be contributing, in some way, to the preservation of the memory of Brazilian music. And that’s part of it, not just listening, but everything that’s involved there. Being able to understand what was said at the time, being able to see. Therefore, texts are commissioned to situate the person listening to the show.”

Currently, Sesc performs around 5 thousand shows per year in its 44 regional units. “There’s a lot of stuff recorded, which the artist authorized”. What takes more work is to pursue the copyright, informed Wagner Palazzi. In the case of João Gilberto’s album, he said that the singer’s three children (Bebel Gilberto, João Marcelo and Luísa) were great partners. “Bebel ended up doing the artistic supervision of everything.”

According to Palazzi, four more shows are already “on the tip of the needle to be launched later this year”. The first will be a presentation by Zelia Duncan, made in 1997, at Sesc Pompeia, with the participation of musicologist Zuza Homem de Mello, with the project listening to stars, in which he interviewed people on stage. “Was a show-interview, a relaxed conversation,” says the manager. This presentation will only be released on Sesc Digital, but not commercially. Palazzi highlighted that the other three shows will be great surprises from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Sesc Seal

Since 2004, the Sesc Seal has brought to the public works that reveal the diversity and breadth of Brazilian artistic production, both in contemporary works and in those that reverberate in cultural memory, establishing dialogues between innovation and history. Among the audiovisual works on DVD, the approach to different aspects of music, literature, dance and visual arts stands out. The titles are available on the main audio platforms, Sesc Digital and Sesc Stores.

João Gilberto’s double CD at Sesc in Vila Mariana has the following tracks:

CD 1

1. friendly guitar (Author: Bide / Armando Marçal)
two. This here what is it? (Author: Ary Barroso)
3. I live dreaming (Author: Tom Jobim)
4. new illusion (Author: Menezes / Luiz Bittencourt)
5. Izaura (Author: Herivelto Martins / Roberto Roberti)
6. Curare (Author: Bororo)
7. Doralice (Author: Dorival Caymmi / Antônio Almeida)
8. brunette rose (Author: Dorival Caymmi)
9. At the foot of the cross (Author: Zé da Zilda / Marino Pinto)
10. Crazy (Author: Henrique de Almeida / Wilson Baptista)
11. Why argue with madam? (Author: Janet de Almeida / Ary Vidal)
12. Corcovado (Author: Tom Jobim)
13. black and white portrait (Author: Tom Jobim / Chico Buarque)
14. king without crown (Author: Herivelto Martins / Waldemar Resurrection)
15. Prejudice (Author: Marino Pinto / Wilson Batista)
16. Missing Bahia (Author: Dorival Caymmi)
17. The duck (Author: Jayme Silva / Neuza Teixeira)
18. Meditation (Author: Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)

CD 2

1. Tender (Author: Pixinguinha / Braguinha)
two. Guacyra (Author: Heckel Tavares / Joracy Camargo)
3. Loneliness (Author: Tom Jobim / Dock)
4. The love in peace (Author: Tom Jobim / Vinicius De Moraes)
5. The first time (Author: Bide / Armando Marçal)
6. Ave Maria on the hill (Author: Herivelto Martins)
7. Bahia with H (Author: Denis Brean)
8. One Note Samba (Author: Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)
9. Crossed ways (Author: Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)
10. Here comes the baiana (Author: Dorival Caymmi)
11. Holy Mary (Author: Jayme Redondo / Vicente Paiva)
12. out of tune (Author: Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)
13. A hug from Bonfá (Author: João Gilberto)
14. No more longing (Author: Tom Jobim / Vinicius De Moraes)
15. Waltz of those who don’t have love (Author: Custódio Mesquita / Ewaldo Ruy / João Gilberto / Bebel Gilberto)
16. I know I will love you (Author: Tom Jobim / Vinicius De Moraes)
17. wave (Author: Tom Jobim)
18. that look of yours (Author: Tom Jobim)