It can be interesting how long talented musicians will wait to release a record under their own name. It gets you thinking about the artist's personality, interiority and history. Are they the type of person who understands music as a collaborative exercise, or do they not feel that their individual voice and talents are worthy of specific recognition? Do they prefer to support others in making their vision a reality, or are they just simply terrified of the limelight themselves? I've presented these questions as dichotomies, even though they're not. An artist could be all or none of these things to differing degrees. Whatever the reason, Brazillian singer, songwriter, and master percussionist Índio da Cuíca waited until he was nearly 70 to release his first solo record, Malandro 5 Estrelas (5 Star Trickster in English).
I don't want to make too big of a deal out of Índio's age. When it comes to grown adults, your age really isn't anything but a number. So long as you are healthy and willing, you should continue to do what you love until the day die. Kick it until you can't anymore. And if someone tells you differently, it's only because you make them nervous. And if they're younger than you, then they should be nervous. Because they're going to be in your shoes someday, and they're not likely to have half as much to show for their efforts as you do now.
What is worth talking about when it comes to Indio and Malandro 5 Estrelas is the music itself. It is lovely. It is miraculously developed and initiated. And it some how feels familiar and yet singularly novel. At this point, I think most people who listen to popular music are pretty familiar with how samba is supposed to sound. Or at least they're aware that Caribean music and African-inspired rhythms work their way into pop music on a regular basis. Nothing you'll hear on the radio today will prepare you for what is on this record, though. It's affectionately disarming, while providing a universalist rhythm and cast of melodies that we can all share in the delight of in order to cast our cares away. Its coursing flow will fill your lungs with convivial air, and the atmosphere of hospitality it exudes is without rival. You'll half expect Índio to come to sit by you between numbers to share a joke and a smoke before gliding back on stage and into another ebullient chorus. A serious of transition he makes with the smooth, stealthy elegance of a river otter entering a forest stream.
Most of the pieces here, composed in partnership with Latin Grammy winner Gabriel de Aquino, are impeccably performed, and simply need to be heard and indulged in order to be fully appreciated. However, there is one last thing I want to mention before wrapping this up. The cuica on Malandro 5 Estrelas is phenominal. There is a reason why Índio is depicted as holding one on the cover of this album. Indio expresses such an impressive vocabulary with the instrument that it is almost like he's engaging in a full-blown conversation with it, complete with counterpoints and conclusions, and curses and compliments. What's even more interesting is the number of times that the cuica upstages the rest of the band with its squeaky, hyperventilating hoot. It's almost a member of his crew in its own right and there were times that I entirely forgot that there was a human hand inside of it, manipulating its performance.
Malandro 5 Estrelas is a pure delight. Don't deny yourself the good things life has to offer you. Give this one a spin.
You can get a copy of Malandro 5 Estrela from QTV Seal here.
