The singer and songwriter Glaw Nader makes her art a way to reframe Afro-Brazilian music and bring back the protagonism to black artists relegated to the background. She is currently working on a rescue of the repertoire of Baden Powell, a black instrumentalist and composer immortalized until then, mainly, by white voices. After focusing on Afro-sambas in the EP “Canto de Xangô”, she brings together Baden’s partnerships with Paulo César Pinheiro in the EP “Cai Dentro”, which gets a clip for the title track, a celebration of life’s encounters.
The realization of the project celebrates, with new colors, a repertoire so intimately known by the singer, since she studied afro-sambas for the Duo Alma e Raiz, formed alongside guitarist Wagner Raposo in 2016. Now, Glaw dives even deeper deep into the work of one of the most important instrumentalists and composers in Brazilian music, but it does so from the perspective of an interpreter who values the author’s story and her own, her skin and her voice. The tracks on “Cai Dentro” are partnerships between Baden and the samba legend Paulo César Pinheiro, such as “Lapinha”, “Vou deitar e Rolar” and “Refém da solitude”.
The album “Tempo de amor” will be the debut of Glaw Nader, with a repertoire that puts blackness in the foreground – not only that of Baden Powell, but also that of the singer herself. In the arrangements, there is a strong presence of percussion instruments and a modal guitar that refers to the style that is so characteristic of the honoree himself. The disc is guided by the powerful vocals of Glaw and a band formed by brass, percussion, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. The arrangements are by guitarist Samy Erick and include MPB classics. Check out the interview!
Far beyond a simple song, his songs seek the purpose of re-signification of Afro-Brazilian music, rescuing the protagonism of black artists. What were the starting points that made you dive into this project?
First, an in-depth research into Brazilian popular music, that Brazilian music from which we have samba and its related genres, which also arises from the friction of musicalities between samba and jazz. Researching the ways that allowed this Brazilian music to develop, and the form it acquired, it was possible to reach a kind of root, which is the Afro-religious root, which can even be understood as a bridge, a link of connection between samba and jazz, since both have this in common: the samba that developed in the Candomblé terreiros, finding Bahian aunts (Tia Ciata, for example), as creators and maintainers of these spaces, and jazz, which comes from the blues, which found its way into the dissent of Haitian vodun in New Orleans, also having a woman as the propitiator of the space, Marie Laveau. In addition to this historical-social aspect, there was the crucial point, the great “start” for this work, which was the album Os Afrosambas (1966) by Baden and Vinícius. Disc acclaimed by critics at the time, as a watershed, capable of blackening Brazilian popular music. And the black spot there was none other than Baden Powell. His blackness, expressed beyond his skin, left its mark on the sound that marked the entire album, on songs that were immortalized by white voices.
The great name you are honoring is Baden Powell, a black instrumentalist and composer who, until then, would have been immortalized by white voices. In his opinion, why, despite racism, do white artists seek to work with the art of black musicians?
It is impossible to talk about this, not to mention structural racism and the colonization machine, which, even if not entirely intentional on the part of white artists, are still there and govern their actions and choices. There is a consensus in this colonizing practice that everything belongs to the white man, that whatever he wants he can take and appropriate whatever he wants. And racism shows us, day by day, that white people love black culture, they just don’t love black people. For this reason, they do not bother to continue making the creation of black artists invisible, taking the lead role for themselves and their whiteness.
Regarding black protagonism, despite all the cultural and social actions that have been promoted in the world, do you believe that there is still much to be conquered ahead? How long have we been trying to build a society without prejudice?
It is interesting for us to say “despite all the cultural and social actions that have been promoted in the world”. What I and every conscious black person around the world see is that there is still a long way to go for us to try to minimally balance things in terms of racial equality. There are so many hundreds of years with our humanity denied, our intellect erased and our existence violated, that we need, at least a good couple of centuries still, with hard work and effective actions that aim more at justice than equality for that we can actually envision a society under construction against racism. Because the truth is that it is not enough just not to be racist, it is necessary to be an anti-racism agent. Someone who acts effectively in the anti-racist fight, from his small circle of family and friends, expanding it, until it becomes the rule and not the exception.
Regarding your work through music, what do you believe is the true potential of music as a form of awareness and what do you believe is your main purpose in investing in this art as a professional?
As a research artist that I am, I believe in the potential for forming a conscious audience, which understands the story behind the sound. That is not limited to just listening to the song without paying attention to the narrated text, to the story told between the lines. The sound aesthetics that I propose in this work of rereading the work of Baden Powell, for example, bring a new meaning to these songs, when I, a black singer, a woman from Candomblé, bring my voice to this work. In this place, I take back the black role, claiming this blackness and role firstly for Baden and secondly, my own, when I bring my ancestry to this song. As if this music, in this case, returned Baden, me and his work to mother Africa, with aesthetic elements present in the arrangements that reinforce this path. It is extremely important that our story is told by ourselves. That’s what black protagonism is all about.
Previously released the EP “Canto de Xangô”, exploring the Afro sambas, you are gathering in the EP “Cai Dentro”, partnerships of Baden and Paulo César Pinheiro. What has been the main differentiator that you have been working on in this second release?
Well, the album to come, “Tempo de Amor”, brings together 14 songs composed by Baden Powell in partnership with Vinícius de Moraes, Paulo César Pinheiro and Lula Freire. On the “Canto de Xangô” EP, I insisted on presenting the afro sambas (compositions by Baden and Vinícius) that I chose to compose the album. The theme is between the Orixás and our way of living love and its hardships. On the “Cai Dentro” EP, I bring the emblematic sambas, composed by Baden Powell in partnership with Paulo César Pinheiro, such as “Vou deitar e rolo”, “Lapinha” and “Cai Dentro”. Sambas eternalized in the voice of Elis Regina, well known by the public. Arrangements made with brass (sax, trombone and trumpet) in addition to percussion, an Afro Cuban piano in “Lapinha”, for example, always accompanied by the guitar, punctuate this EP in particular. The proposal is to resume the protagonism of the story, through the black voice, and bring in the sound and aesthetic elements, something that we have already been working on in the mix of the record, highlighting blackness, so to speak, reinforcing the afrocentric discourse of the record .
His connection with this repertoire has been going on for a long time, since he was part of the duo Alma e Raiz, formed with guitarist Wagner Raposo. How was the experience of working together?
It was a great experience. The starting point in this research into Brazilian music, located in afro sambas and sambas de terreiro, led me to many authors and songs. Between points and stories, we discovered the richness of our music and how Afro-Brazilian Brazilian music is. In fact, as maestro Letieres Leite has already said, all Brazilian music is Afro-Brazilian in essence. And that was our motto. Research and gather afro sambas, sambas de roda, sambas de terreiro, with the purpose of disseminating this repertoire in didactic concerts, already with the intention of retelling this story. Never, ever, as a form of redemption. But, as a resumption of protagonism, always.
One of the great projects he carried out is the album “Tempo de Amor”, a debut of the repertoire that puts blackness in the first place. For you, what defines the word “blackness” in Brazilian music and how much does it contribute to the recognition of black human beings in society?
Starting with the title of the album “Tempo de Amor” which is one of the tracks on the album, composed by Baden in partnership with Vinicius de Moraes, the premise is to highlight the black person as a subject of love. Who loves and is loved. Made of love and for love. And by itself, this choice is already the opposite of what is in the collective imagination. For the majority, blackness is a sign of loneliness and suffering. What is important to be brought into vogue here is that long before they were enslaved, my ancestors were kings, queens, princes and princesses, generals and warriors in Africa. Ordinary people, who live, love, cry and laugh, like anyone else. Negritude is in the African keys, imprinted in the rhythms of Brazilian music, it is in the themes and stories that Brazilian music sings in droves, that so many white poets and lyricists have written as their own stories and feelings, it is in everyone’s voice and touch. the black musicians who arrange, play, sing and produce these same songs. It’s in Chiquinha Gonzaga, Pixinguinha, Luiz Gonzaga, Moacir Santos, Baden Powell, Clementina de Jesus, Tim Maia, Sandra de Sá, Jorge BenJor, Wilson Simonal, Elza Soares, Alaíde Costa, in Leny Andrade, in Tânia Maria, in Milton Nascimento, in Gilberto Gil, in Jair Rodrigues, in Djavan, in Arlindo Cruz, in Jorge Aragão, in Cassiano, and in countless others who are there, have been and will still come. It is in these black men and women that Brazilian music, so much more Afro-Brazilian than one can imagine, resists and persists. And that is impossible to deny.
Finally, what made you choose Baden Powell as a source of inspiration to work on your album?
First of all, what Baden means for Brazilian music. The modal and rhythmic guitar, with a unique sound, which put the Brazilian guitar in the spotlight in the world. Baden’s exquisite composition. His ability to articulate harmony and rhythm with a melody that is always new and striking. In a close plan, the fact that he was the element that placed the Afrosambas album (1966) as the watershed that the press at the time spoke about, after all the voices were Vinicius and the Quartet in Cy, the arrangements of Guerra -Peixe, the dark factor, capable of blackening Brazilian music from that record on was Baden. Another important point: his works were immortalized in white voices. Their stories told and sung by white voices. Putting my voice on Baden’s songs is claiming his blackness and his work. It’s retelling history from a black point of view. The ideal point of view. It means resuming Baden’s leading role in his music, placing him at the center of creation in his work, a place that is more than his due. And from that, strengthen the identity of a people and its blackness. Through this tribute, I allow myself to highlight my own blackness, when I highlight the blackness of Baden Powell and his music.
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