Rei Pescador - Confraria das Almas /Brothernood of Spirits

I-Tunes:

Brothernood of Spirits

Rei Pescador (King Fisher) is a band from Porto. This CD is their first recording. It is a collection of ten songs, with two instrumentals (Confraria das Almas and Ao Relento). Musically, the group develops its work within the parameters of country, bluegrass, and folk music, even approaching rock. Their sound is always acoustic, where there are no drums, keyboards or samplers. In this sound, the dominant instruments are guitars, harmonica and a Portuguese bass instrument which sharpens the acoustic sound. The production and the composition of the songs, recorded at Penguin Studios with the help of the technician Luis Carlos, are by Orlando Mesquita who also performs them. The songs, conceived in the three-minute format, approach the themes of country music, adapted to the Portuguese reality – at times even diving into the urban environment. The lyrics of \"Por um molho de cenouras\" is by the poet Jorge de Sousa Braga and remainng lyrics are by Froufe Andrade. The project undertaken by REI PESCADOR is the corollary of work spanning the 1970’s by the musician and composer Orlando Mesquita. When, in the 1970’s he and his brother Jorge Mesquita (these days working in the plastic arts) gave voice to music sung in Portuguese, they immediately realized they had arrived too soon. They had to, in fact, wait for the Portuguese to accept and even prefer to hear their language sung. The two brothers, were left with the renamed project known as “King Fisher\'s Band”, which still today remains unfinished. Later, Orlando Mesquita founded and recorded an LP with the group Café Lusitano. The bet at that time was a compromise between pop and country music. This time REI PESCADOR assumes all the purity of country, bluegrass and folk music: forms of expression seldom explored by the Portuguese. Its format speaks to us: a handful of direct songs, of popular, effective, breezy melodies – even in terms of the style of their music roots - with the advantage of speaking about that which is near to our every-day realities. 

Details:

Confraria das Almas /Brothernood of Spirits

Performer(s)

Rei Pescador (Fisherking): Orlando Mesquita (voice, acoustic and semi-acoustic guitar, acoustic bass and mouthharp) / Fernando Nascimento (acoustic, slide and electrica guitars, mandolin) / Rui Ferraz (electric guitar, mandolin, harmonica) / Zé Lima (acoustic fretless bass and 5-string electric bass) / Paulo Filipe (clarinet) / Mário Barreiros (electric and fretless bass, mandolin and slide guitar) / Alfredo Teixeira (violin)

Composer(s)

Orlando Mesquita / Froufe Andrade / Jorge Braga / Fernando Nascimento

Work(s)

Confraria das Almas / Blue Branco / Cepa-torta / Molho de Cenouras / Modinha Parola / Quadras Gaiteiras / Cantar dos 3 Vinténs / Feito Num Oito / S.O.S. / Ao Relento.

Ref.: NUM_1029

CHRISTMASTIME IN LATIN AMERICA - CHAMBER CHOIR OF LISBON

Coro de Câmara de Lisboa

I-Tunes:

Numérica presents its most recent disc, performed by the Chamber Choir of Lisbon: Christmastime in Latin America. 

This new release, produced in cooperation with the “Casa da América Latina,” bring together Christmas Songs from various Latino Countries, such as, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.

Details:

The Chamber Choir of Lisbon was founded in 1978 by Professor Teresita Gutierrez Marques. It was originally known as the Chamber Choir of the National Conservatory of Lisbon. Constituted by twenty young musicians, the choir interprets - either a cappella or in collaboration with instrumental groups - Portuguese as well as foreign works, from the vast period spanning the Renaissance to the present, including a number of world-premieres. 

Always maintaining intense activity - at a level which has won the unanimous applause of both audience and critics - the choir performs in numerous locations throughout the country, as well as in the most important concert halls of Lisbon (the Cultural Center of Belém [CCB], the Gulbenkian Foundation, the theaters of St. Luíz and of Trinidad, etc.), and has participated in the most significant cultural exhibitions (The Gulbenkian Days of Ancient Music, Lisbon ´94 - European Capital of Culture, Expo ´98 - World Exposition of Lisbon, the International Festival of Organ in Lisbon, etc.).

At the same time, the Chamber Choir of Lisbon has developed an extensive international career. It has been invited to perform by such institutions as the European Federation of Choirs, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Eastern Foundation or the Ministries of Culture in Portugal, Spain and Cape Verde, to provide a few examples. The choir has given concerts in, among other places: Madrid, Madrid, Cuenca, Seville, Sória, Vittoria (Spain); Paris, Strasbourg, Rouen, Caen, Mont. St. Michel (France); Brussels, Malines (Belgium); Amsterdam (the Netherlands); Rome, Bergamo, Biella, Bolzano, Novara, Trento, Turin, Verona (Italy); Bonn (Germany); Vienna (Austria); London (UK), Montréal (Canada); New York, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San José (USA), Belo Horizonte, Florianópolis, New Hamburg, Porto Alegre (Brazil), Montevideu (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Macao, Cape Verde, and Puebla (Mexico).

Three times a participant in the International Competition of Choirs of Tolosa (Spain), the Chamber Choir of Lisbon distinguished itself by winning 1st and 3rd prizes in the Polyphonic category, as well as two 2nd prizes in the Popular Music category.

In addition to its work on the concert stage, the Choir has been involved, in Portugal and abroad, in a number of recordings on disc, as well as for radio, television and cinema (Non, ou a Vã Glória de Mandar, by Manuel de Oliveira). The Chamber Choir of Lisbon was invited by the Ministry of Culture of Cape Verde to participate in the “opera of the street” - “Crioulo,” by Vasco Martins, which took place in Mindelo, S. Vicente to commemorate the “2002 Capital of culture in the Portuguese-speaking world” and in the City of Praia in 2003 to commemorate the “Day of National Heroes” in that country.

1 - ¡Llega la Navidad! | Dominican Republic - 02’09’’

2 - Adios Belenista | Cuba - 01’32’’

3 - Niño Lindo | Venezuela - 03’56’’

4 - Xicochi, xicochi | Mexico - 02’35’’

5 - Huayno de Navidad | Peru - 01’45’’

6 - Es la luz | Venezuela - 04’33’’

7 - Posada Mexicana | Mexico - 02’21’’

8 - Festejo de Navidad | Peru - 03’53’’

9 - En los brazos de la luna | Chile - 01’47’’

10 - Tieycantimo choquiliya | Mexico - 01’59’’

11 - Villancico de la Falta de Fe | Argentina - 02’58’’

12 - La Navidad del Cholito | Panama - 01’26’’

13 - Huahuanacá | Bolivia - 01’37’’

14 - El Nacimiento | Argentina - 03’12’’

15 - Navidad del Paraguay | Paraguay - 01’59’’

16 - Tres Estrellitas | Puerto Rico - 01’28’’

17 - Acalanto para o Menino Jesus | Brazil - 03’13’’

18 - La Estrella de Nazaret | Venezuela - 02’25’’

19 - Para anunciar la llegada del Niño | Colombia - 01’36’’

20 - Carnavalito de Nochebuena | Peru - 02’53’’

21 - Noite Azul | Brazil - 01’38’’

22 - Villancicos I e II | Argentina - 08’26’’

23 - Candombe del seis de Enero | Uruguay - 04’05’’

Total - 63’38’’

Ref.: NUM_1141