Sunday 7 October 2018

Tribalistas: a deep human connection beyond music



Diaspora, the opening track on the Tribalistas’ second album, is more than just a song. It is a prayer, a lament to the human condition. Especially to those caught up in the recent refugee crisis. Lines such as “Onde está/Meu irmão sem irmã/O meu filho sem pai/Minha mãe sem avó/Dando a mão pra ninguém” point to a certain sensibility, often absent from official, political circles. After all, we all have a father, a mother and a grandma.

It is this deep human connection that has made Tribalistas the successful supergroup they are. And it is precisely this sort of kinship that fans of the band will be able to feel at the Eventim Apollo on Sunday 4th November, the first time the Brazilian outfit will play in the UK. From their debut album in 2002, to their sophomore effort fifteen years after, Marisa Monte, Carlinhos Brown and Arnaldo Antunes have added another dimension to the human experience. One that goes beyond musical boundaries.

Supergroups come in two guises. There are those that stick to a well-trodden, successful and familiar musical path, say, blues-driven Cream and those which become genres unto themselves. For instance, experimental-sounding, all-star Irish The Gloaming. Tribalistas belong to the latter category. Their songs are not the typical samba-lite, listener-friendly, Brazilian sound commonly found on Jazz FM’s Breakfast show. Monte, Brown and Antunes have three very distinctive personalities and voices. However, so far the trio has managed to find enough common ground to churn out two outstanding albums, each a masterpiece in its own right.

Rio-raised Marisa Monte has a singing style that has been influenced by both samba and opera, having trained in the latter in Italy. Ex-Titas member, Arnaldo Antunes has the sort of earth-scorched vocals that can turn even the glibbest of pop songs into an intellectual manifesto. Carlinhos Brown’s mid-range, melodious timbre is the perfect counterweight to Marisa’s lyrical and Antunes’s deep-voiced tones.

Just like 2002 Tribalistas, the 2017 outing, of the same name, is arrangement-rich. Collaboration is the key amongst the Tribalistas. Sixteen years ago, the evidence was in tracks like É Você, a dreamy tune that found Brown and Monte’s voices intertwining organically. Fast-forward to Tribalistas 2 and you have the foot-tapping, momentum-building Tribalivre, an ironic take on work that boasts Antunes’s lead on vocals, Monte on guitar and backing vocals and Brown playing all kinds of instruments, from congas to berimbau.

More than a musical statement, Tribalistas is that rarest of beasts nowadays. A supergroup whose members have left their egos behind in order to create a solid, politically- and socially-minded sound. The concert at the Eventim Apollo on Sunday 4th November promises to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience this.



© 2018

27 comments:

  1. Beautiful music!!I have never heard of them before but sure i will try to find some music from the group

    Happy sunday to you and family :)))

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  2. I love that song, so beautiful, I hadn't heard of them before but I'll look out for more of their tracks

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  3. Really nice! I enjoy when you introduce me to new music here.

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  4. I love samba and Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, may they now both rest in peace, were the first, if I´m right, to combine modern music with opera.

    Enjoy the concert!

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  5. I have never encountered this group before, either, but I like this song, CiL, and most certainly will find more of its music to listen to in the days ahead.

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  6. Never heard of the group but I love their music. Thank you for sharing and raising my interest. Going to watch the video clip again before I leave your blog.

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  7. Thank you (so much) for broadening my horizons.

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  8. It is always lovely to read you. Your posts are always most interesting! Thanks.

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  9. Great indeed. Nice when the egos can be checked at the door.

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  10. This is beautiful. I am sorry to say I never heard of this group, so thank you for bringing them to my attention.

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  11. This is great. Thanks for introducing me to them!

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  12. Thanks for sharing their music, and the background of Tribalistas. i will definitely check out more of their music. :)

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  13. It is really nice to know this Brazilian band !


    music is soothing and touching !

    your review is appealing my friend!

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  14. Un ritmo muy bueno así que el conjunto, gracias por compartir siempre tan buena música, feliz semana.

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  15. I rarely listen to the entire video. But this one is now on my youtube favorite list :) Thanks!

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  16. Thank you friend. How could I ever lose you? Thanks for calling me back 🌠

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  17. I have to say, I had never heard of the band, but...WOW...my sincerest thanks for the introduction!!
    Their music is addictive...and their background is fascinating.:))
    I thoroughly enjoyed.

    Greetings from Hampshire (WOW...we have some sun today! lol)

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  18. Once again, you've introduced me to a fabulous musical group that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Thank you, dear sir. I hope you can go to their concert.

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  19. I hadn't heard of them before, I enjoyed the song and video.

    All the best Jan

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  20. Thanks for introducing me to them--I do feel out and out-of-date these days, when it comes to new music.

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  21. They are very good and I really like it that they are socially conscious too. Those green shades the woman is wearing are fab too.... I hope you get to their concert.

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  22. Such a pleasant escape to hear this gorgeous, soulful music, thank you! I love the concept of political activist music. I needed a distraction from the political disaster I call home.

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  23. Wonderful. Thank you for your good wishes and kind comments. Unfortunately, this problem is chronic, so it will remain and is complicated by other factors. Things are improving for now because I have new eyes on the situation. Best to you.

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  24. Enjoyed it. Love that music and the mixing in the video.

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  25. Hi! Just dropping by to say hi!

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  26. Carlinhos made a very good music in that era .... even some years later

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