Fernanda Porto

Her first album and DVD at EMI, "Fernanda Porto ao Vivo", brings another breath of renovation. The drum'n'bass, which predominates in her first CD of 2002, which bears the same title, is the reflection of its time. “I recorded everything by myself, I did not know anybody”, remembers Fernanda. In her second album, “Giramundo” (2004), she aimed some other goals, by balancing technology and an organic musical style, harmonies and rhythms of solid brazilian melody. Her most recent album “Fernanda Porto ao Vivo” shows clearly who she really is.

Fernanda took care to gather a team not only of talented individuals, but who were also in tune with her music and who spoke the same language, but adding their own accents. That’s why she invited the pianist Christianne Neves (her partner in the new “Seu Nome na Areia”) to direct the concert at Tom Brasil, São Paulo, in a happy evening in April 2006. “I have known Christianne almost for 20 years and, besides her musical talent and the Brazilian way she plays the piano, I admire her creativity and discipline. This was a very important issue, because the band was formed 15 days before the concert and it was a great challenge to organize everything”.

On the stage, Fernanda is supported by great musicians, as well as the participation of the percussion group Batuntã, from São Paulo, which opens and ends the concert, respectively with “Baque Virado” and “Giramundo”.

Graduated at Unicamp and at Clam (Centro Livre de Aprendizagem Musical) from Zimbo Trio, and the major player in various, important projects like the Heartbreakers Orchestra, Christianne has been playing at Fernanda’s band since 2004.

The hits that projected Fernanda, like "Só Tinha de Ser com Você" (by Tom Jobim and Aloysio de Oliveira), "Tudo de Bom" (by Fernanda Porto and Lina de Albuquerque) and "Sambassim" (by Fernanda Porto and Alba Carvalho), were preserved but with new arrangements. The unreleased songs, including three partnerships with Victor Bellis ("Simples", "Coco sem Água" and "Saudade Que Eu não Tive") stand out for the way they are presented. The new arrangements for classics by Chico Buarque (“Roda Viva”) and Caetano Veloso (“Sampa”) are a lot lighter than the electronic versions made for “Giramundo” and the compilation for the “São Paulo Fashion Week, vol. 6”.

In the opposite direction,“Corações a Mil” (by Gilberto Gil) drives the public crazy in a track remixed by DJ Zé Pedro. This is by far the most electronic song of this project. The guitarist Edgard Scandurra leaves his signature in “Pensamento 4”, a partnership of Fernanda and Arnaldo Antunes. And the queen of the Axé Music, Daniela Mercury, brings her spicy stile in “Tudo de Bom” and “Desde que o Samba é Samba” (by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil), whose arrangements have a subtle hint of samba-reggae.

Fernanda also pays her respect for the group from Rio de Janeiro, Los Hermanos, by recording a song by Marcelo Camelo (“Samba a Dois”), main track of this CD, and another by Rodrigo Amarante (“Sentimental”).

To change recording company always has implication in an artist’s performance. For Fernanda, this change helped her to find the freedom she aimed, without any interference, allowing her to record this first live DVD. “I have always had freedom to work, but this time there was more dialogue. There is a mutual responsibility and I think it is very important. EMI welcomed me not only as a singer, but as a complete person, with a musical head”.