ROGE

BRENGUELE by Domenico Lancelotti

Even before listening to Brenguele, a few months back, my brother Alvinho, while cooking a risotto with shrimps, told me he composed 2 songs with Roge. This partnership at first sounded very curious to me and made me think about how the affinities are found.
A few months later, Kassin told me he would produce the new album of Roge, and he mentioned that with enthusiasm, but was somehow mysterious, and left me in the dark trying to imagine this in practice.
Another week has passed and I met the bass player Alberto Continentino, that told he had recorded in an amazing session with Paulo Braga and Lincoln Olivetti, and directed by Kassin for the new album of Roge.

Right at the time I visualized a classic.

In music we call classic everything that is perfect even in the imperfections.
I thought about Kassin, and the moments, what a moment is to produce a session and call Lincoln Olivetti to play keyboards. For those who still do not know, Lincoln is the Rod Temperton from hell, producer, conductor, arranger, ninja.
Beyond of his presence and Continentino's, he had Paulo Braga on drums.
And to speak of Braga, as also a drummer, I'll need, at least, two paragraphs:
Paulo Braga is an inventor, played with God and the world of Brazilian music, was the "Paulinho" of Tim Maia's sons, and there he is again leading the grooves! Superstar of recording studios, Tom Jobim used to say that Braga could raise the drums to the level of musical instrument.
Once I was walking around New York, at night, with some musician friends, and passing in front of a 'doors-closed' jazz club in Soho we started to hear the muffled sound of the band playing inside; a few steps away, we all stopped with that surprised look and together, with a single voice, recognized the beat: 'That's Braga!'. We were right!
Piano, bass and drums ...
The bass of Alberto Continentino does not stop surprising us, how can he play like that? And the most annoying is that you don't see any sign of struggle for it.
There is something in Brazil that we, part of this generation, do not realize... But in other countries is very rare different generations meet and dialogue in a direct and spontaneous way as you can listen to in this album.
Brenguele brought together in the studio icons of different generations, each genuinely learning from the other. By itself, this is an extraordinary fact.
At that time, I almost could not take any more curiosity, I wanted to listen to it. When Roge invited me to write the release, he barely knew that I was already connected to the move. At first I was afraid, I must confess, everything was so perfect in my mind.
I listened to the first track following the order on my fresh copy from the studio: 'Presenca Forte' (Strong Presence) begins with a twist of the drum, strings arrangement, a legitimate Olivetti, unmistakable, voices been played on the keyboard, long movements over the groove; the uproar was so great that when 'Deixa Ela Sambar' (Let Her Dance Samba) started, another hit, I remained static, unresponsive, admiring the synths and arrangements of metals.
'Minha Gloria' (My Glory) came right after and I recognized the style of my brother in the lyrics.
As Roge, Alvinho uses the city of Rio de Janeiro, the colloquial language, the samba, the beach and the imaginary bridge that connects the northern and south zone as the raw material of his poetry.
I got so excited that I stopped listening to call Kassin:
- Man, that sounds amazing!
Came "Ole Ole" and "Over Again, keeping the swing.
Listening to this theme in english by Tim Maia remind me that time I was in this club, also in New York, the DJ was American and he was mostly playing some samba-soul from brazilian golden era. Shame on me, I couldn't recognize most of that songs, so I asked him about that and he said:
'Yeah, I'm picking up the pearls that you throw away!'
'Depurando Ideias' (Debugging Ideas), beautiful song, a duet with Wilson das Neves (composed by both), samba song that comes to define our roots, 'who plants avocado won't harvest persimmons'.
'Na Veia' (In Vein) is a city map, featuring Arlindo Cruz, frequent collaborator of Roge as well as Seu Jorge, Carlinhos Luis Gabriel Moura, Pretinho Serrinha and so many other guys who are now the top of black music in Rio de Janeiro.
But I'm not here to introduce Roge, because everyone who has been following the contemporary Brazilian music know his songs recorded by Seu Jorge, rapper Marcelo D2, Arlindo Cruz. Some people inevitably do not link the music to its composer, as I am a son of composer I know how it is.
'Efun Oguede', a song by the famous afoxe duo Wilson Moreira and Nei Lopes, with another stunning arrangement of metal from Marlon Sette.
'Acertando os Ponteiros' (Setting the Pointers) another partnership with Seu Jorge, with a lay back progress.
'Tem Tambor' (There's Drums) with African guitars, drums and drums of Candomble, 'Rema' (Rows), If I'm