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The Best of Caetano Veloso

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Nov 12, 2019
Category: World

The Almadovar film, “Talk to Her” — did you see it? If so, you cannot possibly have forgotten a musical interlude: a lanky, grey-haired singer/guitarist delivering, almost in a whisper, a ballad of exquisite beauty. That, friends, was Caetano Veloso, who is, in his native Brazil, regarded with the same reverence we reserve for John Lennon and Bob Dylan.

A decade ago, I saw Veloso play with David Byrne (you know: one of the Talking Heads). That concert was held in Carnegie Hall, but you’d never have known — Veloso was as relaxed as a guy practicing his putting on the living room rug. Clearly, the guy lived for the stage and found great happiness there.

Veloso takes chances. For this, he was imprisoned by a military government in Brazil in 1968 — upon his release, he wisely fled to London. He returned to Brazil a few years later, and, ever since, has made recordings that testify to great curiosity, exquisite taste and a deep understanding of himself and his place in the culture. “Brazil is a large country, but one of the few that speaks Portugese,” he has said. “That means we are a secret. I like that.” [To buy the CD from Amazon, click here. For the MP3 download, click here.]

Veloso describes himself as “an oblique person,” but don’t mistake that for a revelation. He is among the most thoughtful and premeditated performers I’ve ever seen, and in his seniority he knows all the tricks. Tall, thin, with thick gray hair and a ready smile, he is a thrill to watch. Sitting, he sets his feet moon-walking. Standing, he’s as magnetic as Bowie — thrusting a hip, just once, during a samba, or moving his hands like a mime.

His CDs are all over the map: experiments in Latin American music sung in Spanish, Brazilian classics, his own catalogue. Start with this collection. Let him sing you his stories. You’ll quickly see what he means when he says: "I make my records as a painter would paint his canvas."

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