Rita Ribeiro: Pearls to the People ... Neo-Tropical Brazilian Music
Putumayo World Music
AgeVenture News Service
Rita Ribeiro, one of the most exciting new voices in Brazil, promises to be a leading figure in the world music scene. Rita’s crystal clear voice and engaging stage presence have resulted in a huge buzz in Brazil, not an easy task in a country where great music is everywhere. She performs a wide range of styles, including reggae, samba, funk, as well as regional forms from her native state. Her new album, Perolas Aos Povos (Pearls to the People), was just released by Putumayo Artists on June 27, 2000.
Rita was born June 13, 1966 in Sao Benedito do Rio Preto, a city in the interior of Maranhao. At the age of five she moved with her family to the port city of Sao Luis do Maranhao, a city known for its rich local folklore and stunning colonial architecture. The tenth of eleven children, she grew up in a busy environment filled with parties, festivals and music. She devoted herself to music at an early age quickly became one of the leading figures on the local MPB (popular Brazilian music) scene.
Rita now lives in Sao Paulo, the huge southern metropolis that is the current creative hub of the Brazilian music scene. She is considered one of the most exciting vocalists of the new generation, and she works regularly with other leading artists such as Zeca Baleiro and Chico Cesar as part of what is being called the neo-tropicalismo movement. Tropicalismo was the name given to the revolutionary pop music movement of the late sixties and seventies that made legends of Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, and Tom Ze, among others.
Her self-titled first album was a huge underground success and established Rita as a voice to look out for in the future. Perolas Aos Povos, her second album, has already earned tremendous critical acclaim in Brazil. The influential daily Jornal da Tarde commented, "Rita Ribeiro’s new CD is an oasis of precious jewels. On Pérolas Aos Povos Ribeiro demonstrates the essential elements that make a great artist: personality and a good repertoire. The singer is a modern blend of Carmen Miranda and Clara Nunes, with an upgrade of her own contemporary style and culture."
Rita’s interpretation of the folkloric music played in the streets of Sao Luis and small interior towns is an important part of her work. Sao Luis is often called the capital of Brazilian reggae, and the style is so ubiquitous it is practically considered a local tradition. Other songs, the less regional ones, are the result of Rita’s interest in music from other origins. Urban music from Sao Paulo, the Caribbean, West Africa and Afro-Brazilian traditional styles are all a part of her musical mix.
Rita does not restrain her talent within one or two genres. Her repertoire has space for a traditional samba, ballads, reggae, Afro-Brazilian religious music, and more. Perolas Aos Povos was arranged by Mario Manga, one of the hottest arrangers in Brazil and produced by the legendary Marco Mazzola, the Brazilian equivalent of Quincy Jones who is responsible for many of the greatest recordings in Brazilian popular music history.
Rita Ribeiro will be touring the US for the first time as part of the Putumayo Presents: Festa Brasil tour, which will be hitting festivals and concert stages throughout the US and Canada from August 6-September 10, 2000. For additional information, contact: www.putumayo.com
Graphic Credit: Putumayo World Music, New York.
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David Demko reports on lifestyle issues and trends in Aging America.
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