November 21–28, 1996

critic pick|latin

Minas

Minas' Orlando Haddad and Patricia King are partners in life as well as music. Their brand of Brazilian music has been a constant presence at Broad Street clubs since the duo settled here in 1984. Their newest home is Tony Clark's, where they play every Friday night from 10 p.m. till closing. A deviation from the weekly pattern comes on Monday, Nov. 25 when Minas will celebrate the release of their third recording, Blue Azul, with a party at Clark's.

It's hard to believe that six years have elapsed since the release of their last recording, Dreams of Brazil. Haddad explains that the timing is a little different when you own your own record label: there's no pressure to churn out a new "product." While handling everything yourself limits your reach, it also means that when you do find a new audience, hey, they haven't heard that old CD yet.

By the time Blue Azul came to completion, Haddad and King were satisfied with the new material.

"A lot of the CD material is derived from a period when we played frequently with the same folks and rehearsed these new ideas," notes King. All the compositions, lyrics and arrangements were written by Haddad or King, both of whom are trained in classical music. The flowering of that training is "Winter's Journey."

"I always dreamed of writing a string quartet," explains Haddad. "'Winter's Journey' is still Brazilian, but classically oriented, a lament in the Villa Lobos style."

Beyond the classical surprise, Blue Azul may sound a little different to those who are not current with Brazilian music.

"We go back to Brazil every two years to recharge. We find that the music has changed. Bossa nova has left a profound mark on the music, but it is no longer played... There's a whole new music that developed in Bahia, call it samba-reggae. We have adopted that style and involved it in our compositions."

Minas' distinctive sound is rooted in various genres. "Orlando and I come from different backgrounds. I listened to soul and Broadway," says King. Haddad spent his youth in Brazil. The album covers all the music they've been involved with over the last 15 years, including jazz ballads and samba-funk.

The duo has endless stories of the fun they had in the studio. Cyro Baptista, percussionist for Nana Vascelos, arrived at the studio with a van full of equipment. Cases of the drummer's toys were unloaded. On the "Coffee Song," he layered seven instruments, including a refrigerator bin whacked with a stick. It's still not clear if that piece came out of his van or if the studio is now working with one less cooler container.

Minas, Blue Azul album party, Mon., Nov. 25, 6:30 p.m., Tony Clark's, 121 S. Broad St., 772-9238. And, every Friday from 9:30 p.m. till closing.

— Mary Armstrong