The world may have known about it, but I just stumbled upon a rich cache of Elis Regina video clips on YouTube. They come from a 1973 Brazilian television special. The program seems to have been available on a DVD that quickly disappeared from the
market. Amazon, CD Universe, Netflix and several other sources say it is currently unavailable and, according to Amazon, “we don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” That is a pity, because in the clips Regina, at age 28, is brilliant in every song, giving clear evidence why she was beloved in Brazil and idolized by singers and musicians throughout the world.
The video of “Ladeira da Preguiça,” a happy song, is a good introduction to the series of 20 clips. They run the range of emotions and expressivity that Regina commanded to an extent equaled by few musicians in any idiom. The trio is headed by pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano, her second husband and the father of her daughter Maria Rita, now also a star in Brazil. The bassist and drummer are not identified. Elis Regina died in 1982 at the age of 36.
This is a link to the complete Elis Regina YouTube collection from the TV special. Be prepared to fall in love.
Those are amazing–thanks Doug!
This is a treasure trove of the real thing. There is something special in real Brazilian music — notably from that era — that has a wonderful and sensual passion and a lush harmonic sense, yet is free and unpretentious about it. Thanks for the heads-up, Doug!
Drummer is the great Paulo Braga, bassist’s name escapes me (“Luizino…”)… Lucky me, I bought this DVD in a shop in Copacabana in 2006, when its sister DVD (going by the title “Carvallo Costa”, and also originally a Brasillian TV show in full, this time in colour and with a larger band, also directed by C.C. Mariano) had just come out, brand new, on the same label. All of Rio de Janeiro (it was the talk of the town), it seemed, was utterly knocked out and thrilled that it had become available. Me too!
We need an anthology of Elis,an appropriately comprehensive recorded collection including items such as these elusive tracks. I’m thinking of her work with Toots Thielmanns, for example.
These are delightful, thank you. I’ve been wishing for some of these.
paulo braga on drums and luisão maia on bass.
I think this DVD is available through sambastore.com.
A friend gave me an original copy of the DVD “Elis Regina: MPB Especial–1973” complete with booklet — what a treasure! If you search for it on amazon, as of 8/30/09, 2 are available from amazon’s mom-&-pop alliance sellers @ approx $60. Well worth it. Also, the boxed set 3 DVD collection “Elis” is available off/on the same way for $80-100. Elis was just a musical goddess, an amazing musical gift, such a voice and passion, plus the quality of those who performed with her. And now comes another gift to us all, her daughter Maria Rita, whose CDs “Maria Rita” and “Segundo” are just knockouts. The DVDs of these are treasures too, to watch her perform along with her spectacular band. Brazil’s MPB is truly the world’s music.
I just found this DVD on ebay from a seller in the UK for US$20 including shipping!