Description
Marcos Valleの人生は、誰とも比べられないほど波乱万丈だ。国際的な一夜の成功、軍事独裁政権からの逃亡、ベトナム戦争の徴兵回避、ホーマー・シンプソンに彼の音楽が歌われ、マーロン・ブランドと敵対し、何世代にもわたるフィットネスの偶像にまでなった。そして、この偉大なブラジル人作曲家、アレンジャー、ヴォーカリスト、多楽器奏者を本当に理解するにはその音楽を聴くしかない。
1962年のデビューアルバムから現在までに、Valleはボサノヴァ、サンバ、ディスコポップ、サイケデリックロック、90年代のダンス、オーケストラ音楽などを渡り歩き、22枚のスタジオアルバムをリリース。彼の楽曲はFrank SinatraやSarah Vaughn、Sergio Mendes、Elis Regina、さらにはSpice GirlsのEmma Buntonなど、多くのアーティストにカバーされている。また、Jay-ZやKanye West、Pusha Tなどにサンプリングもされた。
23枚目のアルバム『Túnel Acústico』では、そのすべてを集約。「私の音楽は様々な方向に広がっているけど、すべてが自然で誠実なものだ。そして、それを新しいアルバムに反映させたかった」とValleは語る。
『Túnel Acústico』には、彼の米国滞在中に作曲された「Feels So Good」や「Life Is What It Is」が収録されており、前者は1979年にソウルアイコンLeon Wareと共作された二段ステップのソウルアンセムで、後者はバンドChicagoのLaudir De Oliveiraとの共作によるAORディスコトラック。
このアルバムには、AzymuthのメンバーであるAlex Malheiros（ベース）とRenato Massa（ドラム）が参加しており、さらにギタリストのPaulinho GuitarraやトランペッターのJesse Sadocが加わっている。Joyce Moreno、Céu、Moreno Veloso、そしてValleの兄弟Paulo Sergio Valleなど、著名なブラジル人アーティストも作詞で参加。
2023年に亡くなった伝説的作曲家Burt Bacharachへのトリビュート「Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)」でこのアルバムは締めくくられる。
A1. Assim Não Dá
A2. Feels So Good
A3. Não Sei
A4. Todo Dia Santo
A5. Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)
B1. Life Is What It Is
B2. Túnel Acústico
B3. Bora Meu Bem
B4. Palavras Tão Gentis
B5. Tem Que Ser Feliz
No one has lived a life quite like Marcos Valle. He became an overnight international sensation, fled a military dictatorship, dodged the Vietnam war draft, had his music sung by Homer Simpson, made enemies with Marlon Brando, and became an unsuspecting fitness guru for multiple generations. But to truly understand the great Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and multi instrumentalist, one must listen to his music.
Between the release of his first album in 1962 and today, Marcos Valle has released twenty-two studio albums traversing definitive bossa nova, classic samba, iconic disco pop, psychedelic rock, nineties dance and orchestral music. He has also had his songs recorded by some of the all time greats, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Sergio Mendes, Elis Regina, and (last but not least), Emma Button of the Spice Girls. He has also had his music sampled by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T and many more.
With his twenty-third studio album Túnel Acustico, Valle set out to bring it all together.
“I believe my music is many things. It goes in different directions. I have many different ways of writing music, sometimes it’s melodies and harmony, sometimes the groove is the focus. But all the music I have made over my sixty year career is unified. It is all natural and it is all sincere. And this is what I wanted to bring to my new album.”
A prominent feature of Valle’s career has been his dual residence between Brazil and the USA. Originally moving over in the mid-sixties on the back of bossa nova’s international proliferation, Valle toured with Sergio Mendes and became hugely in demand as a composer and arranger. But the Vietnam War loomed and the threat of being drafted saw him return to Brazil. He spent the following years in Rio writing music for TV and film, as well as four cult favourite albums in collaboration with some of Brazil’s most groundbreaking musicians including Milton Nascimento, Azymuth, Som Imaginario and O Terco.
By 1975, Brazil's military dictatorship was at its most oppressive, making living and working increasingly difficult. Valle moved back to the US where he would reside in LA, writing songs for, and collaborating with the likes of Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Chicago, Sarah Vaughn and Leon Ware, amongst others.
Túnel Acústico features two songs originally conceived during Valle’s time on the West Coast: “Feels So Good”, a stirring two-step soul triumph written in 1979 with soul icon Leon Ware, and the sublime AOR disco track “Life Is What It Is”, composed around the same time, with percussionist Laudir De Oliveira from the group Chicago.
Built around an unfinished demo Marcos found on a shelf in his house 44 years after it was made, the “Feels So Good” demo was restored with the help of producer Daniel Maunick, who also utilised AI stem-separation to remove the placeholder vocal ad-libs. Valle added Portuguese lyrics to sit alongside Ware’s vocal hook, as well as extra keyboards and percussion.
Also written in late seventies LA, “Life Is What Is It” was co-penned by Laudir De Oliveira from the band Chicago and first released on the bands’ Chicago 13 album with lyrics by Robert Lamb. Another nod to his good times in LA, Valle recorded his own version for Túnel Acústico, upping the tempo and deepening the groove for a blast of irresistible summer soul.
On Túnel Acústico, Valle's core band features two members of the renowned Brazilian jazz-funk group Azymuth: Alex Malheiros on bass and Renato Massa on drums. The rhythm section is completed by percussionist Ian Moreira, with additional contributions from guitarist Paulinho Guitarra and trumpeter Jesse Sadoc.
The contemporarily composed music on Túnel Acústico features an impressive lineup of guest lyricists, including renowned Brazilian artists: Joyce Moreno (Bora Meu Vem), Céu (Nao Sei), and Moreno Veloso (Palavras Tão Gentis) as well as Valle's brother Paulo Sergio Valle (Tem Que Ser Feliz).
The album closes with "Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)", a tribute to the legendary composer who passed away in 2023.
Túnel Acústico will be released on 20th September 2024 via Far Out Recordings. Valle is set to tour Europe and America in support of the album.
