Record of the day: Dori Caymmi, “If Ever…”

Dori Caymmi
“If Ever…” (Cd Qwest/Warner Bros.945604-2)

Son of art (his father is the great Brazilian composer Dorival Caymmi and his mother Stella Maris is also a famous singer), guitarist and arranger Dori Caymmi is a musician of notable talent both as an instrumentalist and as a composer who over the course of over thirty years has written his name on numerous solo albums and on several soundtracks for cinema and television.
Gifted with an expressive voice that must evidently be part of the family DNA (his brother Danilo and his sister Nana are also great vocal performers), Dori has made a series of records in the United States for the Qwest label founded and directed by Quincy Jones, and his knowledge as an arranger is such that even a centralizer like Jones left him complete artistic freedom.

They are all very beautiful albums (also listen to “Brazilian Serenata” and “Kicking Cans”) that see Caymmi in the company of the musical elite active in the recording studios in Los Angeles, the city where Caymmi moved years ago. The atmospheres are very soft, sometimes entrusted only to voice and guitar that weave precious embroidery through rich, refined harmonies and melodies that directly recall the paternal tradition and that of Antonio Carlos Jobim. To appreciate all his skill as an arranger, just listen to the magnificent version of Stephen Sondheim’s classic “Send in the Clowns”, where the unmistakable harmonica of Toots Thielemans also appears.

Of course we are light years away from the daring and experimental atmospheres of Tom Zè, from the compositional complexity of Chico Buarque or from the 360-degree eclecticism of Caetano Veloso; Caymmi only wants to give us an hour of relaxing and pleasant listening, with perfectly polished scores where nothing is out of place, and within these boundaries the task is achieved as best it could be.
Tracks like “Ogum è que sabe”, “Sargaco Mar”, “Romeiros”, “Jogo de Cintura”, “A Lua” are all of quality, where the luxury entertainment is still the result of a writing work that is much above average; the steel professionalism with which the album is made allows Caymmi to create a product that avoids tourist postcard banalities or dance temptations to direct itself towards a more intimate and sophisticated listening dimension.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.