Arthur Verocai: Time to Get Familiar (Downloads Within)

Saturday, April 24, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (0)

Arthur Verocai in 1972 
Arthur Verocai in 1972.
From NPR:
August 10, 2009 – I was standing backstage at Cal State’s Luckman Theater when I saw him: tall and thin, dark and intense, his lanky frame barely filling what was supposed to be a fitted suit. Though he was missing the mane of black hair he wore on the cover of his self-titled 1972 album, he was unmistakably composer, arranger and producer Arthur Verocai. Largely unknown in his home country of Brazil, Verocai is worshiped by the likes of TV on the Radio, Cut Chemist, DOOM and Madlib — all of whom were in attendance at this historic event, in which Verocai led a 30-piece orchestra in the first and only performance of his legendary album.
The evening didn’t disappoint. Watching him on stage was transfixing. He didn’t have to do much; he’d done all the hard work at age 25, when he wrote the original charts that this orchestra, under his watchful eye, played to the note. You got the feeling that he recognized just how important this concert was — not just for himself, but also for the lucky audience of 1,200.
The next day, as I fielded emails, text messages and IMs from those who were there, Cut Chemist put it best: “That was one of the best shows L.A. has ever seen.” I felt the need to review my collection for some high points of Verocai’s varied career — which stretched from the heady psychedelia of O Terco (whose first album he arranged) to the gorgeous pop of the little-known duo Ana Maria e Mauricio.
For the playlist assembled by Egon for this article click: VEROCAI

From vtech's music site:
Arthur Verocai is a mysterious figure even in his native Brasil. He has composed and arranged for such giants as Jorge Ben, Gal Costa and Leny Andrade. But hiphop heads know him for his often sampled (see Ludacris, MF Doom and Lil Brother) self-titled solo album. The album came out at the height of the Brasilian dictatorship and was a commercial failure. His performance of this seminal 1972 record complete brought the sold out crowd at the Luckman Theater to a stand still. According to Verocai, he had never played the record, “alive or dead!” His delight at the opportunity to play this music in its complete form can be seen on the Timeless DVD box set.

This song, “Flying to L.A.” was written specifically for the concert at the Luckman. Tt starts with open drums by Mamao from the famed Brasilian trio Azymuth, and then goes on a beautiful harmonic journey. Enjoy, share and turn it up.  Download from here. (Right Click & Choose "Save as")

Audio Only:


Besides being an amazing mix in itself, this is a wonderful way to experience Verocai's talent as a musician, composer and arranger. You need this in your life... especially with the weather warming up! See more info on the mix below. 


On the eve of the Verocai show, DJ Nuts was supposed to perform with Madlib. He made the arduous journey from Brasil after completing a show with Marcelo D2. He endured a punishing series of flights that took 20 hours to complete, and in the end, a plane delay caused him to miss his own set at the start of the show.
In a pinch, J.Rocc stepped up to the plate and performed a stellar set at the Luckman in his place, and Nuts went on to DJ a mind-blowing two hour set at the after-party.
So much of Mochilla’s dealings in Brasil would not have been possible without Rodrigo Teixera (known to the world as DJ Nuts). The Verocai concert surely would never have happened without him. His role in helping with the pre and post co-ordination was enormous.
DJ Nuts is an astute and rigorous historian of Brasil’s vast and varied musical culture. His record collection is legendary; his skills as a DJ are world class. We commissioned him to make this mix to help people understand the extraordinary legacy of Verocai. Many by now know Verocai’s self-titled album, some even know the more popular compositions and arrangements, but none have dug as hard as Nuts. Years of collecting and a strong friendship with Verocai himself have made this historic mix possible. 78 minutes of all Verocai compositions and arrangements is a dream come true.
For such a mix to be made, only a true Brasilian music aficionado could have created this, and we are honored to be able to share it with you.
Right Click to Download: DJ Nuts – Arthur Verocai Mix

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Riding on a High and Windy Day

Friday, April 16, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (0)


Here's to ushering in a beautiful weekend with The Paragon's classic! Have a good one.

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Cosmic Literary Marketing

Friday, April 16, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (0)


The local library's "BookMobile" was in the neighborhood. Catchy...


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Cool, Quick & Clean

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (2)

Rad little teaser of a video by the folks at Korduroy TV.  This was hipped to me by NC's own, Ryan Tatar.

I noticed some Greg Weaver footage in there.  Duane and I interviewed him in Park City a couple years back. Mr. Weaver proved to be both humble and hilarious.  I'm sure that Duane would agree that hanging with him was the highlight of our trip. Here is a snippet of that interview:

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Care Package

Sunday, April 11, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (1)


My oft-mentioned friend, Duane, sent me a surprise package a month or so ago. My daughter was extremely excited, as it had all sorts of toys and goodies stashed inside. With my interests, it was difficult to tell which items were specifically for me or for the 2 year old. There was a smattering of fun and random trinkets, all packed carefully with thought and anticipation.  Thanks friend! T'was ahsum. I'm glad you liked your response delivery

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Two Stonesthrow Videos - They're Quite Good

Tuesday, April 06, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (2)

 
Slo-mo San Francisco Smoothness.


This song was rightfully suggested by Baker a week or so ago. Stonesthrow just released the official video. Both are excellent, and worthy of a re-mention. Enjoy.

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One Got Fat: Bicycle Safety (1963)

Sunday, April 04, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (2)



From the cool moving images (movies) portion of the internet archive website.

A group of children, all wearing ape masks, rides their bicycles to the park for a picnic. Along the way, all but one are eliminated for violating basic bike safety rules. This strange film was narrated by Edward Everett Horton. Script and Direction: Dale Jennings. Photography: Max Hutto. Art Direction: Ralph Hulett. With Dick Hutto, Janice Powell, Lucie Hagens, Ralph Hulett, Clyde L. Johnson, Dave Hembree, Colleen Hutto, Charles Hagens, Kevin Lindsay, Dan Whitehead, Don Moody, Diane Chambers, Shirley Hulett.

This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Interlude Films
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Keywords: Bicycles; Safety: Bicycle; Animals: Apes
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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MG MGB GT

Friday, April 02, 2010 / Posted by PageOne / comments (0)

I'm working on a holiday, but it appears some some other folks are, too. I spotted this beauty in a University parking deck on my way in. While I'll toil away for the next several hours, I'd rather be driving this down a windy, sun-drenched road. Oh well.

From wiki:
The fixed-roof MGB GT was introduced in October 1965 and production continued until 1980, although export to the US ceased in 1974. The MGB GT sported a Pininfarina-designed hatchback body. The new configuration was a 2+2 design with a right-angled rear bench seat and more luggage space than in the roadster. Relatively few components differed, although the MGB GT did receive different suspension springs and anti-roll bars and a different windscreen which was more easily and inexpensively serviceable. Early prototypes such as the MGB Berlinette produced by the Belgian coach builder Jacques Coune utilized a raised windscreen in order to accommodate the fastback.
Acceleration of the GT was slightly slower than that of the roadster due to its increased weight, though handling improved due to significantly increased chassis rigidity and perhaps slightly better weight distribution. Top speed improved by 5 mph (8 km/h) to 105 mph (170 km/h) due to better aerodynamics.

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