PRIMO 7 / Pinta O Sete

Whatmusic.com presents ‘Pinta o Sete’. Pianist Primo Jr enters Ed Lincoln territory for this organ, vibes & vox-led bossa LP! Groovy!

* First ever worldwide release!
* Remixed and mastered from original tapes
* Includes club track ‘Gira Mundo’ & Caetano Veloso’s ‘É de Manha’!

Check the 30 second clips from the album…

01 JOÃO QUATROCENTÃO 2:09
02 LEILA 3:09
03 VOCÊ É DE PIC-NIC 2:05
04 É COM PIMENTA 1:57
05 ROMANTIC PARTNERS 2:24
06 DEIXA O MORRO CANTAR 2:10
07 GIRA MUNDO 2:40
08 BALANÇO DO RIO 1:53
09 TIMBA-OBÁ 1:51
10 PIOR PRÁ MIM 2:03
11 É DE MANHA 2:11
12 MAÇÃS E BANANAS 2:21

The whatmusic.com interview…

painting the seven!

As one of the prime (primo?) movers in the Rio-based piano trio scene, Porto Alegre-born Primo Jr had cut two albums already for Musidisc both featuring covers of the keys songs of the day. Following on from the two trio LPs came Primo’s stab at popular dance music with the release of ‘Pinta o 7’.

‘Pinta o 7’ in Portuguese means something akin to ‘painting the town red’ or ‘going for it’, and on this great record we get seven musicians who are really going for it. The nascent discotheque culture had started to impact on the local music scene. Italian crooners, French ‘chansons’, West Coast pop and local covers of rock’n’roll hits had all had their effect on the groups that still dominated the nightclubs in the era before DJs and records took over.

The prime movers in this new scene were Ed Lincoln and his group, featuring Orlann Divo, Tony Tornado and Durval Ferreira. In the manner of Ed Lincoln’s classic group Primo abandoned his piano to take up the Hammond organ.

Side One kicks off with a swinger – ‘João Quatrocentão’, a call and response swinger about a guy they call ‘Johnny 400’. Next up is the Mancini-like ‘Leila’ – a cool bossa jazz in waltz time. Trumpet-led, with a melancholy vibes solo, the tune comes over as a cross between Ed Lincoln and Cal Tjader! ‘Você e de Pic-Nic’ is really ‘painting the seven’ – a 100 mph vocal-led trumpet and organ swirl about a girl who’s cool and chic but she’s just a bit too ‘pic-nic’ for Primo!

‘É com Pimenta’ – ‘if there are gonna be Baianas dancing the samba at this party then I’m bringing my own chilli pepper’, says this cheesy vocal take on a samba classic. ‘Romantic Partners’ was made famous a few years earlier by Ed Lincoln and showcases the considerable compositional talents of Musidisc boss Nilo Sérgio – a man who led his own easy listening orchestra in the 50s and 60s. Period twangy guitar and percussive organ…

‘Deixa o Morro Cantar’ is a swinger instrumental in the manner of ‘Cochise’, the Ed Lincoln classic.

Side 2 starts with a stomper – ‘Gira Mundo’. Bongos and an afro-samba groove open this classic club dance track. Written by Luiz Carlos Sá, a composer of 60s greats like ‘Capoeira de Oxalá’, and with nice little ‘capoeira-berimbau’ style breaks. The typical 60s guitar trades punches with the wonderful Leslie cabinet engaged on the Hammond! Then comes the first of three Orlann Divo party tracks. ‘Balanço do Rio’ is a knockout number for dancers and in the style of tracks like Meirelles’ ‘Quintessência’ – ‘primo’ samba jazz!

‘Timba-Obá is made for samba’ is the next number’s refrain and who could argue? The line-up and the staccato rhythm changes typical of Orlann Divo invite more Ed Lincoln comparisons…

‘Pior Pra Mim’ is the third Divo song. Great vocal harmonies for this catchy little number, with instrumental breaks for guitar and vibes and the voices and guitar doing a neat call and response. ‘Pity poor me – it’s come to an end…’

But the record hasn’t yet. ‘É de Manha’ was Caetano Veloso’s first big hit debuted by his sister Maria Bethânia in 1965 in her first stage show in Rio. The song predates the ‘tropicalism’ that Caetano is famous for, but hints at the shape of things to come in the international pop references of the melody and structure.

And finally to finish off – Brazilians playing dodgy Latin. ‘Maçãs e Bananas’ – ‘Apples and Bananas’. The cod-Latin intro quickly moves into rumba mode in a typical slice of 60s fruity pie!

So now you’ve heard the Primo 7 painting that 7 for all they’re worth in splendid remixed and remastered stereo!

This release is dedicated to the memory of Primo Jr.

Remixed by Ary Perdigão at Musidisc Rio de Janeiro July 2002

Remastered from the original tapes by Ricardo Garcia at Magic Master Rio de Janeiro January 2002

Special thanks to Durval Ferreira, Nilo Sérgio & Ary at Musidisc