Zelão, Sérgio Ricardo (1960)

[FR] Figure majeure de la culture brésilienne, Sérgio Ricardo (né João Lutfi) s’est illustré comme musicien et compositeur mais aussi comme réalisateur et écrivain. Après avoir étudié au conservatoire de Marília, ville dont il est originaire, et travaillé dans diverses radios locales, il s’installe à Rio de Janeiro en 1952 et rencontre Tom Jobim qu’il remplace comme pianiste au nightclub Posto 5 de Copabana. A la fin des années 50, il est au cÅ“ur de la renaissance de la musique brésilienne et sera l’un des premiers à enregistrer un disque de bossa nova : A Bossa Romântica de Sérgio Ricardo. Le disque sort en 1960 et se compose intégralement de chansons écrites de sa plume.

Il traversera les années 60 en grand représentant du cinema novo (la Nouvelle Vague brésilienne) et obtiendra des prix pour ses films (O Menino da Calça Branca, Esse Mundo é Meu) et les musiques de ceux des autres (notammant Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol et Terra em Transe de Glauber Rocha).

Ce qui ne l’empêche pas de poursuivre sa carrière de chanteur et de montrer à l’occasion son penchant rebelle. En 1966, à l’occasion de la deuxième édition du Festival da Música Popular Brasileira, il brise sa guitare et la jette dans la salle, non content de se voir réclamer une autre chanson par le public. Pour l’heure, nous retrouvons l’une des plus belles compositions de son premier disque : “Zelão“.

[EN] As a prominent figure in Brazilian culture, Sérgio Ricardo (born João Lutfi) not only distinguished himself as a musician and songwriter, he was also a great director and a writer. After studying at the conservatory in Marília, where he was born, and working in local radio stations, he settles in Rio de Janeiro in 1952. He meets Tom Jobim in Copana nightclub Posto 5 while he is offered to replace him as a pianist. In the late 50′s, he’s in the epicenter of Brazilian music renaissance and he’ll be one of the first to record a bossa nova LP: A Bossa Romântica de Sérgio Ricardo. It was released in 1960 and every song on the album was penned by Ricardo himself.

During the 60′s decade, he demonstrates his talent for movie making as an eminent representative of cinema novo (Brazilian Nouvelle Vague) and obtains several awards for his work (O Menino da Calça Branca, Esse Mundo é Meu) and the soundtrack he composed for other’s (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol et Terra em Transe by Glauber Rocha).

His musical success will also make him a popular singer-songwriter thanks to the rise of bossa nova. Occassionnaly, his rebel tendencies show up. In 1966, while performing at the second edition of the Festival da Música Popular Brasileira, he broke his guitar and threw it toward the audience as he was asked to play another more popular song. For the time being, here is one of the most beautiful composition on his first LP: “Zelão“.