Critical Studies in Improvisation / Etudes critiques en improvisation, Vol 7, No 1 (2011) In Memoriam Pushing at Boundaries: The Path of a Brazilian Instrumentalist Cliff Korman In homage to my mestre Paulo Moura, t/saxophonist, arranger, composer, improviser, visionary: July 15, 1932—July 12, 2010. clarinet (Credit: 2007 © Alex Almeida. Presentation with Clif Korman at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro His career spanned six decades, from the late 1940s through 2010, and his compositions, arrangements, and recordings can now be considered vital documents of many of the mast important trends in twentieth-century Brazilian music. Paulo Moura, the youngest of a family of musicians, began at twelve years of age to play the clarinet professionally with his father’s band in the gafieira dance halls oftheir hometown in the interior of So Paulo state. He ‘moved with his family to Rio de Janeiro—Brazil's canter of urban music—in 1945. He studied classical theory, harmony, and clarinat at the Escola Nacional de Msica and at tha same time had his frst contact with medern jazz through informal istening and playing sessions, both at the home of an acquaintance who lived near Moura's neighborhood of Tijuca and as a frequent participant ofthe Sinatra-Farnay fan club (1948-53). He soon made his mark as a versatile instrumentalist, working as a studio musician and in radio orchestras where he hhad contact with the topetier arrangers, composers, and conductors who would inform his musical language and conception, and in the gafieie dance halls that he would eventually use as a platform for his transformative and Contemporary view of the genra. Ho also parformed as a soloist with the symphony orchestra of the Teatro Municipal (with which, from 1959-1979, he was featured in classical works for clarinet) and with big bands and popular music orchestras that accompanied visiting international artists such as Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald, ‘Along with a group of musicians that included Joao Donato and Johnny Alf (pianist/composers), Mauricio Einhorn {(harmonica/composer), and Dom um Romo and Edson Machado (drummers), he was taken by the sound ang language of American jazz artists of the era and worked to develop a similar fluency as an improviser. AS a ipant in the emerging bossa and samba-jazz movements, he performed, arranged for, and recorded with Sergio ides’ Bossa Jazz ensemble, He traveled with this group to New York to participate in the famous “Bossa Nova’ (New Brazilian Jazz)" concert at Carnegie Hall on November 21, 1962. Less than a month after that performance, the grup went into a New York studio to record with the famous American jazz artist Cannonball AdderleyCritical Studies in Improvisation / Etudes crtques en improvisation, Vol 7, No 1 (2011) It was at this juncture in his career that Moura’s need to seek out the news, to transform and grow as an arts, first became evident. Not satisfied to ride the wave of bossa nova, he refused to settle into predictable and repetitive projects. His recognition that his most profound and inspiring source material lay in Brazilian culture led him to ‘experiment with, champion, and revitalize a wide variety of genres, including choro, gafiera, afro-samba, samba-jazz, ‘and misica erueita brasileira, His projects of the 1980s and 1970s represent the work of an inquisitive and innovative ast dacicatad to both excellence and growth, epitomized by his recordings Quarteto (1968), Hepteto: Mensagem (1968), Fibra (1971), and Confuso Urbana, Suburbana, e Rural (1978). His collaborations with Brazilian and international artists resulted in work that combined idioms, created new fusions, and opaned paths to new musical vocabularies, while atthe same time maintaining the defining characteristics ofthe Brazilian music and jeto that he ‘embodied.’ Moura’s repertoire included pigces by Radames Gnatali, Pixinguinha, Jacob de Bandolim, K-Ximbinho, Milton Nascimento, Charlie Parker, and George Gershwin, as wall as his own arrangoments and compositions that became staples of his performancas. His soundscape was often broadenad by a fascination with classical and contemporary music that, toward the end of his life, gravitated strongly toward the work of Gyérgy Ligati and Karlheinz Stockhausen and toward experimentation with graphic scores designed to foster improvisation, ‘Although the remainder ofthis text has everything to do with improvisation, it will have litle to do with note choice, harmonic paths, and the abilty to tum a perfact phrase in the moment of performance. Paulo had acoapted and mat those challenges early in his careor when, in the 1950s, he and a number of Brazilian musicians considered how to interact with contamporary approaches to jazz improvisation. The new davelopmants augmented his already avolved interest in American jazz musicians who had emerged in an eater era (Barney Bigard, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington) and coincided with his awareness of the advances of Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton, Horace Silver, and At Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, who were creating a stir within certain circles of Rio's music scene. Paulo was immersed in a dynamic and contemporary language of improvisation, one that occurred worldwide amongst musicians who considered themselves jazz practitioners. Far Paulo, it was a way of considering sound and introducing new kinds of intentions in performance. The ability to understand, internalize, and transform the information he gleaned from U.S. American jazz was a fundamental part of his personal language. Paulo and | met at the Creative Music Studio's five-week World Music Seminar in 1981. | attended as a student and he participated as one of a rotating group of teachers. We hitit off immaciately, maintained contact in the ensuing years, and first performed as a duo in 1996, Although we came from different generations, different cultures, and different countries, we shared a fevr important things. Each of us was steeped in what I've come to cal the “Popular Instrumental Improvised Music” of our respective traditions. We alsa shared a lave for each other's worlds: he for the sound, swing, and repertoire of American jazz; and I for similar components in the Brazilian popular expressions of choro, gafieira, samba, and bossa nova. Finally, we both believed that improvisation xists not only in sections, esignatad for melocic invention, but alsa in the assence of an approach that permeatas every moment of porformance. From our first rehearsals and presentations, we sensed an empathy and musical understanding botween us that wo knew dasarved nurturing ‘As our relationship developed, we began to consider our work a reflection of our respective cultures of origin and a Celebration ofthe links we found between them: rhythms, melodic fragmants, mood, swing, The raison o'stre af our duo was a constant search for common ground on which to explore these links—a common playground, if you will We filed it with the standard repertoire from Brazilian and American songbooks, withthe vast library of popular instrumental music trom Brazil and the U.S., and with original compositions that freely crossed styles and genres. Sections meant for melodic improvisation wore offen based on song forms, although they also ralied on harmonic interludes created to provide contrast and variety (e.9.,a piano solo of "Tico Tico” ciscussed below). Bofora a performance—especially if long time had passed since the previous one—we would spend some hours rehearsing, sometimes reworking material, adding repertoire, or simply gotting back in our groove. In spite of all ofthis preparation, | never fll quite certain of where the adventure would lead as we entered each stage. Paulo was Unpredictable in the best of ways: he was very wiling to take risks—to “throw curveballs’—and, at the same time, ‘was seemingly quite certain that evarything would work out. His serenity, eventually, was infectious. | carry with me the memory of our last moments on stage together. This memory is multi-faceted, its olemonts visual, auditory, tactile it conjures a sense of the breath and spirit of the musician channeled through hi clarinet, an instrument that he loved, and from which he teased a myriad of subtle variations of expression. | knew that he was struggling with a cancer that would soon take his body, But had no idea how close we were to his passing. What | felt, as his pianist and sparring partner, and what struck me with great certainty and impact, was that Paulo had reached yet another level of expression, Though stil attentive to the details of melody, harmony, and arrangement, his performance was now focused on the essence of his artistic intant—on gesture and sound,Critical Studies in Improvisation / Etudes crtques en improvisation, Vol 7, No 1 (2011) Toillustrate Il describe a few moments from our last duo performance, which took place at the Espago Centroequatro in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on May 8, 2010, two months before Paulo passed away. With a focus on sound, pulse, and time flow, Il attempt to recreato my thoughts and my decision-making process as | shared tho stage with this cteative and vital musician. For examples, I've chosen performances (of the songs “Travessia,” by Milton Nascimento and Femando Brant, and "Tico Tico no Fuba,” by Zequinha de Abreu) that poignantly represent the immadiacy and jay of the experiance | was so fortunate to liv. I remember well my impression as we left the stage: Paulo had led us into new teritory, and in doing so had asked me to reconsider my role as an accompanist, to cchange my approach from one that provided a harmonic and rhythmic foundation—somathing of a cho (floor) —t0 ‘one that was more contrapuntal in tarms af bath melody line and rhythm, and certainly less predictable. | was tree to toate new oloments, to be more conversational, and fe was happy to engage. This was riskier, as f the safety not of habit had been pulled away, but was also somewhat frightoning and certainly exhilarating "Travessia'" (video, 8:51 ‘Tigo Tieo No Fuba' (video, 5:26) “Travessia" frst appeared on Nascimento’ recording of the same name.® Soon after its release in 1987, it quickly bacame a staple ofthe popular music repertoire from the state of Minas Gerais. | feel it in 4/4 mater. Tha body of the song includas an intra Section that retums as an interlude to link important structural moments—the A and B sections, both 16 bars in length, always have the last measure elided by the interlude. Each section contains one thame, designated respectively as Thame | and Theme 2. “Tica Tico no Fuba’ was composed in 1917 and was made popular when Carman Miranda performed and recorded it inthe United States in the 1940s. | feel tin 2/4 meter. The structure and harmonic relationships fallow a common ‘modal for choro: AABBACCA (with A in A minor, B in the relative major C, and C in the parallel A major). Paulo's arrangement adds an intro, interlude, outro, and coda. Our performance follows both the form and spirit of chor: improvisation is often present in variations and embellishments, Paulo's approach also allowed for the invention of melody while maintaining the harmonic progression more associated with jazz. As |liston to these clips, | try to capture the musical flow and the dynamics of improvisation behind the notes. My ralation with Paulo Moura helped me define a process that only begins with note choice, appropriate scales, and sources of mativas, all things that were part of aur preliminary exchanges, We had a dimansion of hie et nune that ‘transcended those preparatory conversations. For example, at 2:43 on the video recording of “Travessia," | expect Paulo to take the melody, but he turns it back to ma with an eye signal and pushes me to syncopato tho next melodic statement for variation, only then adding a complementary il. Ths isa perfect example of improvisation applied to docisions of arrangement and counterpoint, a moment in which the fluidity of roles betwoon us becomes evident. Paulo expects that | know not just the forms and harmonies ofthe pieces in our repertoire, but the melodies as well. By demanding that | take this role, he challenges me to demonstrate my musicianship in the moment of performance. [know this wall from the jazz world of New York City, and have sean it to Some extent in chara rodas (performance circles). A similar event occurs at 5:12, where I confess I had no idea what was about to happen. | attempt to ‘communicate my doubt with hand signals. Paulo responds by playing the melody of A, than improvising over this section. | go into full accompanist’s moda, intending to provide a Welldefined bass lina and harmonic cushion, and to strike a balance between creating an interesting part and maintaining a supporting role. In our performance of *Tico-Tico,” there is a moment that epitomizes the relation between chance and “error” that Improvisation often entails | use the word “error” in its root sense of “erring’—proceeding through unknown pathways, At 4:10, Paulo plays the melody while | improvise a contra-canto (countering). This type of secondary lina is fundamental to the performance practice of choro. While many such lines have become codified over the course of the tradition’s long history, choro remains a genre in which improvisation is common and expocted. Immediately ‘thereafter, during the coda, we have ta deal suddenly with a potentially disconcerting, and carainly dissonant, error’ off a semitone from one another, we play two different versions of the whole-ione scale simultaneously. Paulo looks {for a good nota to resolve the two divergent paths and ends up finding a link betwoen the malodias of “Tico-Tico” and “Happy Birthday’! | opt for a standard jazz punctuation point, which for me serves two purposes: it evokes a style to the knowledgeable listener and provides a definitive conclusion to the somewhat vague last measures. Boyond the detai's of note choice and harmonic construction, however, what wore we improvising in this hic ot nunc"? Can musicians in conversation impravise the flow that occurs in musicking: the timing of breath, inflection, and timbre; the subtle differences in accentuation and sub-division that are fundamental tothe feel ofa style, a genre, and even a culture?Critical Studies in Improvisation / Etudes crtques en improvisation, Vol 7, No 1 (2011) To consider this final question in relation to its elements, I've chosen a number of representative instances in which Paulo uses them to create modes of expression that became fundamental to our performances, My descriptions are bost understood by witnessing and sharing the experience, and here | encourage the reader to refer to the attached Video clips. In “Travessia” Throughout this performance, character and time are the principal elemants of improvisation. Our attention to working in these realms impacts our note choice, our fluidity of roles, and our manipulation of timbre and sonorty, ‘+ Inthe intro, | establish the somewhat pensive mood from which we will develop the performance. Until the melodic statement of 1:16, | am playing with the idea of maintaining a drone while coloring it with varying segments of the harmonic series. The passage is improvised until Paulo enters withthe frst statement of the theme at 1:25. ‘© From that momant until the next appearance ofthe interlude, we work to complement each othor's sound, ‘An interesting passage occurs from 1:46-2:05, during which | play the outlinas of tha malody, creating Lunisons at cortain instances. The example at 1:50 stands out in particular: wa both simultaneously opt to color the melody note, Paulo by bending upwards into it, by falling off nto a chord voicing. i's hard to tall ‘who went fist ‘© From 2:06-2:14, as | play the interlude, Paulo demonstrates his abilty to work with timbre as he sustains the last note of the melody: he varies its color and intensity in minute increments, ‘+ At2:25, Paulo provides accompanying lines in the low, rich chalemeau register, which he will return to at 5:24 (s00 below). ‘+ At3:24, a change of subdivision occurs as | definitively establish a Brazilian fool. This ilustratos how we uso time to establish architecture in performance. Other instances occur at 4:68 as | introduce the double-tima ‘eel, which we continue to access over the course of the performance, and at 7:04 when we become somewhat pointilstic in our approach, ‘+ From 3:42-4:00, by stating the melody in different registers, Paulo uses the full range of the clarinet to add color by changing intensity levels ‘© From 6:24-6:60, as he again explores the chalomeau register, Paulo eventually reaches the lowest note of the instrument. For an improviser, this freedom to choose between different ranges is fundamental and profoundly impacts the emotional content of the performance. Most pertinent to this article, his decision changes the content of my accompaniment: | reduce the volume and intensity lavels and bring my lines down to the middle and low ranges of the piano, In “Tico Tico” ‘© At0:23, Paulo uses his breath to create slight, continuous variations in tuning; this strikes me as a vocalism similar fo a "blue note” from jazz. He will return to this latr in the performance, ‘+ AtO:37, 2 quick upward gesture, using the chromatic scale, elicits my almost immediate response as a sign to Paulo that he has my attention. Those improvised gestures now become components ofthe language of this performance, ‘+The first repeat ofthe A saction occurs at 0:49. By varying not just the melody, but, wth his breath, the color of each accent, Paulo creates a sense of displacement in both the rhylhmic and expressive realms, «© From 1:01-1:07, Paulo subtly but perceptively demonstrates his ability to flow between Brazilian and jazz moods. Ho emphasizes triplets using a grammar suggestive of bebop, and I respond in kind. At 1:08 (section B), he returns to the 16" notes more common in a Brazifan tempo. ‘+ AS we return to the A section (1:47-2:05), Paulo harly refers to the melody: he raplaces it with blues-tinged vocalisms and improvised lines that seem to loosen the tempo. + Tha C section at 2:06-2:44 examplifies the conversational character of our performance: although Paulo remains in the load, he leaves space for my lines and responses and allows them to suggest his next phrase. In these moments, wo are truly improvising a duet—this is one of the most satisfying and bittorswact, passages for me to view and remember. In this antcle, I've attempted to ilustrate, from my perspective as Paulo's partner, the numerous components that centered the immediacy of our performance. | must mention as | conclude that in this duo performance, which sadly turned ut to be our last, | exparionced a force and clarity of intent that literally emanated from the man who took me on as his apprentice. In retrospect, | realize that after a lifetime of pushing at boundaries—musical, stylistic, cultural— he had succeeded in cstiling his language into the gesture and sound that | have referred to here.Critical Studies in Improvisation / Etudes crtques en improvisation, Vol 7, No 1 (2011) | believe that musicians, by dedicating years to the study required to perfect tochnical and improvisational sills, propare thamsalves to become masters. The transition to this phase is not achieved by all: it requires perhaps immeasurable qualities and parameters that include artistic vision and a commitment to making one's voice heard. | witnessed Paulo make that transition, and | am convinced that he was operating that evening in Belo Horizonte with the intent to transmit his musical self through breath and sound. Though we used songs as pre-determined structures, the nature of that performance becomes tangible only by considering the parameters | cite above. By including these parameters in a definition of improvisation, | believe that music can lead us, in each performance and in each subsequent analysis, to connections that go beyond the physical—to pure communication and the essence of musical relationship. Notes ‘ Cannonball Adderley with the Bossa Rio Sextet. Cannonball's Bosse Nova. New York: Riverside RMAS5, 1962. 2 Quarteto. Rio de Janeiro: Equipe, 1968; Hepteto: Mensagem. Ric do Jansiro: Equipe, 1968; Fibra. Rio de Janeiro: Equipe, 1971; Confusdo Urbana, Suburbana, e Rural. Rio de Janeiro: RCA, 1876. 2 Jeito is a term from Brazilian Portuguese slang literally meaning “way’ (in the sense of an ingenious, flexible way of doing things). Implicit in this term is a sense of recognizable and perhaps slightly transgressive style. + These summer intensives combined an immersion in musical improvisation, often from the perspective ofthe free Jazz scene, with investigations into the languages of a number of music traditions from around the world, For general information on GMS and its founder Kari Barger, see \vny.creativemusicstudio.org Nascimento, Milton. Travessia, Rio de Janeiro: A&M, 1967.