Memoirs of a Damned (15)

The composer years (8)

A PORTRAIT FROM BRAZIL: O ÚLTIMO TUCUNARÉ (The last tucunaré) 2010

I admit, I idealized everything surrounding Brazil. It was as if a potion had consumed my senses. Everything seemed fine to me, although I never got used to seeing its people sleeping on cardboard on the streets, the steaming heat, the food, and certain attitudes. But my blindfold forgave allow that; its indulgence was summed up in that strange passion for Brazil. My love life and my frequent stays there during those years were not what I had hoped for. I spent most of my time locked in the hotel, fearful of my poor eyesight, my poor command of the language, and the childlike distrust of strangers. Although by then I had a rich musical culture, thanks to the radio programs Trópico utópico and Cuando loselefantes sueñan , it was a pleasant, boring surprise to meet Renato Borghetti, an accordionist from southern Brazil, and his gaúcha music.

With these credentials, O último tucunaré (The Last Tucunaré) came into the world, which, by the way, due to my defective vision, was published as tucumaré.

You'll find precise information in the didactic guide. Suffice it to say that it's not Brazilian music made by a Brazilian, but rather a personal vision that spans its wide cultural diversity from north to south.

The fruit of that experience is captured in Rei Borghetti. And other, more personal ones are captured in Ana Lúcia (inspired by Egbrrto Gismonti'sPalhaço) or Lucas's Baião. The readings and work I did at Unirioja on Mario de Andrade inspired Macunaíma.

To be fair, my passion for Brazil dates back to my years of friendship with Chani, of the Brisas trio, a man in love with the Amazon and the work of the late Chico Mendes.

It was there that my first international trip to Araraquara, São Paulo, was launched in the 1990s. A culture shock that marked me deeply, and I learned to appreciate more what I had and even my own fate. My blindness began there and lasted until almost 2022, when reality appeared and the blindfold fell off (the sentimental one long before that).

That year, the Recife Cultural Agenda featured my work and published it in its monthly edition, something that continues to fill me with pride.

Cultural Agend from Recife review