Brazilian songstress Marisa Monte closes U.S. tour at UC Theatre
BERKELEY -- One of the most popular recording artists in Brazil today, songwriter Marisa Monte brings her Portas Tour to the UC Theatre for two nights this weekend.
Born in Rio De Janiero in 1967, Monte developed a keen interest in music as a child, playing piano and drums as well as singing before she took up formal opera studies as a teen. She moved to Italy to continue her opera training at age 19, but also indulged in her love of traditional Brazilian forms by performing standards from her native country in clubs. Monte connected with veteran Brazilian producer Nelson Motta -- who had worked with such notable artists as Edu Lobo, Os Mutantes singer Rita Lee, Dori Caymmi, Djavan, Elis Regina and Gal Costa.
With Motta at the helm of her live shows, Monte returned to Brazil and began performing to large enthusiastic crowds, singing a mix of She quickly rose to become a new young música popular brasileira or MPB, signing to EMI and topping the charts with her first concert recording MM in 1989. While her music was a firmly modern mix of pop, rock and soul, the singer has regularly explored the more traditional sounds of Brazilian folk, samba and bossa nova, collaborating with such established figures as Carlinhos Brown, Arnaldo Antunes and Nando Reis (the latter two who came to fame as members of the early '80s Brazilian rock band Titãs).
For her first proper studio album Mais, Monte teamed with NYC musician and producer Arto Lindsay, who got his start as guitarist in the city's experimental underground scene as a member of the no-wave group DNA as well as playing with the Golden Palominos and the Lounge Lizards. He had also delved into samba and bossa nova with his band the Ambitious Lovers and ended up producing Brazilian giant Caetano Veloso's 1988 album Estrangeiro.
The collaboration proved fruitful as Lindsay introduced Monte to an eclectic array of downtown NYC musicians (saxophonist John Zorn, former Tom Waits guitarist Marc Ribot, P-Funk/Talking Heads keyboard player Bernie Worrell) who performed alongside Japanese keyboardist, composer and YMO co-founder Ryuichi Sakamoto and established Brazilian masters Robertinho do Recife and Naná Vasconcelos for an edgy, often funky mix of modern grooves and traditional forms and pop sensibility that highlighted Monte's soaring voice. It also firmly established the singer and songwriter as a talent who would not be bound by genre restrictions.
Monte's early success was no fluke. She would continue to top the Brazilian charts with clockwork regularity, whether releasing new studio albums or the live recordings that would frequently accompany or be issued soon after each effort. in 2002, she teamed with regular collaborators Brown and Antunes in the supergroup Tribalistas to release their massive self-titled hit album (they reconvened to record a second collection of tunes 15 years later in 2017).
Monte returns to Berkeley's UC Theatre for two nights this weekend on her current U.S. jaunt to promote her latest album Portas from last year. She will be backed by an all-star ensemble of heavyweight Brazilian musicians including bassist Dadi (Caetano Veloso, Jorge Benjor), drummer Pupillo (Gal Costa, Seu Jorge, Céu); Carlinhos Brown's guitarist son Chico -- who co-wrote a number of tunes on Portas -- percussionist Pretinho da Serrinha (Seu Jorge, Tribalistas, Caetano Veloso) and guitarist Davi Moraes (Caetano Veloso, Maria Rita). DJ Will warms up the crowd Saturday evening, with DJ KBLO playing music on Sunday before the main event.
Marisa Monte
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 21-22, 7 p.m. $62.50-$102.50
UC Theatre